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Journal

Practical guides on family research

How to start, where the records live, what DNA actually tells you, and how a real coat of arms is made. Articles written by our team.

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Latest article

How to build a family tree on your own
Genealogy

How to build a family tree on your own

A family tree is a structured map of who is related to whom. A working draft can be built without leaving home in two to four weeks. Here is what to do first, where the obvious time-savings are, and t…

DM
Daria Mikhnenko
14 April 2026 · 12 min
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All articles

All articles

Researching WWII veterans: TsAMO, OBD, trophy archives
Military history

Researching WWII veterans: TsAMO, OBD, trophy archives

28 March 2026 · 18 min
Why you need a family book — and why a PDF is not enough
On genealogy

Why you need a family book — and why a PDF is not enough

18 March 2026 · 8 min
DNA testing for genealogy: what it shows and what it does not
DNA genealogy

DNA testing for genealogy: what it shows and what it does not

12 February 2026 · 15 min
What is held in regional state archives
Archive research

What is held in regional state archives

24 January 2026 · 10 min
A family coat of arms: tradition or current practice?
Heraldry

A family coat of arms: tradition or current practice?

20 December 2025 · 7 min
How to build a family tree: a step-by-step guide
Family tree

How to build a family tree: a step-by-step guide

14 March 2026 · 13 min
Searching archive records on your relatives
Archive research

Searching archive records on your relatives

14 March 2026 · 10 min
How to write a family book
Family book

How to write a family book

14 March 2026 · 9 min
How to research a relative who was repressed under the Soviet regime
Repression research

How to research a relative who was repressed under the Soviet regime

14 March 2026 · 10 min
Ten of the best historical adventure novels
Books and literature

Ten of the best historical adventure novels

14 March 2026 · 4 min
What a family pedigree actually is
Genealogy

What a family pedigree actually is

14 March 2026 · 10 min
DNA genealogy: what it is and how it helps in finding ancestors
DNA genealogy

DNA genealogy: what it is and how it helps in finding ancestors

14 March 2026 · 6 min
Going into genealogy: finding ancestors and their stories
Genealogy

Going into genealogy: finding ancestors and their stories

14 March 2026 · 10 min
Historical essays
Genealogy

Historical essays

14 March 2026 · 3 min
Things you may not know about Jack London
Stories and interviews

Things you may not know about Jack London

14 March 2026 · 4 min
Where Saint Petersburg workers lived
Historical Russia

Where Saint Petersburg workers lived

14 March 2026 · 3 min
Where surnames come from
Surname history

Where surnames come from

14 March 2026 · 11 min
How to find a relative's grave: six practical methods
Burial search

How to find a relative's grave: six practical methods

14 March 2026 · 7 min
Did Russian peasants really die young?
Historical Russia

Did Russian peasants really die young?

14 March 2026 · 3 min
Petersburg markets: Alexandrovsky
Historical Russia

Petersburg markets: Alexandrovsky

14 March 2026 · 4 min
Ancestors: what do we actually know about them?
Genealogy

Ancestors: what do we actually know about them?

14 March 2026 · 3 min
A family tree: what is the point of it?
Family tree

A family tree: what is the point of it?

