July 26, 2016

My husband, Lee’s paternal line of the family were of German heritage but were immigrants from Russia. His grandfather was only 2 months old when they immigrated. One of Lee’s cousins helped to provide a history of his grandfather’s family from the time they immigrated, but my curiosity wanted to know more about their life in Russia. I have found several very helpful websites to research Russia and what their life was like before 1903 and what may have happened to the family that remained in Russia.

The American Historical Society of Germans From Russia. URL: http://www.ahsgr.org/ As their website states they are an “international organization dedicated to the discovery, collection, preservation, and dissemination of information related to the history, cultural heritage and genealogy of Germanic settlers in the Russian Empire and their descendants.” They were founded in 1968. They have developed an extensive collection of knowledge regarding family history, histories of villages in Russia and many other areas that involve our ancestors.

Reading a past Journal, I was able to find an article detailing the lives of my husband’s g-grandparents and the church they help found in Lipscomb County, Texas. I highly recommend becoming a member to be able to benefit from all the benefits the Society has to offer.

The Germans From Russia Society (URL: http://www.grhs.org/) also has an extensive research library and database. Their motto is: “Connecting German-Russian Researchers Around the World.” Membership has even more benefits than if you just search their site. They also have volunteers and local and national chapters to participate in.

Odessa A German-Russian Genealogical Library (url: http://www.odessa3.org/ ) Odessa is a digital library that “consists primarily of digitized books and records plus indexes of microfilms and research aids that enable users to trace individual and family migrations since the early 1800s.” They carry everything from census records, cemetery and church records, family histories and gedcom files. This is a very valuable resource to find ancestors. I have found marriage, death, and christening records.

When you are researching a line of the family that doesn’t speak English, having resources from societies such as the ones I have mentioned is invaluable. They can provide records that have been translated into English along with providing translators if there are documents that the family has saved, such as letters or articles from the “old county”. The Societies work hard to make sure traditions, cooking, and even the music is preserved for generations to come.

I know that there are many more research sites available, but these three are my favorites.

© 2016 The Seibel Family