Resources > Family Research
Family Research
Getting Started
Getting started on researching your family history can seem like a daunting task. A systematic approach ensures that you use your time efficiently and it will improve your chances of success.
The basic principle of genealogy is to start with what you know about your nearest ancestor (typically a parent), and work your way back one generation at a time. Do not take shortcuts or give in to the temptation of starting your research with a distant ancestor. Given that there are many people with the exact same given names and surname who were born in the same year, you may not connect with the correct family line.
If possible, use a genealogy program to organize your research and always document your sources.
Following the steps below will help you to be effective and successful in researching your Norka ancestry.
The basic principle of genealogy is to start with what you know about your nearest ancestor (typically a parent), and work your way back one generation at a time. Do not take shortcuts or give in to the temptation of starting your research with a distant ancestor. Given that there are many people with the exact same given names and surname who were born in the same year, you may not connect with the correct family line.
If possible, use a genealogy program to organize your research and always document your sources.
Following the steps below will help you to be effective and successful in researching your Norka ancestry.
Contact the Norka Research Experts
I can't emphasize this enough. Begin the exploration of your family history by first determining if research has already been done on your family line. The best way to determine this is by contacting the AHSGR Norka Village Coordinator (Roger Burbank) or the Norka Research Coordinator (currently Louis Schleuger). The Village Coordinator and Research Coordinator works under the umbrella of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) and their role is to assist people in learning about their family history.
The Norka research coordinators can help you determine if there is information in the Norka Database (NDB) about your family. The NDB is populated from sources such as census lists, church records, descendant charts and family genealogies. If research has been completed on your family line, this can save you considerable time and expense. To conduct a search in the NDB, the Research Coordinator will need the complete names and birth dates of your known ancestors. Providing a family group sheet is very helpful. There are no fees for lookups in the NDB.
Please be aware that surname spellings can vary greatly. There generally isn't a single "correct" spelling of your surname. Often times, there are spelling variations in the Russian records. After immigrating to America, many Volga Germans purposely changed the spelling of their surname to make it easier for English speakers to pronounce or merely to feel more a part of their new home. (e.g. Schmidt to Smith, Becker to Baker, Döring to Derring, Grün to Green, Vögler to Faigler, Wacker to Walker, Schleuning to Schleining). Always search for all the possible phonetic surname spellings. The Norka Surname List provides a number of alternate spellings to consider in your research.
It was German naming custom at this time that most people had two given names. The first was a spiritual or saint's name and the second was a secular name. Only the secular name was generally used in church and civil records. As examples, a child named Johann Georg would simply be known as Georg and a Maria Elisabeth would be known as Elisabeth.
The Norka research coordinators can help you determine if there is information in the Norka Database (NDB) about your family. The NDB is populated from sources such as census lists, church records, descendant charts and family genealogies. If research has been completed on your family line, this can save you considerable time and expense. To conduct a search in the NDB, the Research Coordinator will need the complete names and birth dates of your known ancestors. Providing a family group sheet is very helpful. There are no fees for lookups in the NDB.
Please be aware that surname spellings can vary greatly. There generally isn't a single "correct" spelling of your surname. Often times, there are spelling variations in the Russian records. After immigrating to America, many Volga Germans purposely changed the spelling of their surname to make it easier for English speakers to pronounce or merely to feel more a part of their new home. (e.g. Schmidt to Smith, Becker to Baker, Döring to Derring, Grün to Green, Vögler to Faigler, Wacker to Walker, Schleuning to Schleining). Always search for all the possible phonetic surname spellings. The Norka Surname List provides a number of alternate spellings to consider in your research.
It was German naming custom at this time that most people had two given names. The first was a spiritual or saint's name and the second was a secular name. Only the secular name was generally used in church and civil records. As examples, a child named Johann Georg would simply be known as Georg and a Maria Elisabeth would be known as Elisabeth.
Determine if there is a Descendants Chart for your Family
Many descendant charts have been prepared for Norka families by Dr. Igor Pleve of Saratov, Russia using original source documents from the Russian archives. Information from many of the charts has been entered in the NDB, but not all. If a chart has been prepared for your family, this will be a significant benefit for your research. To find the correct line on the descendants chart you will typically need to document an ancestor that was born in the late 1800's or early 1900's. The Norka Research Coordinator can help you determine if a chart has been prepared for your family line. Many (but not all) of the descendant charts have been included in the NDB.
