Genealogy research in Moscow
We research family histories across the Moscow region. 16 in-house specialists. 340+ completed studies. All document types covered, from parish registers to military service files.
Rebuilding family history from the archives of the Moscow region
Moscow is where the country’s central archives meet. People come here for records from across Russia: RGADA keeps documents up to the 18th century, GARF covers the Soviet period, TsAMO holds military files. For Moscow families themselves the key holdings sit in TsGAM — parish registers (metric books), revision lists and confession books.
Through them we rebuild the lines of urban estates — merchants, townsfolk, clergy, factory workers who came to Moscow from neighbouring governorates. Some records are digitised; others are read only in the reading rooms. We work with both.
The archives we work with
TsGAM — parish registers, revision lists, confession books
RGADA — documents up to the 18th century
GARF — 20th-century material
TsAMO — military and award files
Records for families of the Moscow region
Parish registers
Births, marriages and deaths by parish across Moscow and its uezds — the spine of any line.
Revision lists
Tax censuses (revizskie skazki) of the 18th–19th centuries with full household composition.
Confession books
Annual parish rolls that close the gaps between metric records.
Merchant & townsfolk files
Guild rolls and town registers for the urban estates of Moscow.
Address & house books
Residence, property owners, a family’s moves across the city.
Service records
Careers of officials and officers — education, ranks, awards, family.
Working in Moscow
Moscow holds the federal core of Russian genealogy. RGADA preserves documents up to the 18th century; GARF covers the 20th; TsAMO handles military service. For Moscow lineages the parish registers at TsGAM, revision lists and confession books carry most of the trail.
Across all of the former Moscow Governorate
We research families across all thirteen uezds (districts) of the former Moscow Governorate — and, through the federal archives, beyond it wherever the family led.
From first call to the bound book
- N° 01
Briefing
About half an hour with a genealogist. We sketch what is already known and where the research can reach.
- N° 02
Expertise
A two-generation pilot in the regional archive shows whether the lineage is traceable before a long project starts.
- N° 03
Full research
Parish registers, revision lists, service files. Reports arrive each month with scans and transcriptions.
Research in Moscow
Can I order research if I don’t live in Moscow?
Yes. Most clients are in other cities and countries. The work is remote: an online consultation, a contract by post, reports with digital copies of the documents — no need to travel to Moscow.
How far back do Moscow parish registers go?
For most Moscow parishes metric books survive from roughly the mid-18th century, and revision lists from 1719. The reach for your particular line we estimate after a first look at the holdings.
My ancestors moved to Moscow from a village. What then?
A common case. We trace the line in Moscow records up to the move, then continue in the archive of the governorate the family came from. That is exactly why Moscow is a convenient starting point.
About half an hour with someone who knows Moscow archives
Leave your name and phone. We will call back in working hours (Mon–Fri 09:00–20:00, Sat–Sun 11:00–19:00 MSK) and discuss what the archives in Moscow can give you.