Orphans Court in Białystok

Collection

Scope and content:: The collection contains records produced by courts dealing with cases concerning the care of minor children after the death of one or both parents belonging to the lower classes, which also included Jews. The collections contains documentation on the care provided by appointed guardians, which usually consisted of court proceedings, minutes of family council meetings, death certificates of parents, birth certificates for children and reports on the care provided, usually including property matters. The collection of the Orphan Court in Białystok consists of records of cases filed mainly by residents of Białystok and some neighbouring towns.

Archival history:: During the First World War, most of the records produced by institutions operating in the former Białystok region were removed from Poland. The records of the Orphan Court in Białystok and in Wasilków were reclaimed from the USSR to Białystok in September 1963. The records of the Orphans Court in Białystok are listed in the acquisitions register of the Provincial State Archives in Białystok under item no. 420, and the records of the Orphan Court in Wasilków under item no. 423. The collection of the Orphans Court in Knyszyn consists of one archival unit, purchased by the Provincial State Archives on 2 April 1965 in an antique bookshop: entry no. 535 in the acquisitions register.

Administrative/biographical history:: Orphans courts were established in Russia in 1795. In the Bialystok Oblast, which was part of the Russian state from 1807, the organisation of the guardianship court system was based on Russian models. Pursuant to the act of 25 July 1808 regulating the system of the town of Białystok, municipal authorities were established, including the "orphans court" (minors court). In Bialystok in 1822 the chairman of the orphan court was the "town head”, who was a member of the court along with other nine members elected at a meeting of the classes (three from each class). According to "Spravočnyj kalendar", in 1913 the orphans court in Białystok consisted of a chairman (the town head), two members of the court, a secretary and an assistant secretary. The orphans court dealt with the care of the property of minor orphans of burgher families, widows of merchants, burghers, guild craftsmen and commoners. In addition, these courts dealt with the administration of the estates of people exiled to Siberia, missing without a trace, mentally ill, deaf, mute, as well as, on the order of the Guberniya Government, sequestration of encumbered estates on behalf of the state.

System of arrangement:: The collection includes two series with 433 archival units. The first series is made up of general records from 1882-1918, the second includes records of cases from 1870-1915.

Finding aids:: A printed inventory is available at the State Archives in Białystok.

Yerusha Network member:: The Taube Department of Jewish Studies of the University of Wrocław