Research Ship Arrival Lists and Civil Records
If your family is not listed in the NDB and there is no descendants chart for your surname, the next step is to review records for your ancestor that were created in North America. The purpose is to find enough information to link your ancestor to a church record or census list in Norka. I encourage everyone to do this research even if you found information about your ancestor in the Norka Database or on a descendants chart. In doing so, you will add further documentation about your family and learn more about their lives.
Ship arrival records may provide you with clues as to where your ancestor lived in Russia and when they arrived in Canada or the United States. Be aware of family surname spelling variations. Emigrants from Norka are sometimes listed as having lived in Norga, Norca, Norge (all phonetic variations of Norka). Often times, only the geographic name of Saratov is given. Saratov is the province in which the colony of Norka was located. Saratov can also be written with the German spellings of Saratoff or Saratof.
Immigration from the Volga German colonies to North America began in 1875 and slowed to a trickle by the outbreak of World War I and the Russian Revolution that followed. A few last immigrants arrived in North America in the early 1920s before departing from the Soviet Union became virtually impossible.
Ship arrival records will be the first piece of evidence documenting your ancestors in the New World. Ship arrival lists are available at Ancestry.com (subscription required), FamilySearch.org (a free site provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) and other websites.
Many individuals and families from Norka families passed through immigration facilities at Castle Garden or Ellis Island in New York City. Both locations have website that allow you to search for your ancestor at no cost. If possible, try searching the databases by the last place of residence and use Norka, Norga, Norca as spelling variations. It's a myth that family names were changed at these immigration facilities.
Not everyone arrived in New York. Immigrants from Norka also arrived through the ports of Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Galveston and Quebec, Canada.
Also search civil (birth, death, marriage, census) and military records in the United States and Canada. These documents are also available on Ancestry.com and other genealogy databases. Often times, these records will show the place of origin in Russia and other family members. Research these records even if you find your ancestor on the ship arrival records. The evidence from these records will help confirm the name, birth date and other useful information about your ancestor.
Don't forget to research your cousins, aunts, and uncles. Many times their records will provide new clues to help break through your brick walls.
Ship arrival records may provide you with clues as to where your ancestor lived in Russia and when they arrived in Canada or the United States. Be aware of family surname spelling variations. Emigrants from Norka are sometimes listed as having lived in Norga, Norca, Norge (all phonetic variations of Norka). Often times, only the geographic name of Saratov is given. Saratov is the province in which the colony of Norka was located. Saratov can also be written with the German spellings of Saratoff or Saratof.
Immigration from the Volga German colonies to North America began in 1875 and slowed to a trickle by the outbreak of World War I and the Russian Revolution that followed. A few last immigrants arrived in North America in the early 1920s before departing from the Soviet Union became virtually impossible.
Ship arrival records will be the first piece of evidence documenting your ancestors in the New World. Ship arrival lists are available at Ancestry.com (subscription required), FamilySearch.org (a free site provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) and other websites.
Many individuals and families from Norka families passed through immigration facilities at Castle Garden or Ellis Island in New York City. Both locations have website that allow you to search for your ancestor at no cost. If possible, try searching the databases by the last place of residence and use Norka, Norga, Norca as spelling variations. It's a myth that family names were changed at these immigration facilities.
Not everyone arrived in New York. Immigrants from Norka also arrived through the ports of Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Galveston and Quebec, Canada.
Also search civil (birth, death, marriage, census) and military records in the United States and Canada. These documents are also available on Ancestry.com and other genealogy databases. Often times, these records will show the place of origin in Russia and other family members. Research these records even if you find your ancestor on the ship arrival records. The evidence from these records will help confirm the name, birth date and other useful information about your ancestor.
Don't forget to research your cousins, aunts, and uncles. Many times their records will provide new clues to help break through your brick walls.
Research Russian Records
Once you have connected an ancestor to Norka records, you will likely be able to make connections through earlier census lists and church records back to first settlers who were recorded on the 1767 census and in the 1766 ship arrival lists.
Here is a chronological list of research resources for people that lived in Norka. Remember to work back one generation at a time. Resist the temptation to skip over a generation or assume that you have the correct person. Often times, many people with the same name were born within a 2 year time span. Make sure you have the right one.
If you successfully connect your ancestral line to someone listed on the 1767 census, you will then want to search for that ancestor in the Russian ship arrival records. These records are often called the Kulberg Lists, named after Ivan Kulberg who was the Russian official in charge of recording the arrival of the colonists.
