Suggestions for Genealogical Research in Ukraine

How to find family records in Ukraine, what to look for, and where? These are the questions asked by people researching their family history in the area that is now part of Ukraine. Lvivecotour can assist with genealogical research and ancestral tours in Ukraine.

There is a good chance that your ancestors, who once lived within Ukraine’s current borders, have left a paper trace that can be found today to better understand your family history, build a family tree, etc. Suppose you have a name of your great-grandmother, her birth (marriage or death) years and a name of a town where she lived. Here are some tips on how to find any records that may be available for this particular ancestor:

What records can be found:

Metrical records such as birth, marriage and death records: 

These records were kept by clergy for each community. In Ukraine, you will find different sets of metrical records depending on religious affiliation of a person. Namely, Greek Catholic (Ukrainian), Roman Catholic (Polish), Judaic (Jewish), Protestant (German, Czech, Hungarian), Christian Orthodox (Ukrainian, Romanian). Metrical records, also known as vital records, can be the most valuable source of information in building your family tree. A typical birth record would list a person’s name, date of birth and baptismal, name and social status of the parents, gender, house number where the birth took place, names of godparents, obstetrician’s name and priest’s name. Such metrical records can be found at the State Archives of Ukraine for each oblast (province) for records older than 70 years, or at Civil Registry Offices for each rayon (county) for newer records. While the archives are open to the public, Civil Registry Offices require proof of kinship to release records. Metrical records may not be available for all communities due to destruction caused by wars, mismanagement or age of records. Often, there are gaps in the vital records that can span several years or several decades. Or there may be only birth records available, and no marriage or death records, for example. Metrical records in Western Ukraine were generally kept from the time of incorporation of Western Ukraine into Austria-Hungary in the 1770-s to the end of World War 2 in the 1940-s. Vital records at Ukraine’s archives need better organization. For example, Lviv archives may have records from communities that are now part of Poland, or belonging to administrative divisions outside of Lviv oblast of Ukraine. This reflects changes in international and administrative boundaries since the end of World War 2. Occasionally, old metrical records are kept by churches or privately by individuals. Archives may eventually obtain such records, so if a particular volume of records is missing today, it may appear at the archives at a later date.

Cadastral maps:

After incorporation of Galicia within Austria-Hungary, two land surveys were conducted, which resulted in the creation of volumes of cadastral maps showing numbered land parcels and buildings. Lists of land and property owners are attached to each map. These maps can be useful in determining locations of family homes and land. Old Austrian cadastral maps can be matched with current Google Maps in satellite view to determine current location of family land. Metrical records and cadastral maps are usually kept at the Historical archives for each oblast center.

School records:

Such records list names of students of a particular school or university. Finding the right file with school records may be problematic. School records are often poorly organized. For example, they are stored at the State Archives of Lviv Oblast for the Lviv area, or could be found at one of the three branches of the State Archives in Uzhhorod, separate from the metrical records, or at the State Archives of Lutsk together with the metrical records.

Lists of voters:

These records list names, birth dates, addresses and occupation of general elections voters for a certain community during the short time span of the 2nd Polish Republic.

Phone or business directories:

Available for Lwow, these directories are somewhat limited as they include only a small proportion of mostly wealthy families with installed phone lines or business owners for the period between the two World Wars.

Talking to people:

Heading to the towns and talking to people can often bring tons of useful information and produce records that are otherwise unavailable at the archives. On one of such visits, we met the Rabbi of Ivano-Frankivsk who has encyclopedic knowledge of local history and can direct researchers towards useful sources of information and records.

Online resources:

There are a number of websites offering an increasing amount of  genealogical information in exchange for a paid membership. 

In conclusion, here are web links to some of the archives in Western Ukraine:

Central Historical Archives of Lviv: https://tsdial.archives.gov.ua/

State Archives of Lviv Oblast: http://www.archivelviv.gov.ua/

State Archives of Ternopil Oblast: https://archives.gov.ua/Eng/

State Archives of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast: http://if.archives.gov.ua/

State Archives of Volyn Oblast in Lutsk: https://volyn.archives.gov.ua/

State Archives of Transcarpathian Oblast in Uzhhorod: http://dazo.gov.ua/