What recruit lists are
Recruit lists were kept to record those liable for military service. They noted the recruit's name, age and marital status, place of birth and registration, physical details, and the year he was taken. There was no single standard form, so the contents varied from region to region. The documents were held in the fonds of the district recruit boards.
Where to look for recruit lists
The main holding is the regional state archive for the recruit's place of registration. Digitisation of recruit lists lags well behind parish registers, so most files are only available on a visit to the archive or through an official request.
Related sources for finding a soldier
If recruit lists are gone or turn up nothing, other documents can help.
Name lists of those who paid a cash redemption instead of reporting for the levy recorded the men who bought their way out of service. Registers of recruit-prisoners are held in the fonds of the prison and gendarme departments.
The fond of the Chapter of Russian Orders in RGIA holds lists of those awarded the Insignia of the Military Order of St George (the St George Cross) and the Insignia of St Anne. These lists include not only peasants but Cossacks and members of other estates. They are especially useful if you know an ancestor was decorated for military service.
Soviet-era military records
For those who fought in the Second World War there are other sources. In one project we reconstructed the service of Nikolai Petrovich Ivanov, conscripted in 1941. The records of the district military offices in Tver region had been destroyed during the occupation. Even so, we found alternative material: we confirmed his birth date through an archive record, found documents on the family during the occupation, and a damage report on the household. That was enough to build a full family portrait without any military papers.
Databases for finding war participants
For the Second World War, use the OBD 'Memorial', 'Podvig Naroda' and 'Pamyat Naroda' databases. They hold citation sheets, casualty lists and service records. For the First World War, RGVIA and the regional archives of the military districts.
Looking for a soldier ancestor? Military research is one of Family Relic's specialisms. More at myrodoslovie.ru
