TRACING JEWISH ANCESTORS
Where is the "Old Country" Located Today?
Between 1880 and 1924, one-third of Eastern European Jewry left their homes, and more than 90% came to the United States. Of these, about 75% were from the Russian Pale, an area to which Jews were confined by law. The Pale consisted of the 15 western provinces of European Russia and the 10 provinces of Congress Poland. Another 18% of these Jewish immigrants came from the Austria-Hungary regions of Galicia, Bukovina and Hungary. About 4% arrived from Romania.
NOTE: The YELLOW on the map below indicates gubernii within the Pale where our ancestors lived.
The 25 Russian Pale gubernii (provinces)
It is helpful to know the history of name and boundary changes in the area where you suspect a person lived. Many boundaries and place names have changed over the years. The following chart lists the gubernia, its capital city and that city's current name and country. Example: Kovne (city) formerly within Kovne (gubernia), is presently known as Kaunas (city) in Lithuania (country).
THE RUSSIAN PALE, PAST AND PRESENT JURISDICTIONS
RUSSIAN PALE 1835-1917 |
EASTERN EUROPE since 1991 |
||
Gubernia (Province) |
CapitalCity |
City Name |
Country |
Bessarabia |
Kishinev |
Kishinev |
Moldova |
Chernigov |
Chernigov |
Chernigov |
Ukraine |
Cherson |
Cherson |
Kherson |
Ukraine |
Grodne |
Grodne |
Grodno |
Belarus |
Kelts (CP) |
Kelts |
Kielce |
Poland |
Kiev |
Kiev |
Kiyev |
Ukraine |
Kolesh (CP) |
Kolesh |
Kalisz |
Poland |
Kovne |
Kovne |
Kaunas |
Lithuania |
Lomze (CP) |
Lomze |
Lomza |
Poland |
Lublin (CP) |
Lublin |
Lublin |
Poland |
Minsk |
Minsk |
Minsk |
Belarus |
Mohilev |
Mohilev |
Mogilev |
Belarus |
Pietrkov (CP) |
Pietrkov |
Piotrkow |
Poland |
Plotzk (CP) |
Plotzk |
Plock |
Poland |
Podalia |
Kamenets Podolsk |
Podolia |
Ukraine |
Poltave |
Poltave |
Poltava |
Ukraine |
Rudem (CP) |
Rudem |
Radom |
Poland |
Shedlitz (CP) |
Shedlitz |
Siedice |
Poland |
Suvalk (CP) |
Suvalk |
Suwalki |
Poland |
Taurida |
Simferopol |
Simferopol |
Ukraine |
Varshe (CP) |
Warsaw |
Warszawa |
Poland |
Vilna |
Vilna |
Vilnius |
Lithuania |
Vitebsk |
Vitebsk |
Vitebsk |
Belarus |
Volin |
Zhitomir |
Volynhia |
Ukraine |
Yekaterinoslav |
Yekaterinoslav |
Dnepropetrovsk |
Ukraine |
The plural form of gubernia is gubernii. Gubernii and city names are spelled as transliterated from Russian. You may see the names spelled differently in various source documents.
ABBREVIATIONS:
CP: CONGRESS POLAND ( Kingdom of Poland ): part of Poland occupied by the Russian Empire, 1815-1918. The 10 gubernii (1867-1917): Suwalki, Lomza, Plock, Warszawa, Siedlce, Lublin, Radom, Kielce, Piotrkow and Kalisz. Today, all in east-central Poland (except north Suwalki).
GALICIA PROVINCE (Empire of Austria-Hungary): An historic region in southeastern Poland and western Ukraine . The Polish section covers RZESZOW and the greater part of KRAKOW areas; the Ukraine section includes LVOV, IVANO-FRANKOVSK and TARNOPOL oblasts (provinces).
BUKOVINA or BUCOVINA PROVINCE (Empire of Austria-Hungary): An historic region that is now shared by Romania and Ukraine. The main Ukraine city is Chernovtsy. Romanian cities include Suceava and Botosani.
GUBERNII OUTSIDE THE PALE:
KURLAND or COURLAND now within Latvia.
ESTLAND now within Estonia.
LIVLAND or LIVONIA an historic region, comprising the present-day areas of northern Latvia and southern Estonia.
Fact sheet compiled for Jewish Genealogical Society of Broward Co., POB 17251, Fort Lauderdale , FL 33318 . Copyright 1990-1998 by Bernard I. Kouchel <koosh@jewishgen.org> Used with permission. [1990, rev. 10Jan99bik]
The 1842 Creation of Kovno Guberniya Changed the Borders of the Vilna Guberniya and Grodno Guberniya
A December 18, 1842 Royal Edict reorganized the northwestern Russian Empire and created the Kovno Guberniya. That reorganization effected the Vilna and Grodno gubernii. The northern uezds of Vilna Guberniya (Novoaleksandrovsk, Rassein, Telshi, Shavli, Upita, Vilkomir, and part of Kovno) became a new guberniya called Kovno. The southern part of Vilna Guberniya that was the uezds of Vilna, Oshmiany, and Zavileyski (renamed Sventsion uezd) remained in the Vilna Guberniya. The Lida Uezd, at that time part of the Grodno Guberniya, as well as Disna and Vileika Uezds, then part of the Minsk Guberniya, were added to Vilna Guberniya. Novogrudek Uezd that had been part of Grodno Guberniya was added to Minsk Guberniya.
The Grodno Guberniya uezds of Grodno , Volkovysk, Slonim, Brest , Kobrin, Pruzhany and three uyezds of the Bialystok province became part of the Grodno Guberniya that also was being reorganized. Drogichin Uezd merged with Belsk Uyezd causing Drogichin to lose its status as the uezd administrative center. The capital remained Grodno . Bialystok guberniya was abolished.
--- Info from Ellen Sadove Renck
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS WORK IN PROGRESS. WE ARE NOT SURE THIS INFORMATION IS ENTIRELY CORRECT, AND WE KNOW IT IS INCOMPLETE. |