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 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 succumb to the temptation of starting your research with a distant ancestor. Given that there are many people with the exact same given names and surnames who were born in the same year, you may not connect with the correct family line.
Use a genealogy program to organize your research and document your sources.
Following the steps below will help you effectively and successfully research 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 succumb to the temptation of starting your research with a distant ancestor. Given that there are many people with the exact same given names and surnames who were born in the same year, you may not connect with the correct family line.
Use a genealogy program to organize your research and document your sources.
Following the steps below will help you effectively and successfully research your Norka ancestry.
Contact the Norka Research Experts
I can't emphasize this enough. Begin the process of documenting your family history by 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 (Louis Schleuger). The Village Coordinator and Research Coordinator work as volunteers 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 (at no cost). Roger maintains the Conrad Burbach's Volga German Facebook page, where you will find helpful research information.
The Norka Village and Research coordinators can help you determine if there is information about your family in the Norka Database (NDB). The NDB is populated from 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 search in the NDB, the Research Coordinator will need your known ancestors' complete names and birth dates. 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, there are spelling variations in the German and 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.
During the 1700s and 1800s, it was a German naming custom 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. For example, a child named Johann Georg would be known as Georg, and Maria Elisabeth would be known as Elisabeth. Spitznamen, or nicknames, were not used in church or census records.
The Norka Village and Research coordinators can help you determine if there is information about your family in the Norka Database (NDB). The NDB is populated from 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 search in the NDB, the Research Coordinator will need your known ancestors' complete names and birth dates. 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, there are spelling variations in the German and 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.
During the 1700s and 1800s, it was a German naming custom 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. For example, a child named Johann Georg would be known as Georg, and Maria Elisabeth would be known as Elisabeth. Spitznamen, or nicknames, were not used in church or census records.
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 charts has been entered in the NDB, but not all. If a chart has been prepared for your family, this will significantly benefit your research. To find the correct line on the descendant's chart, you must typically document an ancestor born in the late 1800s or early 1900s. The Norka Research Coordinator can help 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 ancestors 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 ancestors 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 indicate where your ancestors 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, 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 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 websites that allow you to search for your ancestor at no cost. 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, these records will show the place of origin in Russia and other family members. Even if you find your ancestor on the ship's arrival records, research these records. The evidence from these records will help confirm your ancestor's name, birth date, and other helpful information.
Don't forget to research your cousins, aunts, and uncles. Their records often provide new clues to help break through your brick walls.
Ship arrival records may indicate where your ancestors 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, 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 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 websites that allow you to search for your ancestor at no cost. 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, these records will show the place of origin in Russia and other family members. Even if you find your ancestor on the ship's arrival records, research these records. The evidence from these records will help confirm your ancestor's name, birth date, and other helpful information.
Don't forget to research your cousins, aunts, and uncles. Their records often 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 connect through earlier census lists, and church records back to the first settlers recorded on the 1767 census and in the 1766 ship arrival lists.
Here is a chronological list of research resources for people who lived in Norka. Remember to work back one generation at a time. Resist the temptation to skip over a generation or assume you have the correct person. Often, 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 want to search for that ancestor in the Russian ship arrival records. These records are often called the Kulberg Lists, named after Ivan Kulberg, the Russian official in charge of recording the arrival of the colonists.
The 1767 census and the Kulberg Lists provide valuable information about your ancestor's place of origin in Western Europe. While the places of origin are often within the geographic boundaries of modern-day Germany, several people settled in Norka and have origins in other Western European countries (e.g., France). Finding a place of origin (even a county or principality) is a vital clue for continuing your research in Germany or another country.
Here is a chronological list of research resources for people who lived in Norka. Remember to work back one generation at a time. Resist the temptation to skip over a generation or assume you have the correct person. Often, 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 want to search for that ancestor in the Russian ship arrival records. These records are often called the Kulberg Lists, named after Ivan Kulberg, the Russian official in charge of recording the arrival of the colonists.
