ContentsOverview
Nikolaev (Mykolaiv) genealogy records
Nikolaev genealogy records are the surviving documents used to trace families from Nikolaev (Mykolaiv), a port and shipbuilding city of Kherson Gubernia in 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 Mykolaiv.
Frequently asked questions about Nikolaev records
What genealogy records survive for Nikolaev?
Metrical books of births, marriages and deaths survive for the Jewish, Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Lutheran communities, together with revision lists and censuses. The earliest records date from 1792. The tables on this page show which years survive, church by church.
Where are Nikolaev records held?
The original books are held in Ukrainian state archives, mainly the State Archive of Mykolaiv Oblast (DAMO).
Which uezd and gubernia did Nikolaev belong to?
In the Russian Empire Nikolaev belonged to Kherson Uezd in Kherson Gubernia. Today it is Mykolaiv, Ukraine.
Can I find Nikolaev 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 Nikolaev 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
Nikolaev was founded in 1789 at the mouth of the Southern Bug as a shipyard of the Black Sea fleet. In the Russian Empire it belonged to Kherson Gubernia and its metrical books are catalogued under Kherson Uezd. Today it is the city of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine.
Documents name the town Nikolaev, Nikolayev or Nikolaief, Николаев (Russian) or Миколаїв (Ukrainian). Searching under every spelling matters, because indexes and catalogues use all of them.
Location and geography
Nikolaev lies where the Inhul flows into the Southern Bug, near the Black Sea coast, in what is now Mykolaiv Oblast. The city had a naval and military population as well as a large civilian one, and its registers include regimental, hospital and prison churches beside the parish churches, a Greek church, Edinoverie and Roman Catholic and Lutheran communities and a large Jewish community. Which book holds a family’s records therefore depends first on its faith and, for Christians, on its parish or military unit, 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 Nikolaev, 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.
Nikolaev 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 Nikolaev synagogue survive from 1873 to 1920: births from 1873, and marriages, divorces and deaths from 1874, with some single years missing.
| Community | Births | Marriages | Divorces | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikolaev Jewish community (synagogue) | 1873–1918, 1920 | 1874–1879, 1882–1898, 1900–1903, 1906, 1908–1919 | 1874–1898, 1900–1920 | 1874–1887, 1889–1920 |
Orthodox
Orthodox books of Nikolaev survive from 1792. The oldest are those of the Admiralty Cathedral; from the 1860s the town’s parish, hospital, regimental and institutional churches follow.
| Church | Births | Marriages | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admiralty Cathedral | 1792–1801, 1819–1826, 1834–1837, 1854, 1861–1864, 1873–1920 | 1792–1794, 1796–1797, 1799–1801, 1819–1826, 1834–1837, 1861–1864, 1873–1920 | 1792–1794, 1796–1797, 1799–1801, 1819–1826, 1834, 1836–1837, 1854, 1861–1864, 1873–1920 |
| Gymnasium Church of the Intercession | 1855, 1862–1876, 1880, 1882–1883 | 1855, 1862–1868, 1870–1875, 1880, 1882–1883 | 1855, 1862–1868, 1870–1876, 1880, 1882–1883 |
| Greek St Nicholas Church | 1856, 1861–1919, 1921–1925 | 1856, 1861–1919, 1921–1925 | 1856, 1861–1919, 1921–1923, 1925 |
| Holy Spirit Church | 1858, 1861–1862, 1875–1919 | 1858, 1861–1862, 1875–1919 | 1858, 1861–1862, 1875–1880, 1882–1919 |
| Church of St Alexis | 1861–1863, 1867–1902, 1907 | 1861–1863, 1867–1902, 1907 | 1861–1863, 1867–1902, 1907 |
| Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God | 1862–1920 | 1862–1920 | 1862–1920 |
