Metadata : Board of the Suwałki Police Chief, Suwalki Province
Collection
- Country:
- Lithuania
- Holding institution:
- Lithuanian State Historical Archives
- Holding institution (official language):
- Lietuvos valstybės istorijos archyvas
- Postal address:
- Mindaugo 8, 03107 Vilnius
- Phone number:
- +370 5 219 5320
- Email:
- istorijos.archyvas@lvia.lt
- Country:
- Lithuania
- Holding institution:
- Lithuanian State Historical Archives
- Holding institution (official language):
- Lietuvos valstybės istorijos archyvas
- Postal address:
- Mindaugo 8, 03107 Vilnius
- Phone number:
- +370 5 219 5320
- Email:
- istorijos.archyvas@lvia.lt
- Reference number:
- 1013
- Title:
- Board of the Suwałki Police Chief, Suwalki Province
- Title (official language):
- Suvalkų gubernijos Suvalkų policmeisterio valdyba
- Creator/accumulator:
- Board of the Suwałki Police Chief
- Date(s):
- 1864/1917
- Language:
- Russian
- Extent:
- 3,574 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection contains records of the Board of the Suwałki Police Chief which refer to a wide range of criminal, judicial, economic, political and administrative issues. The materials include orders and circulars of various government institutions, the police board’s correspondence on operational issues and its annual reports, permits to open schools and factories, permits to keep weapons, materials on surveillance for individuals, and records about suspected persons in political crime and criminal activities.
The collection comprises many Jewish-related materials. Part of these documents relate to institutions in the Jewish community of Suwalki and the religious life of the Jews. For example, files from 1867-1869 (inventory 1, file 34), 1871-1872 (inventory 1, files 215, 356), and from subsequent years include the Suwałki Police Chief Board correspondence regarding surveillance for propriety in synagogues, prayer houses, and integrity of Jewish clerics. A file from 1870-1871 and 1872 contains correspondence regarding the establishment of an orphanage for Jewish children (inventory 1, files 144, 393). A file from 1873 deals with the closing of Talmud-Torah in Suwalki (inventory 1, file 445), and a file from 1888-1903 refers to the establishment and maintenance of a Heder (inventory 1, file 1453). A file from 1888-1907 contains correspondence between the Suwałki Police Chief Board with the Suwałki Province Board in relation to establishment of a Jewish public bath (mikveh) (inventory 1, file 1500). Several files from the 1870s mention a ban on Jewish men wearing payot (sidelocks), and women shaving their heads and maintaining decency in clothing (for example: inventory 1, files 157, 252). Some files include correspondence about the supervision over Jewish teachers (melamdim). Another significant part of the materials, which include documents about the Jews, are records about the police's surveillance of Jews suspected of various criminal activities. For instance, a file from 1899-1905 relates to open police surveillance of Shmuil-Iosel Filipovsky (inventory 1, file 2289). A file from 1908 deals with the regular surveillance of Eliash Slonimsky (inventory 1, file 2864). Other files from 1907 deal with the strict police surveillance of Abram, Simha, and Leiba Direktorovich (inventory 1, files 2841-2844). Another file from 1905 discusses the need to expel these Jews, along with other Jews from Suwalki (inventory 1, file 2704). A file from 1890 discusses the deportation from the city of Malka Zeldert (inventory 1, file 1659). Some files relate to Jews crossing the Russian border in the 1880s and 1890s without permission. The collection also includes documents regarding Jews violating building regulations in the city, lists of Jewish residents in ages 14-20 from 1889-1892 (inventory 1, file 1561), and information from 1891-1892 about Jews who were born, died, and married in Suwalki, but were not permanent residents (inventory 1, file 1769). The collection also includes papers from 1888-1893 on banning Jews from other countries engaging in commercial activity in Russia (inventory 1, file 1469).
- Archival history:
- After Russia's entry into World War I in 1914, the records of the Suwałki Police Chief Board were evacuated to Moscow and kept at the Central State Historical Archive in Moscow (the current State Archive of the Russian Federation – GARF). In 1957, together with other pre-revolutionary materials, these documents were included in the Central State Historical Archive of the Lithuanian SSR, predecessor of the current Lithuanian State Historical Archives.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- In December 1866, the Kingdom of Poland was newly divided into 10 provinces. The Augustów province was transformed into the Suwalki and Lomzha provinces. Many state and provincial institutions in Suwalki (former capital of the Augistow province and the new capital of the Suwalki province) were reorganised. In addition the Board of the Suwałki Police Chief (Politsmeister) was established. It was entrusted with various functions: surveillance of the population; fighting against crime and conducting preliminary investigations; maintenance of public order; control over taxation, sanitation and health care; and supervision of fire safety. The Board of the Suwałki Police Chief was abolished in 1917. From the second half of the 19th century, Suwalki grew at a faster pace than the other towns in the region, due mainly to the construction of a highway between Suwalki and Minsk, and the construction of the Augustow canal. In 1897, Jews totalled 7,165 in the city, representing 40% of the total population. By 1908, the Jewish population increased again reaching 13,002 (56% of the total population).
