Genealogical Research in Turkey: Two Major Source Groups

Genealogical research in Turkey relies on two main sets of documentary sources:

• Ottoman and Turkish civil registers (nüfus defterleri);

• Church registers.

These corpora, although fragmentary and unevenly accessible, constitute the primary sources for family history in the Ottoman realm.

1. Ottoman and Turkish Civil Registers (nüfus defterleri)

The first general census was organized in 1831. At that time, it included only men:

• Muslims, for military purposes (service);

• Non-Muslims, recorded in separate registers (reaya), for fiscal purposes (poll tax or cizye).

From 1904 onward, the registers began systematically including women and children, marking the introduction of a modern-type census.

The registers preserved at the Ottoman State Archives (Devlet Arşivleri Genel Müdürlüğü – Osmanlı Arşivi) mainly concern nineteenth-century enumerations (1831 and subsequent censuses up to the 1840s–1850s).

In contrast, the large modern censuses of 1881–82/1893, 1904, and 1914 are not held at the

Ottoman Archives. They are deposited at the Ministry of the Interior (İçişleri Bakanlığı Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü) as part of the contemporary civil registration system (MERNİS).

Thanks to the MERNİS project, Turkish citizens have been able to consult their genealogical trees online, tracing their ancestry back to the nineteenth century—an exceptional opportunity, but not accessible to non-citizens.

Finally, it should be noted that online access to the Ottoman Archives is reserved for Turkish citizens. Foreign researchers have access only to digital inventories; the documents themselves must be consulted in person, in Istanbul.

2. Church Registers

A second set of sources consists of parish registers (baptisms, marriages, funerals), maintained by Christian communities.

In Istanbul, these registers are largely preserved, particularly for the three Armenian confessions:

• the Armenian Apostolic Church,

• the Armenian Catholic Church,

• the Armenian Evangelical Protestant communities.

In Anatolia, preservation is far more uneven. Notable surviving collections include:

• registers of Catholic churches in Ankara, Kütahya, Bursa, and Mardin,

• registers of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Kayseri and Alexandretta,

• registers of churches in Kars (preserved during Russian administration).

Outside these cases, very few parish registers survive for the rest of Anatolia.

Conclusion

It would be inaccurate to claim that all Ottoman and parish registers have disappeared. The reality is more nuanced:

• Ottoman civil registers from the nineteenth century are largely preserved in the State Archives;

• Modern censuses from the late Empire are under the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior;

• Church registers are relatively complete in Istanbul but very fragmentary in Anatolia.

Thus, genealogical research in the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey requires a methodical approach, cross-referencing state archives, ecclesiastical records, and other sources, with highly variable access conditions.

Where to Consult These Sources

Ottoman and Turkish Civil Registers (nüfus defterleri)

• Ottoman State Archives (Osmanlı Arşivi): https://www.devletarsivleri.gov.tr

  • Inventories available online

  • Documents can be consulted in person in Istanbul (restricted access for foreigners) or online for Turkish citizens

Armenian Church Registers

• FamilySearch: https://www.familysearch.org

  • Recently, 37 registers have been made available online (Catholic, Armenian Apostolic, etc.)

  • Free access with registration; some records require consultation at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, UT