Earlier this year, while reviewing the documents related to Bobruysk district, I stumbled upon several letters received by Bobruysk Lower Court from its superiors in the Minsk Governorate (Minsk Financial Committee). Many of these were in fact forwarded Emperor's Orders requesting to collect data for the new census, which were sent to each Governorate of the empire, then forwarded to each district. Some of these letters could read anecdotal today should these would not have been written in all the seriousness of the tone.
The census of 1816 was completed during the summer of the same year. Results were sent to St. Petersburg and feedback quickly followed. There is an Emperor's order received by Minsk Governorate and forwarded to Bobruysk marshal. Apparently the government became aware that some Jews in Volynian governorate were omitted from Census due to their poverty. Thus the letter dated from September 16, 1816 requests an additional revision to take place during the same ending year with the purpose of making sure all Jews are recorded. The time to complete an additional revision is given until the First Quarter of the 1818.
Before going further I shall mention, that multitude of localities for which I have checked the records so far, did produce additional censuses from December 1816 as well as at various times in 1817, 1818 and even 1819. Clearly the government continued monitoring the progress, for the new order from 11 November 1817 extended deadline to June 2018. Although, early censuses were recorded by Jews living in their communities, an order from 7th July 1819 attempted to change this practice1, entrusting the census taking to the police and the local officials. Whether the intent was to speed up the process and ensure the accuracy of the future censuses, this did not bear good results.
The following is from another Emperor's Order written on May 10, 1822. It acknowledges the fact that previous request (from 1817) was not completed. Census data never reached Finance Ministry which earlier in 1822 tried to follow up but only received a response from several Governorates (mainly outside of the Pale). It also mentions that previous request (from 1819) to report the finding about any error recorded about Jews previously was not completed as well. These findings are now to be completed and filed with the local Governorate office by July 1, 1822. The new deadline to complete all additional censuses is now given as July 1822. Government officials delaying an execution of this order are to be punished will full extent of the law. Additionally severe fines of 500 rubles are to be imposed on nobles who are found to hide their peasants or prevent them from being reported in any other way.
This letter was in turn forwarded from Minsk Governorate to Bobruysk Zemskiy Ispravnik on June 15, 1822 requesting to address this request and to report when it is complete. The question of incomplete/invalid data was discussed in the separate letter from Minsk2. Something tells me bureaucracy led the way and the government had to suffice with the results from addition revisions it kept receiving from 1820s and perhaps 1830s. At some point down the road this was realized and the need for the new full census (of 1834) was acknowledged.
- Typically these were either community elders or they elected a group of trustees for the purpose of recording the census data. All official correspondence was forwarded to the local Governorate's Financial Committee (Kazenaya Palata). This included the letter from elders to trustees, census records itself with trustees' signatures in any language they were fluent in as well as the letter from trustees to the Governorate certifying results were checked and found to be correct along with any follow ups as required. Per order from 7 July 1819, the findings about the Jews are now to be done in towns by Gorodnichiy (Police) and in villages by Zemskiy Ispravniks together with Povet's Stryapchiy(s) headed by the Governorate's Head Attorney [Prokuror].
- On June 30, 1822, there was a follow up letter from Minsk to Bobruysk which shed some light regarding incomplete data at least within this governorate. It was reported that Rechitsa district officials have finished checking their information about Jews and sent their findings to to Minsk on 3rd May 1821. There is a mention of a hearing at the Minsk Governorate's Main Court [where] Pinsk district officials reported about communities where Jews were missed and their name lists were now sent to the Minsk Financial Committee. Governor's Office on April 28, 1819 ordered officials to complete this checking of reported information and forward results separating lists for Jews from information about Christians. (based on the Senate's Order from 7th August 1819). This order must have involved villages and smaller communities for on November 4th 1819 similar order was to do the same checking in towns. There was also mentioned Governor's Order from April 24th, 1820 for any community where results found wrong to perform another search and to create a short summary about changes.