Civil Registrations In Ukraine

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Delving into family history and tracing ancestral roots in Ukraine involves an exploration of civil registrations, which serve as invaluable repositories of vital records. Spanning centuries, these registrations encapsulate pivotal life events such as births, marriages, deaths, and more. The rich tapestry of Ukrainian civil registrations is a treasure trove for genealogists seeking to unravel familial connections and piece together the stories of their ancestors.

The system of civil registrations in Ukraine finds its origins in various religious denominations, including Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Jewish, and others. The meticulous recording of these life events, often beginning in the 16th century, provides a comprehensive timeline for individuals, families, and communities across the country.

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History of civil registrations in Ukraine

Before the October revolution

In the lands of Western Ukraine, metric books appeared in the 16th century. The metric book of the Orthodox Church in the village of Sykhiv in Lviv region from 1600 is the oldest in Ukraine.

The Catholic Church introduced the first system of population registration. The systematic and regulated population census in the Roman Catholic Church was initiated by the Council of Trent in 1545-1563.

In Lviv, the registry of marriages was used from 1642 to 1680, and baptismal rites in the Lviv Cathedral were recorded from 1674. Earlier, metric books appeared in the Lviv Armenian parish (known to researchers and dating from 1636-1733).^[1]

The metric reform in the Lviv took place in 1680. With the support of Bishop Joseph Shumliansky, the "Zertsalo" was published in the Ukrainian language in the Univ printing house. The document introduced the maintenance of two types of metric records - baptismal and marital. It was envisaged that the record should contain a verified date of baptism, the Christian name of the newborn, the names of their parents and godparents, as well as the territorial origin of individuals involved in the Sacrament of Baptism. A similar set of information was to be entered by the clergyman in the metric book for marriages. The responsibility for keeping metric books in parishes was entrusted to administrators, and the oversight of the metrics' existence was the responsibility of the consistory and the bishop personally. The metric reform of 1680 did not include the introduction of metric books for the deceased or parish registers.

Records in the Roman Catholic community's church books were kept in Latin, later in Polish, while in Greek Catholic and Orthodox communities, they were initially in Latin, later in Ukrainian. Metric books were kept in duplicate: one preserved in the church and the other in the eparchial administration. In the Austro-Hungarian lands of Western Ukraine from 1782, Greek Catholic parishes, like Roman Catholic ones, kept metric books separately for each locality within the parish.

In the 19th century, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, records of births, marriages, and deaths were conducted by the parish priests (pastors) of respective religious communities: Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Armenian, Jewish. Alongside this, there was civil registration by local government bodies (magistrates) regarding individuals not belonging to any of these communities or various religious denominations. Contemporary church books at that time recorded birth, marriage, and death registrations. In special cases such as acknowledgment of paternity or adoption, written supplements were added to the corresponding record (for instance, a protocol acknowledging paternity). Metric extracts were issued for the civil registration of acts of civil status. The dissolution of marriage took place only in exceptional cases that did not contradict church law or went beyond the bounds of contemporary social morality (based on a court decision).

The metric book was designed for one year and had three sections: for births, marriages, and deaths. The "Births" section was dedicated to newborns, indicating baptism dates in the church, the names of parents, addresses, the status of parents and the newborn, the gender and name of the child, as well as details regarding the person assisting in the birth (midwife).

In the "Marriages" section, data on marriage dates and the names of those entering into a church marriage were recorded. Marriage records were chronological, by years and weeks. The surnames, first names, and patronymics of the spouses were not specified but their origins from the father and which family they come from were indicated. The priest recorded the names of the couple and their parents, their origin, age, and previous marital status (it was important to establish whether either of the couple was previously married in church). A mandatory entry was made about the voluntary nature of the marriage from both parties, as otherwise, the marriage ceremony was considered invalid. It was required to include the names of witnesses from both sides in the metric.