- Access points: locations:
- Suwalki
- System of arrangement:
- The collection consists of two inventories.
- Finding aids:
- Brief information on the collection and detailed inventories are available 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, 2020
- Reference number:
- 1013
- Title:
- Board of the Suwałki Police Chief, Suwalki Province
- Title (official language):
- Suvalkų gubernijos Suvalkų policmeisterio valdyba
- Creator/accumulator:
- Board of the Suwałki Police Chief
- Date(s):
- 1864/1917
- Language:
- Russian
- Extent:
- 3,574 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
The collection contains records of the Board of the Suwałki Police Chief which refer to a wide range of criminal, judicial, economic, political and administrative issues. The materials include orders and circulars of various government institutions, the police board’s correspondence on operational issues and its annual reports, permits to open schools and factories, permits to keep weapons, materials on surveillance for individuals, and records about suspected persons in political crime and criminal activities.
The collection comprises many Jewish-related materials. Part of these documents relate to institutions in the Jewish community of Suwalki and the religious life of the Jews. For example, files from 1867-1869 (inventory 1, file 34), 1871-1872 (inventory 1, files 215, 356), and from subsequent years include the Suwałki Police Chief Board correspondence regarding surveillance for propriety in synagogues, prayer houses, and integrity of Jewish clerics. A file from 1870-1871 and 1872 contains correspondence regarding the establishment of an orphanage for Jewish children (inventory 1, files 144, 393). A file from 1873 deals with the closing of Talmud-Torah in Suwalki (inventory 1, file 445), and a file from 1888-1903 refers to the establishment and maintenance of a Heder (inventory 1, file 1453). A file from 1888-1907 contains correspondence between the Suwałki Police Chief Board with the Suwałki Province Board in relation to establishment of a Jewish public bath (mikveh) (inventory 1, file 1500). Several files from the 1870s mention a ban on Jewish men wearing payot (sidelocks), and women shaving their heads and maintaining decency in clothing (for example: inventory 1, files 157, 252). Some files include correspondence about the supervision over Jewish teachers (melamdim). Another significant part of the materials, which include documents about the Jews, are records about the police's surveillance of Jews suspected of various criminal activities. For instance, a file from 1899-1905 relates to open police surveillance of Shmuil-Iosel Filipovsky (inventory 1, file 2289). A file from 1908 deals with the regular surveillance of Eliash Slonimsky (inventory 1, file 2864). Other files from 1907 deal with the strict police surveillance of Abram, Simha, and Leiba Direktorovich (inventory 1, files 2841-2844). Another file from 1905 discusses the need to expel these Jews, along with other Jews from Suwalki (inventory 1, file 2704). A file from 1890 discusses the deportation from the city of Malka Zeldert (inventory 1, file 1659). Some files relate to Jews crossing the Russian border in the 1880s and 1890s without permission. The collection also includes documents regarding Jews violating building regulations in the city, lists of Jewish residents in ages 14-20 from 1889-1892 (inventory 1, file 1561), and information from 1891-1892 about Jews who were born, died, and married in Suwalki, but were not permanent residents (inventory 1, file 1769). The collection also includes papers from 1888-1893 on banning Jews from other countries engaging in commercial activity in Russia (inventory 1, file 1469).
- Archival history:
- After Russia's entry into World War I in 1914, the records of the Suwałki Police Chief Board were evacuated to Moscow and kept at the Central State Historical Archive in Moscow (the current State Archive of the Russian Federation – GARF). In 1957, together with other pre-revolutionary materials, these documents were included in the Central State Historical Archive of the Lithuanian SSR, predecessor of the current Lithuanian State Historical Archives.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- In December 1866, the Kingdom of Poland was newly divided into 10 provinces. The Augustów province was transformed into the Suwalki and Lomzha provinces. Many state and provincial institutions in Suwalki (former capital of the Augistow province and the new capital of the Suwalki province) were reorganised. In addition the Board of the Suwałki Police Chief (Politsmeister) was established. It was entrusted with various functions: surveillance of the population; fighting against crime and conducting preliminary investigations; maintenance of public order; control over taxation, sanitation and health care; and supervision of fire safety. The Board of the Suwałki Police Chief was abolished in 1917. From the second half of the 19th century, Suwalki grew at a faster pace than the other towns in the region, due mainly to the construction of a highway between Suwalki and Minsk, and the construction of the Augustow canal. In 1897, Jews totalled 7,165 in the city, representing 40% of the total population. By 1908, the Jewish population increased again reaching 13,002 (56% of the total population).
- Access points: locations:
- Suwalki
- System of arrangement:
- The collection consists of two inventories.
- Finding aids:
- Brief information on the collection and detailed inventories are available 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, 2020
