Jewish population censuses in Belarus after its incorporation into Russia

Jewish population censuses in Belarus after its incorporation into Russia.

There were no Jewish population censuses in the United Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania (‘Rzec Pospolita’), which included today’s Belarus. Moreover, Polish authorities refused to recognize Jewish family names.

After the incorporation, the Russian Government ordered to make a census of all the population of newly acquired territories and apply their historic or newly given family names to all the Jews.

The first census of Jewish population in Central and Western Belarus took place in 1795. Those documents were called the Revision Lists (‘Revizskiye Skazki’). In 1795-1858, there were six main censuses (1795, 1811, 1816, 1834, 1850 and 1858). Moreover, from time to time there were produced Additional Revision Lists, with the names of the persons who had not been included into the main lists. There are dozens of such lists. The latest were made in the late nineteenth century. Usually, the censuses were made by districts (‘uezd’). Revision List entry specified the name, father’s name and house owner’s name, age at the date of the current census and age at the date of the previous census. The same information was given about all the relatives and tenants, staying in the house.

1795-census specified the first name and patronymic, only. Family names appeared in 1811 (in some places in 1806). While the Revision Lists of 1795 and 1811 included exclusively male population, subsequent censuses listed both male and female. Entries were made by houses. In the Main Revision Lists the numbers usually corresponded to house numbers. Both relatives and tenants could stay in the same house. Sometimes the Revision Lists specified the social category of Jewish families. Depending on their assets and social position the Jews were divided into three categories: merchants, artisans and petty bourgeois. Sometimes artisans and petty bourgeois were included into the same category.

Merchants included well-to-do Jews, whose assets were evaluated over 500 Rubles. Cost of a good wooden house at that time cost was in average 100 Rubles. According to the Russian Legislation, merchants were classified into three Guilds. Guild One incorporated individuals with the capital of over 10,000 Rubles, Guild Two – from 1,000 to 10,000 Rubles and Guild Three – from 500 to 1,000 Rubles. Differently to petty bourgeois, merchants paid tax in the amount of 1% of their assets value estimated by themselves. Very few Jewish merchants were accepted to the Guild One.

In order to give an overall impression about census information, Table 1 includes a random quotation from the Revision List of the Jewish population in David-Gorodok of Mozyr uezd of Minsk Gubernia.

Table 1. Revision List (‘Revizskaya Skazka’)

December …, 1811. Mozyr uezd of Minsk Gubernia.

David-Gorodok small town Jewish community. Information on listed Jewish male petty bourgeois (extract)

	In the small town of David-Gorodok	*By last Re-*	*Left*	*Now*
		*vision Lists*
		*(Age in 1795)*		*(Age in 1811)*

	MERSHANTS

1	MEER FAIBISHEVICH FRENKIL	36
	His sons: FAIVEL	15
	LEIBA	12
	VULIF	5
	LEIBAs sons: KHAIKEL	new born
	MOVSHA	new born
	VULFs sons: LEIBA	new born
	SENDER	new born

	PETTY BOURGEOIS

1	JANKEL ARIEVICH BORUHVICHIK	15		31
	His sons: SENDER	new born		8
	MOVSHA ARON	new born		2
	ITSKO LEYBOVICH GAMBURGSKIY	new born		16
	IOSEL LEYZEROVICH GURVICH	by census 1805	moved away for
			small town GLUEV
	His sons: LEYZER	2	died in 1806
	MOVSHA	new born		2

2	ZELIK LEYBOVICH	40	died in 1806
	His son: MICHEL	10	escaped in 1805

3	JANKEL MOVSHOVICH RUSHKIN	60	died in 1803
	His sons: PEYSAH	40		56
	PEYSAH son-in-law GIRSH FAYBISHOVICH	20		36
	GIRSH son-in-law HOPON HACEELEVICH	new born		16
	HOPON son FAYVEL	new born		2
	PEYSAH 2 son-in-law ENKEL ELLIOVICH			25
	PEYSAH grandson FAYVEL DOVIDOVICH	new born		14

4	ABRAM LEYBOVICH MOLIVER	15		31

5	His brother IOSEL LEYBOVICH	10		26
	IOSEL son LEYBA	new born		7

6	ARON IONOVICH MOLIVER	20		36
	His sons: IONA LEYBA	new born		11
	DOVID HAIM	new born		7
	ARON brother JANKEL IONOVICH	new born		14
	SHMUYLA MEEROVICH	44	died in 1800
	His son: GOPA	20	died in 1797
	LEYBA VULFOVICH MACHULIN	additional		30
	LEYZER SROL GIRSHOVICH SHIRTUL	additional		22

7	SILIN ARONOVICH	50	died in 1797
	His son: ARON		died in 1808

8	ABRAM LEYZEROVICH	40	died in 1799
	His sons: SHMUIL	10	died in 1806
	OSHER NOTA	5		21
	MOVSHA SHLIOMA	2		18
	MICHEL DAVID	new born		8

9	GIRSH IOVELOVICH GOFGELNER	13		29
	His son: NOHOT IONO	new born		2
	MOVSHA ABRAMOVICH	40	died in 1806
	ZALMAN JANKELEVICH	65	died in 1800

10	DOVID SHLIOMOVICH GOZMAN	30		46
	His son-in-laws: LEYBA FROMOVICH	additional		22
	2: LEYBA ARONOVICH	new born		15

11	NISON LEYBOVICH	42	died in 1806
	SHLIOMA ZALMAN ITSKOVICH KATSMAN	additional		22
	His brother IOSEL LEYBOVICH	additional		20

12	MOVSHA IOSELIOVICH KESTELMAN	additional in 1800		45
	GIRSH BORUCHOVICH MILMAN	45	died in 1811
	His son: ARON	5	unknown absence in 1806



	TAILORS
	IOSEL MEEROVICH ELLMAN	29		45
	MORDUH GERTSINOVICH ELLMAN	was missed		30
	HAIM SHEVELIOVICH NOYDICH	was missed		35
	His son: MOVSHA	new born		16
	IZROL LEYZER BORUHOVICH ZISEL	was missed		30
	His son: NOSON	4		20
	SHAPSHUN MOVSHOVICH GRERTSUS	was missed
	SENDER IZRAELIOVICH HRAPUNSKIY	was missed		30

	COPPERS (metal-workers)
	BORUH OVSHOVICH ZOGER		from small town TUROV	23
	LEYB MIHALOVICH NOHUMOVICH	32		48

	BARBERS
	ARIN MOVSHOVICH FRIELOVICH	26		42
	SHLIOMA BERKOVICH FIELLOVIN	41		57
	His son: MOVSHA	18	moved to TUROV
	SHLIFER-ABRAM TSOLO LEYBOVICH ENIVER			28

	SHOEMARKERS
	MOVSHA SHEBELIOPVICH ZATSEB	was missed		30

	BOOKBINDER
	VULF ISRAELIOVICH PLEYPUN	was missed		25

	SILVERSMITH
	BORUH MORDUH ABELIOVICH GOLSHMIT	was missed		30

	WORKMANS TO BREW THE BEER
	BERKO ABRAMOVICH PINSKIY	20		36
	His son: AZIK	was missed		22
	ELLE IOVNA ISRELLIOVICH BEGUL	36		52
	LEYZER ISRELLIOVICH BEGUN	36		52
	MORDUH AYZIKOVICH IOFA		from small town PONEV	45

	DYERS	36		52
	GERTS MOVSHOVICH TOMORIN	25		41
	GIRSH ABRAMOVICH OVRUSIN	was missed		35

	THE ARTISAN OF WINE-MAKING
	SROL GIRSH MEEROVICH VAYNER	was missed		26