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Questions and answers:

Lyn Kokemor asks: My father was born in Tomsk in 1900 and I am wondering if it is possible to trace his family history. Thank you.
Expert's answer:
You can send your request to the State archive of Tomsk region (contacts). Also this site about genealogy research in Russia may be useful. You can translate the sites from Russian by using the following service.
Jacquleynn Himango asks: I am looking for a relative who was born in Jerantowitza Russian in about 1898. I am having difficulty even finding that such a town exists or existed. It was perhaps taken over by Poland at some point in one of the World Wars. Can you help me?
Expert's answer:
I haven't found any info regarding the settlement mentioned but you can try to contact Polish archival service and ask if they can help you.
alex asks: Is it possible to find about my family history through local archives of Belgorod oblast? How?
Expert's answer:

You should try to contact the State archive of Belgorod oblast. Postal code: 308024. Address: Russia, Belgorod city, Mokrousova Str., 14. Email: arhotd@belnet.ru Site: Belgorod oblast State archive. The site is on Russian so you can use the following service to get general translation.

First of all send them the request by email with some details and your contact info. If there is no reply send the written request to the address provided with all the info you have, all questions and your contacts. It may work because in several cases there is much more attention to written requests.

crayccrayceresa asks: Can you tell me about Tula Land Bank operated in 1920th?
Expert's answer:

I have checked for the bank mentioned in your request but found no useful information. But while reading the info about State Archive of Tula oblast I have found that the archive has the documents of the banks (including Tula Land Bank) of Soviet period.

So I think you should try to contact the archive and ask them for help.

Here are the contacts:

State Archive of Tula oblast
Postal code: 300000
Address: Russia, Tulskaya oblast, Tula city, Lenina Str., 44a
emails: gosarchiv@region.tula.ru archiv@region.tula.ru centrdocof@region.tula.ru

First of all try to contact the archive by the emails provided, attach the pictures of the documents you have to the emails too. If nobody answers you can send the written request because in some cases there is much more attention to such types of requests.

Svetlana Artemoff asks: My great-grandfather is from Omsk and I will be there in August. Can you tell me how I can contact one of the local churches to find out where he is buried? Thank You
Expert's answer:
Today archives are the main source of such kind of information because all registration books of the churches that were not destroyed became the part of archives storage. You should try to contact The Archive Department of Omsk oblast (address: Omsk city, Tretyakovskaya Str., 1; email arhiv@omskmail.ru) and The Historical Archive of Omsk oblast (address is the same as previous one; email GUGAOO@mail.ru).
Jeffrey Kash asks: I have family who came from Novyye Bobovichi within the Bryansk Oblast. Is there still an active Orthodox church within the town to which I can mail a letter requesting information?
Expert's answer:

I have found the village Noviy Bobovichy, today it is very small settlement. I haven't found if the church is active now but if you are interested in some historical records of this church (Michael-Archangel church) there are several of them in Bryansk oblast archive where you can make your request (contact email of the archive archive@online.debryansk.ru and postal address is 241000 (postal code) Russia, Bryansk oblast, Bryansk city, Lunacharskogo Str., 66. Contact phone is +7 (4832) 66-25-48. Good luck!

Susan Low asks: Is there a place in Saratov that I can contact to find family records of relatives that lived there years ago? Thank you...Susan
Expert's answer:

You can contact the following organizations:

  • State Archive of Saratov Oblast (address Saratov city, Kutyakova Str., 15; contact phone 8 (8452) 26-32-39; contact emails not sure which one is working try both regarc_saratov@mail.ru and regarc@mail.saratov.ru)
  • State Archive of Saratov oblast modern history (address Saratov city, Sakko and Vantsetty Str., 57; contact phone 8 (8452) 27-16-77; email ganiso@san.ru)
  • The Department of Archives of Saratov oblast Government (address: Saratov city, Bolshaya Sadovaya Str., 162; contact phones 8 (8452) 52-07-17, 52-41-01, 52-44-63; email uprarc@mail.saratov.ru)
Eva Robotnick asks: My father was Polish and arrested by the NKVD in 1939 and sent to a forced labor logging camp near Syktyvkar. Is there a map or list of these logging camps from 1939-1941? Is there an archive with this kind of information? If yes, how can I contact the archive?
Expert's answer:
You can contact the public organization "Memorial" that helps people to find info about their relatives suffered the repressions (general contact email is info@memo.ru and Syktyvkar city branch of the organization email is kpkmemorial@pochta.ru).
valerie rainey asks: I am trying to trace my family that originated in Ryazan. Are there adequate records going back to about 1890? The name is Tronoff.Kyzminishnai
Expert's answer:
I think you should make a request to Central Archive of Ryazan oblast. The postal address is Russia, Ryazan city, Lermontova Str., 9a. Contact phone: +7-4912-45-02-08. Email: auro@list.ru