Belarus Births Database

The JewishGen Belarus Database contains Jewish birth records from towns in Belarus

Many of these records were originally created by the Jewish Congregations of the various towns where the records were recorded.  The text can be both in Russian (Cyrillic alphabet) and Hebrew script. But some records are in Russian only

Database Fields

The Register of Births records typically contain the following information:

• Microfilm # - The microfilm number from LDS Family History Library (if these records were microfilmed).


• Microfilm Item # - The microfilm item number on the microfilm.


• Image # - Image number on microfilm, if available, or the page number located at the top right on the record itself (this will enable you to locate the record on the film).


• Place Recorded - The place that the birth was registered.


• Year Recorded - The year that the birth was registered.


• Record # - The record number of the birth in the original books  (numbers are preceded by "F" for female or "M" for male) .


• Child's Surname - The surname (last name, family name) of the child.


• Child's Given Name - The first name(s) of the newborn child.


• Father's Given Name - The child's father's first name(s).


• Father's Patronymic - Paternal grandfather's first name(s).


• Mother's Given Name - The child's mother's first name(s).


• Mother's Patronymic - Maternal grandfather's first name(s).


• Mother's Maiden Surname - Maternal grandfather's surname (usually only given if mother is not married).


• Date of Birth - Day, month, and year of birth, according to the Julian calendar if the birth was prior to 1917. The modern day calendar is the Gregorian calendar. You can convert a Julian date to a Gregorian date using Steve Morse's conversion tool


• Date of Birth (Hebrew Calendar) - Day and month of birth, according to the Jewish calendar .


• Town of Birth - Place of birth.


• District - The "uyezd" - the district name - of the town of birth.


• Guberniya - The Guberniya (Russian province) of the town of birth.


• Comments - All other information which doesn't fit into any other column.  This may include:
  • Town of the father
  • Profession and/or class of the father


• Archive/Fond - The archive where this record is now located and the particular Fond / List / Item number in that archive.

Sample Record

Sample Birth Record

Contents of the Database

There are approximately 94,000 birth records for towns in Belarus in the JewishGen Belarus database and All Lithuania database. Below is a listing of the towns.

Translation/Transliteration Methods

Translators are instructed to follow JewishGen transcription rules.  Unless otherwise noted, transliterations follow the BGN/PCGN Romanization of Russian and the YIVO Romanization Standard for Yiddish/Hebrew. 

Records have been formatted according to JewishGen transcription templates.

If the Hebrew/Yiddish name differs from the Russian name, both names are listed separated by a forward slash (/)

Recommendations for Searching

Search the records using the Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex as well as the exact name, due to variations in spelling and because some records were transliterated from Russian only and not Hebrew.

Search all town records even if you believe you know the town your relatives came from.  Families moved around quite a lot, so the records that you are searching for could be in any database. 

Obtaining Copies of Original Records

If a record has been microfilmed by the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS), then one can order the microfilm from any Family History Center.  You will need to know the Family History Library microfilm number (FHL #), item number, image number and record number.

If a record was not microfilmed by the LDS then contact the project leader for information on obtaining copies of an original record.

Acknowledgements

The JewishGen Belarus Research Division would like to thank:

• The many translators who helped us with these records: Boris Bayevsky, Arkady Brazin, Vitaly Charny, Rimma Dechter, Zhanna Glazenburg, Vladimir Golynya, Baruch Gorkin, Natasha Grinberg, Ronnie Harpaz, Joshua Kaufman, Greg Mirsky, Frank Proschan, Lara Tsinman, Dena Whitman, Irina Zabelyshinsky, Ludmila Zapletnyuk and Elena Zborovskaya
• Avraham Groll, Logan Kleinwaks, Alex Kotovskiy, Gary Sandler, Warren Blatt and Michael Tobias for their support while at JewishGen
• The many people whose financial contributions have made it feasible to obtain these records.

Searching the Database

This database is searchable via the JewishGen Belarus Database.