Metadata : Tartu District Court
Collection
- Country:
- Estonia
- Holding institution:
- Historical Archives of Estonia
- Holding institution (official language):
- Eesti Ajalooarchiiv
- Postal address:
- Tartu, Nooruse 3, 50411
- Phone number:
- +372 738 7521
- Web address:
- www.ra.ee
- Email:
- tartu@ra.ee
- Country:
- Estonia
- Holding institution:
- Historical Archives of Estonia
- Holding institution (official language):
- Eesti Ajalooarchiiv
- Postal address:
- Tartu, Nooruse 3, 50411
- Phone number:
- +372 738 7521
- Web address:
- www.ra.ee
- Email:
- tartu@ra.ee
- Reference number:
- EAA.914.1
- Title:
- Tartu District Court
- Title (official language):
- Tartu maakohus
- Creator/accumulator:
- Tartu District Court (Tartu maakohus)
- Date(s):
- 1632/1889
- Language:
- German
- Extent:
- 13,238 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection includes twelve Jewish-related cases recorded by the Tartu District Court (German: Dorpater Landgericht, Estonian: Tartu maakohus). Although the court was active since the mid-17th century, all the cases relate to the second half of the 19th century (the earliest case is dated 1851, the latest 1889) when Tartu was a part of the Governorate of Livonia (Russian: Лифляндская губерния) in the Russian Empire.
All Jewish-related records are criminal cases. In several cases Jews were accused of horse thefts (cases dated 1851-1852 and 1885-1889) or the theft of hand sewing-machines (the case dated 1884). Jews were also found guilty of receiving and selling stolen goods (two cases dated 1862-1863 and 1871). In the case dated 1885 a Jew was on trial for the misappropriation of silverware. In several court records Jews were also mentioned in the context of vagrancy and living without residence permit (cases dated 1853-1854). A Jew was also accused of sodomy (1879-1882).
There are also two cases where Jews are victims. In the first case, dated 1887, a peasant is accused of theft on the grounds of a synagogue. In the second case (1888-1889) watches were stolen from a Jew.
Additional examples of Jewish-related files: Case against the Jew Benjamin Liebgold for peddling and horse theft, 1851/1852 (inventory 1, file 1549); Investigation case against the Jew Leiser Littmann Morgalin from for vagabonding Dawidgorod for vagabonding, 1853/1854 (inventory 1, file 1595); Investigation cases against the ranger Peter Saarmann from Weissensee, the Jew Hirsch Abramowitsch Wulfowitsch Sack, and Meier Itzig David Migram for stealing and selling stolen goods, 1862/1863 (inventory 1, file 1799); Investigative cases against the Jews Nachmann Bocher listed at Biržai for hiding stolen goods, 1871 (inventory 1, file 2341); Acts of investigation against the Jew Blondel Mandel for sodomy, 1879/1882 (inventory 1, file 3612); Investigation cases against the Jew Moses Soskin for fraudulent theft, 1880-1882 (inventory 1, file 3869); Cases of investigation against the Jews Wulf Scheermann from Poswal and Selig Schochel regarding horse theft, 1885-1889 (inventory 1, file 6473); Investigative cases against the Jews living in Võru Moses Gordon with regard to arbitrary appropriation of silver things, 1885 (inventory 1, file 6841); Investigation cases against the farmers from Alt-Kasseritz Jaan Jakson regarding theft in the Jewish cemetery near Võru, 1887 (inventory 1, file 8868); Investigation cases regarding a watch and chain stolen from the Jew Max Pakin, 1888-1889 (inventory 1, file 11401).
- Archival history:
- No information
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The Tartu District Court (German: Dorpater Landgericht) was established in Livland in 1630 and was active until the Baltic Court reform in 1889 (although it was temporary inactive from 1783- 1797). The District Court served as a lower court for all citizens of the district and dealt with all civil and criminal cases except for complaints from peasants relating to their landlords.
- Subject terms:
- Cemeteries
- Crime
- Legal matters
- Residency issues of Jews
- System of arrangement:
- All Jewish-related cases belong to the section of “Court records” (“Kohtutoimikud”) and the subsection “Criminal cases” (“Kriminaalasjad”). Within this subsection the records are arranged chronologically .