14 March 2026 · 6 min
A family coat of arms: the basics
Heraldry

A family coat of arms: the basics

14 March 2026 · 3 min
Literacy in the Russian Empire
Historical Russia

Literacy in the Russian Empire

14 March 2026 · 10 min
How Russian surnames came about
Surname history

How Russian surnames came about

14 March 2026 · 6 min
How to build your family tree
Family tree

How to build your family tree

14 March 2026 · 10 min
Restoring national roots
Historical Russia

Restoring national roots

14 March 2026 · 3 min
Twenty-one things about Oscar Wilde
Stories and interviews

Twenty-one things about Oscar Wilde

14 March 2026 · 7 min
Finding a relative who died in the war — what we owe our children
Military search

Finding a relative who died in the war — what we owe our children

14 March 2026 · 8 min
Searching for your roots
Genealogy

Searching for your roots

14 March 2026 · 3 min
How a Great Patriotic War military search actually works
Military search

How a Great Patriotic War military search actually works

14 March 2026 · 5 min
A family book as a gift
Family book

A family book as a gift

14 March 2026 · 4 min
Knowing five generations of ancestors is normal
Family tree

Knowing five generations of ancestors is normal

14 March 2026 · 11 min
Building a family tree on your own
Genealogy

Building a family tree on your own

14 March 2026 · 11 min
The youngest soldier of the Great Patriotic War
Military search

The youngest soldier of the Great Patriotic War

14 March 2026 · 3 min
Symbols in heraldry
Heraldry

Symbols in heraldry

14 March 2026 · 4 min
How to preserve your ancestors' memories
Archive preservation

How to preserve your ancestors' memories

14 March 2026 · 3 min
Ten facts about Vladimir Vysotsky
Stories and interviews

Ten facts about Vladimir Vysotsky

14 March 2026 · 4 min
Types of family tree and how to draw them
Genealogy

Types of family tree and how to draw them

14 March 2026 · 8 min
Why people search for their ancestors
Genealogy

Why people search for their ancestors

14 March 2026 · 3 min
Questions to ask for a family pedigree
Genealogy

Questions to ask for a family pedigree

14 March 2026 · 7 min
How to research ancestors in RGADA: a guide to the main fonds
Archive research

How to research ancestors in RGADA: a guide to the main fonds

14 May 2026 · 3 min
The 1897 census: where the records survived and how to find your ancestor
Archive research

The 1897 census: where the records survived and how to find your ancestor

15 May 2026 · 3 min
Revision lists: what they are and how to read them
Archive research

Revision lists: what they are and how to read them

16 May 2026 · 3 min
The 1917 census: 187 columns about your family
Archive research

The 1917 census: 187 columns about your family

17 May 2026 · 3 min
Burial databases in Russia: where to search for ancestors' graves online
Burial search

Burial databases in Russia: where to search for ancestors' graves online

18 May 2026 · 3 min
Parish registers: how to read them and where to find a record
Archive research

Parish registers: how to read them and where to find a record

19 May 2026 · 3 min
Service records of imperial officials: how to find an ancestor in state service
Archive research

Service records of imperial officials: how to find an ancestor in state service

20 May 2026 · 3 min
Recruit lists: how to find a soldier ancestor in the archives
Archive research

Recruit lists: how to find a soldier ancestor in the archives

21 May 2026 · 3 min
Village, hamlet, pochinok, pogost: what old settlement names mean in documents
Historical Russia

Village, hamlet, pochinok, pogost: what old settlement names mean in documents

22 May 2026 · 3 min
How to find an émigré ancestor's documents: passports, visas, displaced-persons lists
Archive research

How to find an émigré ancestor's documents: passports, visas, displaced-persons lists

23 May 2026 · 3 min
Finding resettler ancestors in Siberia: databases and archives
Historical Russia

Finding resettler ancestors in Siberia: databases and archives

24 May 2026 · 3 min
Family legends and archive facts: how to test a story about your ancestors
Genealogy

Family legends and archive facts: how to test a story about your ancestors

25 May 2026 · 3 min
The documents did not survive: 7 alternative sources for finding ancestors
Archive research

The documents did not survive: 7 alternative sources for finding ancestors

26 May 2026 · 3 min
How to record a grandparent's memories: a method for family interviews
Genealogy

How to record a grandparent's memories: a method for family interviews

27 May 2026 · 3 min
How to find distant relatives through genealogy forums and databases
Genealogy

How to find distant relatives through genealogy forums and databases

28 May 2026 · 3 min
Where ZAGS came from: how the state replaced the church in recording people
Historical Russia

Where ZAGS came from: how the state replaced the church in recording people

29 May 2026 · 3 min
Why old families gave brothers and sisters the same names
Historical Russia

Why old families gave brothers and sisters the same names

30 May 2026 · 3 min
Illegitimate ancestors: how to find a 'dark spot' in the family line
Historical Russia

Illegitimate ancestors: how to find a 'dark spot' in the family line

1 June 2026 · 3 min
Why the Mormons built the world's largest genealogy database
Genealogy

Why the Mormons built the world's largest genealogy database

2 June 2026 · 3 min
The family line of Vasily Shukshin: resettlers and Siberian old-settlers
Stories and interviews

The family line of Vasily Shukshin: resettlers and Siberian old-settlers

3 June 2026 · 3 min
A parish register solved the mystery of the PPSh designer's birth date
Stories and interviews

A parish register solved the mystery of the PPSh designer's birth date

4 June 2026 · 3 min
The railway gendarme: the story of an unexpected discovery in an archive
Stories and interviews

The railway gendarme: the story of an unexpected discovery in an archive

5 June 2026 · 3 min