ContentsOverview
Kherson genealogy records
Kherson genealogy records are the surviving documents used to trace families from Kherson, a port city on the Dnieper in Kherson Gubernia of the Russian Empire. The main sources are metrical books, the church and synagogue registers of births, marriages, divorces and deaths, and revision lists (revizskie skazki), the household census lists compiled for taxation. Most are held in the regional archive in Kherson.
Frequently asked questions about Kherson records
What genealogy records survive for Kherson?
Metrical books of births, marriages and deaths survive for the Jewish, Orthodox and Roman Catholic communities, together with revision lists and censuses. The earliest records date from 1794. The tables on this page show which years survive, church by church.
Where are Kherson records held?
The original books are held in Ukrainian state archives, mainly the State Archive of Kherson Oblast (DAKhO).
Which uezd and gubernia did Kherson belong to?
In the Russian Empire Kherson belonged to Kherson Uezd in Kherson Gubernia. Today it is Kherson, Ukraine.
Can I find Kherson records online?
Sometimes, but not reliably. Most archival records from the Russian Empire have never been digitised or indexed, so an online search can come back empty even when the documents survive. Drevo Research searches the archives directly and can tell you what exists for your family.
Where should I start a search for Kherson ancestors?
Start with what you know: names, approximate dates and the family’s faith, and for Christians the parish. These decide which book to look in. Tell us what you have and we will check the archives.
Names and jurisdiction
Kherson was founded in 1778 as a fortress and shipyard on the lower Dnieper. In the Russian Empire it was a uezd town of Kherson Gubernia, which took its name from the city. Today it is the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine.
Documents name the city Kherson or Cherson, Херсон (Russian and Ukrainian). Searching under every spelling matters, because indexes and catalogues use all of them.
Location and geography
Kherson lies on the right bank of the Dnieper, near its mouth, in what is now Kherson Oblast. The city had cathedrals and parish churches, an Edinoverie church, churches attached to hospitals, a prison, an orphanage and a school, a Roman Catholic church and a large Jewish community with its own rabbinate. Which book holds a family’s records therefore depends first on its faith and, for Christians, on its parish or institution, and that is the first thing to establish in a search.
Records analysis
Metrical books and revision lists are among the best sources for tracing a family. Metrical books record births, marriages and deaths year by year, and revision lists show who lived in each household, with ages, so they let you follow a family back to the years before parish registers begin. The tables below show what survives for Kherson, church by church and year by year.
But these are not the only sources, and often not the whole story. Archives also hold secondary records, such as police and court files, property and tax records, guild and estate lists, school and military papers and petitions, and these can reveal much more about a family than a name and a date. This is where deep archival research makes the difference. We work with the main sources and with the secondary ones, because together they tell a fuller and more interesting story of the family.
Not finding something online does not mean it does not exist. Most archival records from the Russian Empire have never been digitised or indexed, so a search on popular genealogy websites can come back empty even when the documents survive in the archive. If you have already searched on your own and found nothing, that is a reason to talk to a professional, not to stop.
Drevo Research carries out comprehensive archive research across borders and archives. Tell us what you know and we will tell you what we can find.
Searched online and found nothing? The records may still exist. Tell us about your family.
Kherson genealogy records by church and year
The tables show which years survive for each church and record series. Years without records are left out, so gaps are easy to see. The original books are held in Ukrainian state archives, which are administered by the State Archival Service of Ukraine.
Vital records
Metrical books recording births, marriages, divorces and deaths, kept separately by each religious community until 1920.
Jewish
Jewish metrical books of the Kherson rabbinate survive from 1836: births for 1836–1865, marriages to 1867, divorces for scattered years and deaths to 1865.
| Community | Births | Marriages | Divorces | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kherson Jewish community (rabbinate) | 1836–1859, 1861–1865 | 1836–1839, 1844, 1850–1856, 1859–1867 | 1836, 1850–1853, 1862–1863 | 1836–1838, 1844–1859, 1861–1863, 1865 |
Orthodox
Orthodox books of Kherson survive from 1794. The oldest are those of the Catherine Cathedral and the Greek-Sofiivska merchants’ church; the Zabalkivska Nicholas church and the Dormition Cathedral follow, with the hospital, prison, orphanage and Edinoverie churches in the second half of the 19th century.
