Revision lists (ревизские сказки) were population censuses conducted in the Russian Empire between 1719 and 1858 for the purpose of taxation and military conscription. These lists recorded household members and provided detailed personal information, making them a crucial source for genealogists tracing family history in Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and Moldova.
The Russian Empire introduced revision lists as a means of controlling and monitoring taxable populations. Before these lists, taxation was largely based on landholdings rather than individuals, which led to widespread tax evasion. To create a more accurate system, Emperor Peter the Great ordered the first general census, known as the First Revision of 1719, marking the beginning of a series of population revisions.[1]
The revisions primarily aimed to determine tax obligations for peasants, townspeople, and merchants; identify potential conscripts for the imperial army; strengthen state control over mobility and settlement patterns.
Since taxation and military service were major burdens, many people tried to avoid registration by falsifying records, hiding family members, or fleeing to different regions. As a result, revision lists often included annotations about disappearances, changes in residence, and even deaths between revisions.
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History of revision lists in UkraineHistory of revision lists in Ukraine
Ukraine in the 18th and 19th centuries was a patchwork of regions with different administrative histories:
- Left-Bank Ukraine (Chernihiv, Poltava, Kharkiv, Kyiv gubernias) was under direct Russian rule since the late 17th century, these areas were fully integrated into the revision list system.
- Right-Bank Ukraine (Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Volhynia, Podolia gubernias) was formerly part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, these lands were annexed by Russia during the Partitions of Poland (1772–1795) and gradually incorporated into the revision system.
- Southern Ukraine (Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Crimea, Donbas) -- after the Russo-Turkish wars, the Russian Empire gained control of these regions in the late 18th century. Settlements here included Ukrainians, Russians, Moldovans, Greeks, Bulgarians, and Germans, all of whom were recorded in revision lists.
- Western Ukraine (Galicia, Bukovina, Transcarpathia) was under Austrian control, these regions were not part of Russian revision lists but were instead recorded in Austrian censuses.
Revisions in UkraineRevisions in Ukraine
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There were ten official revisions conducted across the Russian Empire, many of which covered Ukrainian territories:
- 1719–1721 (First Revision). Initiated by Peter the Great to shift taxation from households to individuals. It had major gaps due to poor record-keeping.
- 1743–1747 (Second Revision). Expanded coverage but was still incomplete.
- 1761–1767 (Third Revision). Included more towns and rural settlements.
- 1781–1782 (Fourth Revision). First to systematically include newly annexed Ukrainian territories.
- 1794–1795 (Fifth Revision). Integrated Right-Bank Ukraine after the Partitions of Poland.
- 1811 (Sixth Revision). Limited success due to the Napoleonic Wars.
- 1815–1818 (Seventh Revision). A major update covering taxation and social status.
- 1833–1835 (Eighth Revision). More detailed than previous revisions.
- 1850–1851 (Ninth Revision). One of the most comprehensive censuses before serfdom was abolished.
- 1857–1859 (Tenth Revision). The last revision before the 1861 abolition of serfdom, which changed tax and population records significantly.[2]
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Information that revision lists contain:Information that revision lists contain:
- Full names and patronymics of heads of households and family members.
- Age and birth year (sometimes with comparisons to previous revisions).
- Social class (e.g., serf, merchant, noble, townsman, clergy).
- Ethnicity and religion (especially in multicultural regions like Odesa).
- Residence and property details (village, estate, or urban district).
- Annotations (e.g., deaths, relocations, tax status changes).
One of the most valuable aspects of these lists is the ability to track family movements over generations—for instance, seeing how a family relocated from one village to another or changed social status over time.
Where to Find Revision Lists for UkraineWhere to Find Revision Lists for Ukraine
Many revision lists have been preserved in state archives and can be accessed through:
- Central State Historical Archive of Ukraine (TsDIAK) in Kyiv holds some of the most extensive collections.
- Regional archives in Ukrainian cities like Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv, and Dnipro.
- Russian State Historical Archives (RGIA) and State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF) сontain copies of some Ukrainian revision lists.
- Online genealogy databases.
See also:See also:
Explore more about revision lists in UkraineExplore more about revision lists in Ukraine
- Revision Lists of Ukraine from JewishGen at MyHeritage
- Family history records at MyHeritage