Metadata: Police overseer of the 1st area in Ukmergė (Vilkomir), Kovno governorate
Collection
- Country:
- Lithuania
- Holding institution:
- Kaunas Regional State Archives
- Holding institution (official language):
- Kauno Regioninis Valstybės Archyvas
- Postal address:
- Maironio g. 28B, 44249 Kaunas
- Phone number:
- +370 (837) 323 111
- Web address:
- https://www.archyvai.lt/lt/kaa_naujienos.html
- Email:
- kaunas@archyvai.lt
- Reference number:
- I-40
- Title:
- Police overseer of the 1st area in Ukmergė (Vilkomir), Kovno governorate
- Title (official language):
- Kauno gubernijos Ukmergės (Vilkomiro) miesto 1-ojo kvartalo policijos prižiūrėtojas
- Creator/accumulator:
- Police overseer of the 1st area in Vilkomir
- Date(s):
- 1902/1916
- Language:
- Russian
- Extent:
- 100 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
- The collection contains records of the police overseer of area 1 in Vilkomir, covering a wide range of criminal, judicial, political and administrative matters. The materials include files on surveillance on different people, societies and press, circulars of police administration on unrest and political demonstrations, records about the situation of prostitutes and speculation in Vilkomir, on conscription, files on searching for different persons, and more. Documents about Jewish public life in Vilkomir are also an important part of this collection. A file dated 1913 includes papers in which the police prohibited commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the General Union of Jewish Workers in Lithuania, Poland, and Russia (the Bund). Two other files that directly concern Jewish public life in the city deal with local charitable institutions in 1911-1912. One relates to a society for support of poor Jews (inventory 1, file 92), and the other refers to the "Gemilut hesed" charity society (inventory 1, file 98). These documents indicate how the East European Jewish community viewed itself responsible for every person, including the poor. While this is not evident in the inventory list, it is reasonable to assume that one would also find Jewish names in papers about people who were under police surveillance, people who were searched by police, and in the records on persons who were involved in the secret and illegal transfer of emigrants across the Russian border.
- Archival history:
- No information
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The police overseer was responsible for public order in a specific area in the city. He was aware of all the supervised residents and of all the owners of rental housing property on his area. The police overseer was acquainted with the internal situation at factories and workshops at the area, and he knew the enterprises’ owners, directors, clerks and craftsmen. The overseer carried out interrogations and searches of criminals, organised conscription, and monitored the situation in different educational institutions.
- Finding aids:
- Detailed inventories are available for free online access on the website of the Lithuanian Chief Archivist Service.
- Links to finding aids:
- https://eais-pub.archyvai.lt/eais/faces/pages/forms/search/F3001.jspx
- Yerusha Network member:
- Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
- Author of the description:
- Ilya Vovshin, Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People, 2019
