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GRODNO ARCHIVES

 Address for writing to Belarus:

Karina BATRAKOVA, Director
A.Tizengauz sg. 2,
230023 GRODNO,
Rep of Belorus
T. 0152 44 94 66

WEB ADDRESS:  http://www.president.gov.by/gosarchives/index.htm

Addresses of some of the other archives:

Poland: 

Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwow Panstwowych
00-950 Warszawa
skr.poczt. 1005 ul. Dluga 6
tel. + 48 22 831 3206 fax + 48 22 831 7563

Russia: 

Rossijskij Gosudarstviennyj Istoricheskij
Arkiv Anglijskaja Nabieriezhnaja 4
Sankt Petersbourg

Belarus:

Drzhavnyj Kamitet pa Arhivah i Spravovodstvu
vul. Kalektarnaja 10 220048 Minsk
tel. 220 5191 fax 220 5120

some names of the directors: - B.P.Kruk (very nice gentleman)
A.E.Rybakov, V.I.Adamushko (this one gave me the permission to work in reading rooms)

Nationalnyj Istoricheskij Archiv Belarussi
vul. Kropotkina 55 220002 Minsk

Here they have: 

• books up to 1795 part of Poland and Lithaunia now in borders of Belarus 
• books 1795 - 1919 Minsk Gubernia (attention: Novogrodek uyezd was up to 1842 in Grodno Gubernia) and only after was joined to Minsk Gubernia. I have the very, very exact map of the border up between this two gubernias up to 1842.  F.ex. Neswiezh and Lachowicze were in Minsk but Baranowiczi and Koreliczi in Grodno)
• Probably a lot of other documents, but as I was not interested I didn't check.

some names: I.L.Junina

• Here they have documents 1919-1939 of part of Poland now in Belorussia. I can provide the original maps of these regions.
• Here they have the documents for Grodno Gubernia (look remarque on Minsk Gubernia) after 1795. Attention: - Lida uyezd was in Slonim 1795-1797, - Litovska 1797--1801, Grodno 1801-1842, 1842-1918 in Vilnius Gubernia. For all the regions of Eastern Poland: 1918-1939 Republic of Poland, - 1939-1941 USSR (Vilnius to Lithania), - June 1941 - July 1944 occupied by Germany, -1944-1990 USSR, 1990-now Belarus or Lithuania

Thanks to Henryk Limon, Geneva  for supplying this information

LINK TO MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE GRODNO ARCHIVES
 
 

Following the International Seminar in July 1998, Kahhile Mehr, representative of the Mormon church, made available this copy of the Jewish Records prepared for the LDS for their filming in Grodno archives. the list consists of 31 pages in Russian, prepared for them by Dmitri Panov, a Russian genealogist. In addition, Mr. Merh reviewed another inventory prepared by the archivist herself and gave GGG, Inc. two pages pertaining to military records.

The inventory lacks detail in many respects. It covers thousands of pages of material from documents but gives the number of pages for only a few of the listed items. Many descriptions refer only to the district. We need to know what portions of the district are covered as these are all partial records.

From documentation received during Oleg Perzashkevich's research, apparently Fond 2, referred to by its number in the Mormon documents, contains records of kahal elections in certain smaller districts. A project financed by GGG, Inc. dues attempted to ascertain what other shtetls are covered. The following is the listing in the Mormon inventory: Grodnenskoye gubernskoye Pravleniye (Grodno Guberniya Administration) Fond 2, 78980 Ed. Chr., 1802-1916 (Fond 2, 78,980 chronicles).

The Mormon inventory was supplemented by archivists in the employ of the East European Jewish Heritage Project (Frank Swartz, Executive Director) as well as other sources.

Records  available from the Grodno Archives

(for part 2 of Inventory available in Grodno Archives click here)

VITAL RECORDS IN GRODNO (CIVIL OR GOVERNMENTAL)

 In a message dated 3/24/99 11:58:14 AM Eastern Standard Time, arl@teleport.com writes:
 VITAL STATISTICS OFFICE AT THE JEWISH CONGREGATION > (GMINA) OF THE CITY OF GRODNO GRODNO, > 17 SEPTEMBER 1927 NO. 1208
   CERTIFICATE NO. 5488 to be presented in the Passport Office.  Due to the disappearance of the vital record books for the city of Grodno during the fire of 1885 in Grodno, the Vital Statistics Office at the  Jewish Congregation (Gmina) of the city of Grodno on the basis of statements submitted by two reliable  witnesses, Signature of the Vital Statistics Office official: (in his name) D. Rozowski (Rabbi in the city of Grodno).  The authenticity of this document is certified by the Secretary of the Jewish Congregation of the City of Grodno (illegible signature).   GGG, Inc. has reason to believe that the Vital Records Office of the Jewish Congregation (Gmina) of the City of Grodno suffered a fire in 1885 causing the "disappearance" of the vital record books for the City of Grodno. We do not know if the records were ever recovered but they were still missing as of 1927.

 In response to a recent post, and in an attempt to get this straight: There are certainly records from Grodno town, and other places in the gubernia, too. There are almost no vital records (birth, marriage & death) from the Czarist period. Miriam Margolyes' post indicates that some were destroyed by fire as early as 1885; we have heard about other destruction by fire between the world wars. Later vital records are held in the former KGB archive in Grodno but we have no access to that yet. Please do not assume that "No vital records" means "No records". You can prepare a very useful genealogy using what is left, primarily revision lists (a kind of census) for years about 1806 -- 1911, and 1850--58, and 1874, and in the case of Grodno town and a few other district capitals, the 1897 "All Russia Census" schedules also survive. Not every resource exists for every town. We have an inventory of the Central Hist. Archives branch in Grodno, and a similar inventory is on the web on the Belarus page. We can supply excerpts from the inventory to district leaders so that they can choose what documents would be most useful to their group.
 

Last Updated on 1/10/01
By Joanne Saltman