Both the 1767 census and the Kulberg Lists provide valuable information about your ancestors place of origin in Western Europe. While the places of origin are often within the geographic boundaries of modern day Germany, there are a number of people who settled in Norka who have origins in other Western European countries (e.g. France). Finding a place of origin (even a county or principality) is a vital clue that allows you to continue your research in Germany or another country.
Here is a chronological list of research resources for people that lived in Norka. Remember to work back one generation at a time. Resist the temptation to skip over a generation or assume that you have the correct person. Often times, many people with the same name were born within a 2 year time span. Make sure you have the right one.
If you successfully connect your ancestral line to someone listed on the 1767 census, you will then want to search for that ancestor in the Russian ship arrival records. These records are often called the Kulberg Lists, named after Ivan Kulberg who was the Russian official in charge of recording the arrival of the colonists.
Both the 1767 census and the Kulberg Lists provide valuable information about your ancestors place of origin in Western Europe. While the places of origin are often within the geographic boundaries of modern day Germany, there are a number of people who settled in Norka who have origins in other Western European countries (e.g. France). Finding a place of origin (even a county or principality) is a vital clue that allows you to continue your research in Germany or another country.
Research German Origins
Now you are ready to continue your research in Germany or another part of Western Europe where your ancestors lived in 1766, prior to their migration to Russia. Before you get started, see the most current list of family origins on the Norka Founders page. Another researcher may have already found your ancestor, saving you a huge amount of time.
If the origin of your family has not been confirmed, you will need to find the name of the town or village where they resided before migrating to Russia. If this information cannot be found, try to determine the specific locality (county, duchy, principality, etc.) from ship arrival records (Kulberg Lists), the 1767 Census, or other documents.
According to the 1767 Census (often called the "First Settlers List"), most of the people who settled in Norka originated from towns and villages in the modern day state of Hesse, Germany. A very large percentage are listed as originating from Isenburg, a former county that is located northeast of Frankfurt. Please note that Isenburg, in the context of researching your Norka ancestry, is not the city bearing this name in modern Germany. Also be aware that the borders of Germany (or the German speaking parts of Europe) have fluctuated significantly over time and your ancestral village may not be within the current boundaries of Germany.
Many people were married at the gathering places in Germany or left other traces of their origins in Western Europe. These records sometimes list the place of origin. The best source for these records is Brent Mai's book titled German Migration to the Russian Volga which is available for purchase from AHSGR. This book can also be used without a fee at the AHSGR and FHL (Salt Lake City) libraries.
Once you have identified a more specific location, the next step is to determine the parish where church records from the 1700's are kept today. Most people who settled in Norka belonged to the Reformed or Lutheran church (although there were a few Catholics). The records for both Protestant churches are now archived by the Evangelische Kirche in Germany. The best source for determining the correct parish is Kevan Hansen's series Map Guide to German Parish Registers. Isenburg is in the volume titled Grand Duchy of Hessen, Volume I. The books are available for purchase directly from the publisher (Family Roots Publishing) and may be available for use without cost at local libraries and family history centers.
Once you have identified the correct parish, determine if the records are available online at FamilySearch.org or at Archion.de. Archion is working to digitize all Protestant German church records. They also have some Catholic church records. You may need help to read and transcribe the old German (Kurrentschrift) or Latin script.
If the records have not been digitized by FamilySearch.org or Archion, you will need to directly contact the parish archive in Germany (or other countries) to determine if they can find records for you ancestor. There is typically a fee for this service.
Several of the original colonists who settled in Norka have been found in the church records kept in the Archive of the Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck in Kassel or the Evangelische Kirche in Hessen und Nassau.
If you find the place of origin for your ancestor, please consider sharing your research with us. It will be very helpful to others researching the same family line.
Good luck!
If the origin of your family has not been confirmed, you will need to find the name of the town or village where they resided before migrating to Russia. If this information cannot be found, try to determine the specific locality (county, duchy, principality, etc.) from ship arrival records (Kulberg Lists), the 1767 Census, or other documents.
According to the 1767 Census (often called the "First Settlers List"), most of the people who settled in Norka originated from towns and villages in the modern day state of Hesse, Germany. A very large percentage are listed as originating from Isenburg, a former county that is located northeast of Frankfurt. Please note that Isenburg, in the context of researching your Norka ancestry, is not the city bearing this name in modern Germany. Also be aware that the borders of Germany (or the German speaking parts of Europe) have fluctuated significantly over time and your ancestral village may not be within the current boundaries of Germany.