| All Saints Cemetery Church | 1863–1867, 1869–1870, 1872–1920 | 1887–1888, 1890–1920 | 1863–1867, 1869–1870, 1872–1920 |
| Church of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” | 1863–1897, 1899–1920 | 1863–1897, 1899–1920 | 1863–1897, 1899–1920 |
| Edinoverie Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God | 1863–1868, 1870, 1872–1885, 1887–1919 | 1863–1868, 1870, 1872–1885, 1887–1920 | 1863–1868, 1870, 1872–1885, 1887–1920 |
| Naval Hospital Church of Sts Zechariah and Elizabeth | 1864–1879 | 1863–1879 | 1863–1879 |
| St Nicholas Church of the 58th Prague Regiment | 1870–1877, 1879–1894, 1896–1904, 1906, 1908–1914, 1918–1920 | 1870–1876, 1879–1894, 1896–1904, 1906, 1908–1914, 1919 | 1869–1894, 1896–1906, 1908–1914, 1918–1920 |
| Simeon and Agrippina Church | 1872–1920 | 1872–1920 | 1872–1920 |
| Church of St Alexander Nevsky | 1878–1915, 1917–1920 | 1878–1915, 1917–1920 | 1878–1883, 1885–1915, 1917–1920 |
| Hospital Church of St Alexander Nevsky | 1880–1904, 1906–1919 | 1880–1895, 1897–1903, 1906–1919 | 1880–1904, 1906–1919 |
| Almshouse Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God | 1881–1920 | 1919 | 1881–1920 |
| Church of the Real School | 1883 | 1883 | 1883 |
| St Mary Magdalene Church | 1896–1920 | 1896–1920 | 1896–1920 |
| Kasperivska Prayer House | 1903–1908 | 1903–1908 | 1903–1908 |
| Kasperivska Icon of the Mother of God Church | 1909–1920 | 1909–1920 | 1909–1920 |
| St Alexis Church (Arrest Detention Unit) | 1909–1910, 1912–1913, 1920 | — | 1909, 1912–1913 |
| Church of the Convict Prison | 1912 | 1912 | 1912 |
| Leonid and Feodosia Church (City Hospital) | 1914–1920 | 1914–1920 | 1914–1919 |
| St Stephen Church (City Prison No. 1) | 1917 | 1917 | — |
Roman Catholic
The Roman Catholic church kept registers of marriages for 1864–1876 and of deaths for 1857–1873.
| Church | Births | Marriages | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholic Church | — | 1864–1876 | 1857–1873 |
Lutheran
Registers of the Lutheran church survive for 1899 and 1903–1907.
| Church | Births | Marriages | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evangelical Lutheran Church | 1899, 1903–1907 | 1899, 1903–1907 | 1899, 1903–1907 |
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, censuses and family lists found for Nikolaev.
Christian and general
| Year | Record |
|---|---|
| 1811 | Revision lists of the townspeople of Nikolaev (3 files) |
| 1815–1816 | Revision lists of the merchants of Nikolaev |
| 1815–1816 | Revision lists of the townspeople of Nikolaev (4 volumes) |
| 1816 | Revision lists of the townspeople of Nikolaev |
| 1834–1835 | Revision lists of citizens of various estates (2 files) |
| 1857 | Revision lists on the enrolment of persons into the Nikolaev townspeople |
| 1859–1875 | Revision lists of the townspeople of Nikolaev |
| 1887 | Family lists of second-guild merchants of Nikolaev |
| 1888 | Lists of the townspeople of Nikolaev |
Jewish
| Year | Record |
|---|---|
| 1806 | Revision lists of the Jews of Nikolaev |
| 1824 | Revision lists of the Jewish townspeople of Nikolaev |
| 1874–1876 | Lists of the male Jewish population of Nikolaev |
History and genealogy
Nikolaev grew quickly as a naval base and port. In 1897 it had about 92,000 residents, of whom 20,109, about 22%, were Jews. The city’s naval and military character means that many families appear in the books of regimental, hospital and admiralty churches as well as in parish registers.
Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Edinoverie and Jewish communities lived side by side, each keeping its own registers, which is why a family’s records can be spread across several books. 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: Mykolaiv, Nikolayev, Nikolaiev, Nikolajew (German), Nikolaiew, Николаев, Миколаїв.
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