Genealogical research in Lithuania is often difficult because so many of the old
records from Czarist times (1794 to 1917) were lost or destroyed. Here is a
practical guide that will tell you what types of records there were, which have
survived for each of the three provinces that Lithuania was divided into, how to
access them, and what information you can expect to find.
Archives often take a long time to reply to researchers because of the large
number of enquiries they receive. The guide describes the large amount of
information that can be directly accessed in on-line databases, or in databases
which are made available by e-mail to subscribers, and provides an up-to-date
list of all these resources, and should help you make quicker progress with your
researches.
For beginners, the Guide explains how to identify your ancestral shtetl (the
small town in which Jews were obliged to live), how to start off your research,
and eventually find information on your ancestors. Included are also suggestions
as to where you can look for clues to your ancestors in UK, USA, Israeli and
South African records. The latter section should be useful also to those
researching their roots in Eastern European countries other than Lithuania.
Contents:
The Jewish Society of Great Britain
Author's Note
Acknowledgements
1. Some Basic History
2. Administrative Divisions
3. How to Go About Your Research
4. Types of Records in the Lithuanian Archives
5. What Records are Available for Your Shtetl
6. Accessing Lithuanian Data through Your Computer
7. Names Appearing in the Old Records
8. Obtaining Information from the Archives in Lithuania
9. Looking for Leads in Non-Lithuanian Sources
10. Holocaust Research
11. A Case Study
12. Keeping Up-to-date
Shtetl Locator and Map
Appendix A: Old Place-names and Current Lithuanian Equivalents
Appendix B. Further Reading
Index