Many people were married at the gathering places in Germany or left other traces of their origins in Western Europe. These records sometimes list the place of origin. The best source for these records is Brent Mai's book titled German Migration to the Russian Volga which is available for purchase from AHSGR. This book can also be used without a fee at the AHSGR and FHL (Salt Lake City) libraries.
Once you have identified a more specific location, the next step is to determine the parish where church records from the 1700's are kept today. Most people who settled in Norka belonged to the Reformed or Lutheran church (although there were a few Catholics). The records for both Protestant churches are now archived by the Evangelische Kirche in Germany. The best source for determining the correct parish is Kevan Hansen's series Map Guide to German Parish Registers. Isenburg is in the volume titled Grand Duchy of Hessen, Volume I. The books are available for purchase directly from the publisher (Family Roots Publishing) and may be available for use without cost at local libraries and family history centers.
Once you have identified the correct parish, determine if the records are available online at FamilySearch.org or at Archion.de. Archion is working to digitize all Protestant German church records. They also have some Catholic church records. You may need help to read and transcribe the old German (Kurrentschrift) or Latin script.
If the records have not been digitized by FamilySearch.org or Archion, you will need to directly contact the parish archive in Germany (or other countries) to determine if they can find records for you ancestor. There is typically a fee for this service.
Several of the original colonists who settled in Norka have been found in the church records kept in the Archive of the Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck in Kassel or the Evangelische Kirche in Hessen und Nassau.
If you find the place of origin for your ancestor, please consider sharing your research with us. It will be very helpful to others researching the same family line.
Good luck!
Where is Norka? - Documenting Geographic Place Names
There is no accepted universal standard for documenting place names in your genealogy research.
I recommend using the current place name for Norka - Nekrasovo, Saratov, Russia. This method also allows anyone searching for Norka to find it on a modern printed map or online service such as Google Maps. Given that the name of Norka was changed in July 1942, it makes finding the correct location much easier.
Using the current name allows other researchers, and genealogy programs such as Ancestry.com, to accurately plot the location of Norka on a digital map.
In addition to the current place name, I also provide a description that states: "Formerly Norka, Saratov, Russia." It might even be better to state: "Formerly Norka, Saratov, Russia from 1767 to 1942."
It's also perfectly acceptable to do the opposite and use the place name at the time of the event and then add a description noting the current place name. The key is that another researcher can find the correct location on current maps.
I don't use the canton name or district name (e.g. Balzer, Kamyshin, etc.) as those designations have changed frequently over time. I feel that these labels add more confusion than clarity for those who will review your research. I also do not use the term "Volga" as it is not a clearly defined geographic area.
Be aware that if you use the name Norka, some genealogy programs like Ancestry.com will suggest incorrect locations such as Norka, Altai Mountains, Russia or Norka, Mari El, Russia. These places are not the Norka you are looking for!
You will find many current and historical maps of Norka along with a geographical description within this website.
I recommend using the current place name for Norka - Nekrasovo, Saratov, Russia. This method also allows anyone searching for Norka to find it on a modern printed map or online service such as Google Maps. Given that the name of Norka was changed in July 1942, it makes finding the correct location much easier.
Using the current name allows other researchers, and genealogy programs such as Ancestry.com, to accurately plot the location of Norka on a digital map.
In addition to the current place name, I also provide a description that states: "Formerly Norka, Saratov, Russia." It might even be better to state: "Formerly Norka, Saratov, Russia from 1767 to 1942."
It's also perfectly acceptable to do the opposite and use the place name at the time of the event and then add a description noting the current place name. The key is that another researcher can find the correct location on current maps.
I don't use the canton name or district name (e.g. Balzer, Kamyshin, etc.) as those designations have changed frequently over time. I feel that these labels add more confusion than clarity for those who will review your research. I also do not use the term "Volga" as it is not a clearly defined geographic area.
Be aware that if you use the name Norka, some genealogy programs like Ancestry.com will suggest incorrect locations such as Norka, Altai Mountains, Russia or Norka, Mari El, Russia. These places are not the Norka you are looking for!
You will find many current and historical maps of Norka along with a geographical description within this website.
Last updated March 21, 2023