Have you reached a “brick wall” in your genealogy research? Onsite genealogy research in Estonia may just be the key to extending your Estonian ancestry. We have genealogists in Estonia who can help!
Challenges in Estonian Genealogy Research
Records in Estonia are organized on the local level, so it is usually necessary to know the town of origin for your ancestor before conducting research here. Research in Estonia, like most of Europe, is conducted primarily in civil registration and church records on the town or parish level. Civil registration records were not kept until 1940, so knowing the religion of your ancestors is necessary to find them in church records before that date. Civil registration records must be obtained onsite and may be subject to privacy restrictions. Many church records of various denominations have been digitized, but were recorded in German, Russian, or Estonian, so familiarity with those languages is necessary. Other records are still held in archives or by the local priests and must be accessed onsite, depending on the area, religion, and time period.
Our Team of Professional Genealogists Can Help
If you have Estonian ancestry, our professionals can track down the city/town of origin of your ancestors, determine where that location actually is today, and identify where the records for that place are currently kept. Our onsite agents can then visit that location to obtain any documents that are needed.
Onsite Archive Access in Estonia
Our onsite genealogy researchers have access to the following archives, repositories, and libraries in Estonia to help track down the records you need to extend your Estonian family history:
- National Archives of Estonia
- Estonian Historical Archives
- The National Archives of Sweden
- Russian State Historical Archives
- Latvian State Historical Archives
- Archives Portal Europe