| Church | Births | Marriages | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archangel Michael Church (Merchants’) | 1794 | 1794 | 1794 |
| Catherine Cathedral | 1794, 1802–1815, 1817–1819, 1821, 1823, 1831–1832, 1837–1847, 1855, 1866–1890, 1893–1899, 1901–1918 | 1794, 1802–1815, 1817–1819, 1821, 1823, 1831–1832, 1837–1847, 1855, 1866–1890, 1893–1899, 1901–1918 | 1794, 1802–1815, 1817–1819, 1821, 1823, 1831–1832, 1837–1847, 1855, 1866–1890, 1893–1899, 1901–1918 |
| Nativity of the Mother of God Church (Greek-Sofiivska, Merchants’) | 1794, 1809–1810, 1824–1895, 1901–1903, 1917 | 1794, 1809–1810, 1824–1920 | 1794, 1809–1810, 1824–1920 |
| Nicholas Church (Zabalkivska) | 1821, 1834–1919 | 1821, 1834–1883, 1885–1919 | 1821, 1834–1902, 1904–1919 |
| Dormition Cathedral | 1823, 1855, 1864–1920 | 1823, 1855, 1865–1921 | 1823, 1855, 1864–1920 |
| Transfiguration Church | 1823 | 1823 | 1823 |
| Edinoverie Church of the Intercession | 1845, 1854, 1856–1877, 1879–1887, 1889–1893, 1895–1916 | 1845, 1854, 1856–1873, 1875–1877, 1879–1887, 1889–1893, 1895–1916 | 1845, 1854, 1856–1877, 1879–1887, 1889–1893, 1895–1916 |
| Descent of the Holy Spirit Church (Pryvozna) | 1855, 1860–1920 | 1855 | 1855 |
| Annunciation Church (Charity Hospital) | 1860–1869, 1871–1872, 1874, 1876, 1887 | 1860–1869, 1871–1872, 1874, 1876 | 1860–1869, 1871–1872, 1874, 1876 |
| Kazan Icon Church (Military Hospital) | 1860, 1865–1866, 1868, 1871, 1875, 1878–1883, 1885–1910, 1912–1921 | 1860, 1865–1866, 1868, 1871, 1875, 1878–1883, 1886–1895, 1897, 1900–1901, 1905–1910, 1912–1915, 1917–1921 | 1860, 1865–1868, 1871, 1875, 1878–1883, 1885–1895, 1897–1910, 1912–1921 |
| All Saints Cemetery Church | 1865–1871, 1876–1919 | 1891–1919 | 1865–1871, 1876–1919 |
| Korsun Icon Church (Perepelitsyn Almshouse) | 1881–1918 | 1881–1910, 1912–1918 | 1881–1918 |
| St Nicholas Church (Prison Castle) | 1881–1883, 1885–1887, 1889, 1892, 1898–1899, 1902–1903, 1909–1914, 1916, 1918 | 1881–1883, 1885–1886, 1889, 1892, 1898–1899, 1903, 1909, 1911–1914, 1916, 1918 | 1881–1883, 1885–1886, 1889, 1892, 1898, 1902–1903, 1909–1914, 1916, 1918 |
| Candlemas Church | 1889–1920 | 1889–1920 | 1889–1920 |
| Church of the Intercession (Arrest Detention Unit) | 1889, 1892–1893, 1901–1919 | 1892–1893, 1906–1911, 1913–1920 | 1889, 1892–1893, 1901–1919 |
| St Tatiana Church (Agricultural School) | 1889, 1892, 1894–1895, 1898–1899, 1902–1903, 1906, 1908–1920 | 1889, 1892, 1894–1895, 1898–1899, 1902–1903, 1906, 1908–1920 | 1889, 1892, 1894, 1898–1899, 1902–1903, 1906, 1908–1911, 1914–1920 |
| St Nicholas Church (Children’s Orphanage) | 1898–1912, 1914–1916 | 1899–1900, 1904–1908, 1910–1912, 1914–1921 | 1898–1902, 1904–1918 |
| Holy Trinity Church (Annunciation Convent) | 1918 | — | — |
Roman Catholic
The Roman Catholic church kept registers from 1849.
| Church | Births | Marriages | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholic Church | 1857–1887, 1893–1920 | 1859–1897 | 1849–1920 |
Revision lists and censuses
Revision lists (revizskie skazki) are the household lists compiled for each tax census. They name every member of a household with age and relationship, which makes them the key source for following a family back before the metrical books begin. Below are the revision lists found for Kherson.
Christian and general
| Year | Record |
|---|---|
| 1850 | Revision lists of the Karaites of Kherson |
| 1850–1851 | Revision lists of the free sailors of the Kherson community |
| 1858 | Revision lists of the Christian townspeople of Kherson |
| 1858 | Revision lists of the Christian and Jewish merchants of Kherson |
| 1858 | Revision lists of the Christian, Karaite and Jewish merchants of Kherson |
| 1858 | Revision lists of the Old Believer Christians of Kherson |
| 1858 | Revision lists of the Christian cantonists to be enrolled in the Kherson townspeople |
| 1858 | Revision lists of the free helmsmen and sailors of Kherson |
Jewish
| Year | Record |
|---|---|
| 1850 | Revision lists of the Jews of Kherson |
| 1858 | Revision lists of the Jewish townspeople of Kherson |
| 1858 | Revision lists of the Jewish cantonists enrolled in the Kherson townspeople (2 files) |
History and genealogy
Kherson grew as a port and shipbuilding centre. In 1897 it had about 59,000 residents, of whom 17,755, about 30%, were Jews. Its register books are spread across many parishes and institutions, which is why a family’s records can turn up in more than one book.
Orthodox, Edinoverie, Roman Catholic and Jewish communities lived side by side, each keeping its own registers. For families who left or were lost, the surviving archive records are often the only trace that remains.
Also found in records and indexes as: Cherson, Chersoń (Polish), Khersonskiy, Khersonsky, Херсон.
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