Metadata: Office of Estonian Governor
Collection
- Country:
- Estonia
- Holding institution:
- Historical Archive of Estonian National Archives
- Holding institution (official language):
- Eesti Rahvusarhiivi Ajalooarhiiv (EAA)
- Postal address:
- Tartu, Nooruse 3, 50411
- Phone number:
- +372 738 7521
- Web address:
- www.ra.ee
- Email:
- tartu@ra.ee
- Reference number:
- EAA.29
- Title:
- Office of Estonian Governor
- Title (official language):
- Eestimaa kuberneri kantselei
- Creator/accumulator:
- Russian Senate and Ministry of Internal Affairs
- Date(s):
- 1766/1917
- Date note:
- 1766; 1777/1917
- Language:
- Russian
- German
- Extent:
- 21,913 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection comprises documents that were kept in the Office of the Estonian Governor from 1777-1917, when Estonia was a part of the Russian Empire. The collection contains several inventories that include about 120 Jewish-related cases dated from 1803 -1896.
The earliest part of the cases relates to the period when the Estonian Governorate was not yet a part of the Pale of Settlement. This is the reason why in most of these documents Jews are mentioned mostly as persons being expelled from the governorate or being sought by the police.
In 1826 the “cantonist school” was organised in Reval (Tallinn) where Jewish and Old-Believers orphans could be recruited. The collection contains a list of these young Jewish recruits dated 1853. After military service, Jews were able to stay in the cities (including Reval). Thus, after 1826 the Jewish related cases with which the Office of the Estonian Governor dealt concerned regulating migrating issues, marriage and divorce proceedings as well as payments of allowances to widows and orphans. The collection also included a few materials regarding Jewish organisations in Reval. These are materials on rebuilding of the synagogue (1854), opening a Jewish school (“училище”) in Reval (1864-1869), and a request to establish the Association of Jewish Craftsmen which was aimed to help needy Jews in Reval (1885). There is also one case on the prohibition of theatrical performances in Yiddish (“Jewish spoken language”).
Another part of the Jewish-related cases are criminal proceedings. Jews were accused of counterfeiting (silver coins, 1862), and smuggling (several cases 1850-1853, 1856). There are also cases on the confiscation of Jews’ possessions (such as cigars (1855), and matches (1855-1856, 1861)). Several proceedings relate to Jews arrested for being without a valid residence permit (“passlos”) (1840s and 1850s). The collection includes various passports, residence permits and other documents of retired Jewish cantonists (1865). For the years 1850s and 1860s the collection contains files on Jews residing in Estland. The collection also comprises materials on surveillance (including secret surveillance) on Jews living in Estland (1839, 1867-1874).
Additional examples of Jewish-related files: Cases of the issue of foreign passports to foreigners for entry and residence in Russia, 1800/1818 (inventory 1, files 38, 39 and 191); Cases of the provision of food and clothes for the French prisoners of war, 1812/1814 (inventory 1, files 547 and 548); Case of the establishment of secret police surveillance of foreigners in order to identify Jews among them, 1839 (inventory 7, file 243).
- Archival history:
- The collection was formed in 1852 after the establishment of the General Division of Administrative Matters. Later in 1932 (already in the Republic of Estonia) the fund was inventoried by the Central State Archives in Tartu. The seven inventories were created in the 1960s and they have subsequently been restructured several times. The inventories were revised once again before they were uploaded into AIS (Estonian Archival Information System) in 2001.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The Office (Chancellery) of the Estonian Governor was the supreme executive body in the Governorate of Estonia during the period when Estonia was a part of the Russian Empire. The Office concentrated and investigated legislative and regulatory documents issued by the supreme administrative institutions in Saint Petersburg as well as those issued by the Governor-General of Baltic provinces in Riga. The post of the governor (and consequently the Office) existed during 1775-1783 and 1796-1917. The governor represented the supreme power of the State in the governorate; however, his role was limited to special rights and privileges. In 1852 the functions of the Estonian governor became the same as the other governors in the Russian Empire. The structure of the Office and its departments was changed several times until the elimination of the governor’s post and the Office in 1917.
- System of arrangement:
- The fonds contains 7 inventories; Jewish-related cases can be found in the inventories number 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8. Administrative cases are kept in the second inventory and the seventh inventory (“The Secret department”) contains confidential and secret materials from the higher instances. Most of the cases dated before 1826 can be found in the first inventory.
- Finding aids:
- The inventories are available in AIS (Estonian Archival informational system): ais.ra.ee. Finding aids also include Центральный государственный исторический архив Эстонской ССР. Путеводитель. Москва, Тарту. 1969, 18-19 and Ajalooarhiiv. Arhiivijuht I. Riigi, kohtu- ja omavalitsusasutused. Tartu, 2003, 42-44.
- Links to finding aids:
- http://ais.ra.ee
- Yerusha Network member:
- Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
- Author of the description:
- Antonina Martynenko; Tatyana Shor