In the "Deaths" section, details about the deceased were included: the month and day of death, sometimes additionally the day of burial; house number; the name of the deceased; religion; gender (male or female); age at the time of death; cause of death. The cause of death was subjectively determined and did not imply any medical terms.

At the end of the book, there might be summaries of the number of births, marriages, or deaths in the parish. Usually, such metric books were written in Latin, and all personal names were also recorded in a Latinized form, for example, Theodorus - Fedir, Demetrius - Dmytro, Helena - Olena.

The history of civil registration acts in the majority of Ukraine's territory dates back to the year 1722. These books served as the primary documents for registering births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths, and were filled out by the priest who performed the associated rites.

After the October revolution

The history of the modern departments for the state registration of civil status acts in Ukraine began on February 20, 1919. In July 1934, the RATS (Registration Office of Acts of Civil Status) bodies, known for holding vital information regarding the current population, were incorporated into the structure of the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs. These departments were referred to as bureaus.

On October 25, 1956, the RATS bodies were removed from the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and transferred to the jurisdiction of local self-government bodies.

From 1998 to the present day, the departments of the state registration of acts of civil status have been structural units of the justice departments. Currently, the registration of civil status acts is conducted in electronic and paper formats (since 2008). Certificates of established patterns and/or extracts from the state register of civil status acts are issued to citizens as confirmation of the state registration of civil status acts.

The most important regulatory acts that govern the departments in the state registration of civil status acts today are the Family Code of Ukraine (effective from 2004) and the Law of Ukraine "On State Registration of Civil Status Acts" (July 27, 2010).^[2]

How to find civil registration records in Ukraine

A genealogical request aims to provide information to establish kinship and family ties and should contain information about two or more individuals connected by such relationship, about family history, which becomes an increasingly important direction of activity of state archives of Ukraine.

What is the procedure for processing requests?

Processing requests from legal and physical persons (hereinafter referred to as requests) is carried out within the time limits established by law and is controlled by the archive management.

The deadline for executing the request should not exceed thirty days from the date of its registration. Information that the applicant must provide to order genealogical research in state archives:

historical region of Ukraine where ancestors lived;
the name of the village, town, or city;
surname of the ancestor (for a woman - maiden name);
dates of birth, marriage, death;
religion;
social (property) status;
name of the applicant, postal (and electronic, if available) address, phone numbers, fax.

Most state archives do not conduct genealogical research themselves but offer individuals/legal entities seeking such assistance to conduct independent searches with archive documents in the reading room.

A physical/legal person conducting independent searches for documents confirming family ties with individuals for whom personal data search or genealogical research is carried out should provide the archive with documents confirming the person's consent to conduct such a search or a notarized power of attorney from the requester of the genealogical research.

The largest number of genealogical research is conducted by users in the central state historical archives in Kyiv and Lviv, which have a unique source base - metric books from the 17th to the beginning of the 20th century of various denominations - Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Evangelical, Jewish, as well as revision lists from the late 18th to the mid-19th century, confessional records, population census materials from the 19th-20th centuries, military documents, lists of homeowners, etc. Similar documents, mainly from the late 18th to the early 20th century, are also kept in most regional state archives.

Explore more on civil registrations in Ukraine

Ukrainian State Archive
Ukrainian civil registration offices
Ethnicity map of Ukraine at MyHeritage
Ukrainian vital records database at MyHeritage
Beginning Ukrainian Genealogy at Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
Bessarabia, Jewish Marriages from JewishGen at MyHeritage

References

[1] ttps://minjust.gov.ua/news/ministry/istoriya-metrichnih-knig-ta-knig-derjavnoi-reestratsii-aktiv-tsivilnogo-stanu-zahidnogo-mijregionalnogo-upravlinnya-ministerstva-yustitsii-m-lviv-ta-jittya-vidomih-lyudey

[2] ttps://courses.ulead.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Tema-3.-Derzhavna-reiestratsiia-aktiv-tsyvilnoho-stanu-cherez-TSNAP-TH-1.pdf

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