- Finding aids:
- General data on the collection is available on the web page of the Historical Archives of Estonia; the collection is also described in: Центральный исторический архив Эстонской ССР. Путеводитель. Москва-Тарту, 1969. С. 72-74.
- Yerusha Network member:
- Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
- Author of the description:
- Antonina Martynenko
- Reference number:
- EAA.914.1
- Title:
- Tartu District Court
- Title (official language):
- Tartu maakohus
- Creator/accumulator:
- Tartu District Court (Tartu maakohus)
- Date(s):
- 1632/1889
- Language:
- German
- Extent:
- 13,238 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection includes twelve Jewish-related cases recorded by the Tartu District Court (German: Dorpater Landgericht, Estonian: Tartu maakohus). Although the court was active since the mid-17th century, all the cases relate to the second half of the 19th century (the earliest case is dated 1851, the latest 1889) when Tartu was a part of the Governorate of Livonia (Russian: Лифляндская губерния) in the Russian Empire.
All Jewish-related records are criminal cases. In several cases Jews were accused of horse thefts (cases dated 1851-1852 and 1885-1889) or the theft of hand sewing-machines (the case dated 1884). Jews were also found guilty of receiving and selling stolen goods (two cases dated 1862-1863 and 1871). In the case dated 1885 a Jew was on trial for the misappropriation of silverware. In several court records Jews were also mentioned in the context of vagrancy and living without residence permit (cases dated 1853-1854). A Jew was also accused of sodomy (1879-1882).
There are also two cases where Jews are victims. In the first case, dated 1887, a peasant is accused of theft on the grounds of a synagogue. In the second case (1888-1889) watches were stolen from a Jew.
Additional examples of Jewish-related files: Case against the Jew Benjamin Liebgold for peddling and horse theft, 1851/1852 (inventory 1, file 1549); Investigation case against the Jew Leiser Littmann Morgalin from for vagabonding Dawidgorod for vagabonding, 1853/1854 (inventory 1, file 1595); Investigation cases against the ranger Peter Saarmann from Weissensee, the Jew Hirsch Abramowitsch Wulfowitsch Sack, and Meier Itzig David Migram for stealing and selling stolen goods, 1862/1863 (inventory 1, file 1799); Investigative cases against the Jews Nachmann Bocher listed at Biržai for hiding stolen goods, 1871 (inventory 1, file 2341); Acts of investigation against the Jew Blondel Mandel for sodomy, 1879/1882 (inventory 1, file 3612); Investigation cases against the Jew Moses Soskin for fraudulent theft, 1880-1882 (inventory 1, file 3869); Cases of investigation against the Jews Wulf Scheermann from Poswal and Selig Schochel regarding horse theft, 1885-1889 (inventory 1, file 6473); Investigative cases against the Jews living in Võru Moses Gordon with regard to arbitrary appropriation of silver things, 1885 (inventory 1, file 6841); Investigation cases against the farmers from Alt-Kasseritz Jaan Jakson regarding theft in the Jewish cemetery near Võru, 1887 (inventory 1, file 8868); Investigation cases regarding a watch and chain stolen from the Jew Max Pakin, 1888-1889 (inventory 1, file 11401).
- Archival history:
- No information
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The Tartu District Court (German: Dorpater Landgericht) was established in Livland in 1630 and was active until the Baltic Court reform in 1889 (although it was temporary inactive from 1783- 1797). The District Court served as a lower court for all citizens of the district and dealt with all civil and criminal cases except for complaints from peasants relating to their landlords.
- Subject terms:
- Cemeteries
- Crime
- Legal matters
- Residency issues of Jews
- System of arrangement:
- All Jewish-related cases belong to the section of “Court records” (“Kohtutoimikud”) and the subsection “Criminal cases” (“Kriminaalasjad”). Within this subsection the records are arranged chronologically .
- Finding aids:
- General data on the collection is available on the web page of the Historical Archives of Estonia; the collection is also described in: Центральный исторический архив Эстонской ССР. Путеводитель. Москва-Тарту, 1969. С. 72-74.
- Yerusha Network member:
- Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
- Author of the description:
- Antonina Martynenko
