Where should I look for info on Russian ancestry?

Question:

Where should I look for info on Russian ancestry?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Where you look depends on all of these factors:

1. When did your ancestors leave Russia? If they left pre-1890 it's much harder to get info on them than if they left after 1900. The area in between depends on which port they left from on their trip here.
2. Were they actually from Russia, or were they from one of the lands occupied by Russia? Many times you'll see someone from Poland or Lithuania listed as "Russian" because Russia controlled those lands at the time, but there are no records of them in Russia...the records are in Poland or Lithuania.
3. Were they Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish or agnostic? The answer will help you find the right set of records, as Russia kept several censuses by religious affiliation and many birth, marriage and death records were only kept by religious bodies.
4. Which port did they arrive at after leaving? If it was Ellis Island after 1905, that's good. If it was Ellis Island between 1890 and 1905, it's dicey. If it was Baltimore...not much to be found. If they first went to Canada or England, then to the US, you have double the chances of finding records on them and locating their hometowns.
5. Did any other relatives come to the US? The more people you can research, the greater your chances of finding the right info to help you find census, visa and emigration records in Europe.

The long and short of it is that czarist Russia was too big for its own good...and the Soviets did their best to obliterate many of the records we wish were kept. There are some obscure boxes of info that have been found through the years, but before you start looking, you need to narrow your focus and know as much about both your immigrant ancestors and the time period of their immigration as you can. That helps you focus your search and keep the frustration down to a dull throb here and there.

Whatever you do, stay away from pay-sites and "Cyndi's List" until you know what you're working with. The fact that they have 10,000 links doesn't mean you'll be led to the right one. That's a lot of links to go through if the one you need is number 9998.