The 1767 census and the Kulberg Lists provide valuable information about your ancestor's place of origin in Western Europe. While the places of origin are often within the geographic boundaries of modern-day Germany, several people settled in Norka and have origins in other Western European countries (e.g., France). Finding a place of origin (even a county or principality) is a vital clue for continuing 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 before they migrated to Russia. Before you start, please look at the most current list of family origins on the Norka Founders page. Another researcher may have already found your ancestor, saving you considerable time and effort.
If your family's origin has not been confirmed, you must find the name of the town or village where they resided before migrating to Russia. If this information cannot be found, 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 people who settled in Norka originated from towns and villages in the modern-day state of Hesse, Germany. A substantial percentage originate from Isenburg, a former county northeast of Frankfurt. Please note that Isenburg, when researching your Norka ancestry, differs from 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 be outside the current boundaries of Germany.
Many people were married at 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, German Migration to the Russian Volga, available for purchase from AHSGR. This book can also be used at the AHSGR and FHL (Salt Lake City) libraries without a fee.
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 held in archives of the Evangelische Kirche in Germany. Kevan Hansen's series Map Guide to German Parish Registers is the best source for determining the correct parish. 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 Archion.de. Archion is working to digitize all Protestant German church records. They also have some Catholic church records. You may need help reading and transcribing the old German (Kurrentschrift) or Latin script.
If the records have not been digitized by FamilySearch.org or Archion, you must contact the parish archive in Germany (or other countries) to determine if they can find records for your ancestor. There is typically a fee for this service.
Several 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 ancestors, please consider sharing your research with us. It will be beneficial to others researching the same family line.
Good luck!
If your family's origin has not been confirmed, you must find the name of the town or village where they resided before migrating to Russia. If this information cannot be found, 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 people who settled in Norka originated from towns and villages in the modern-day state of Hesse, Germany. A substantial percentage originate from Isenburg, a former county northeast of Frankfurt. Please note that Isenburg, when researching your Norka ancestry, differs from 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 be outside the current boundaries of Germany.
Many people were married at 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, German Migration to the Russian Volga, available for purchase from AHSGR. This book can also be used at the AHSGR and FHL (Salt Lake City) libraries without a fee.
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 held in archives of the Evangelische Kirche in Germany. Kevan Hansen's series Map Guide to German Parish Registers is the best source for determining the correct parish. 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 Archion.de. Archion is working to digitize all Protestant German church records. They also have some Catholic church records. You may need help reading and transcribing the old German (Kurrentschrift) or Latin script.
If the records have not been digitized by FamilySearch.org or Archion, you must contact the parish archive in Germany (or other countries) to determine if they can find records for your ancestor. There is typically a fee for this service.
Several 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 ancestors, please consider sharing your research with us. It will be beneficial 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 allows anyone searching for Norka to find it on a modern printed map or online service such as Google Maps. Given that the name Norka was changed in July 1942, finding the correct location is much easier using the current name.
Using the current name allows other researchers and genealogy programs, such as Ancestry.com, to plot the location of Norka accurately 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 say: "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 or district names (e.g., Balzer, Kamyshin, etc.) as those designations have changed frequently. These labels add more confusion than clarity for those reviewing your research. I also do not use "Volga" as it is not a 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 different from the Norka you are looking for!
You will find many current and historical maps of Norka and a geographical description on this website.
I recommend using the current place name for Norka - Nekrasovo, Saratov, Russia. This method allows anyone searching for Norka to find it on a modern printed map or online service such as Google Maps. Given that the name Norka was changed in July 1942, finding the correct location is much easier using the current name.
Using the current name allows other researchers and genealogy programs, such as Ancestry.com, to plot the location of Norka accurately 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 say: "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 or district names (e.g., Balzer, Kamyshin, etc.) as those designations have changed frequently. These labels add more confusion than clarity for those reviewing your research. I also do not use "Volga" as it is not a 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 different from the Norka you are looking for!
You will find many current and historical maps of Norka and a geographical description on this website.
Last updated November 21, 2023