A register is a handwritten record book that details the main stages of a person’s life. Registers were introduced in Russia by Emperor Peter the Great in 1722. These were the first attempts of the state to conduct a population census and produce statistics. The record books consisted of three sections: “On Births”, “On Marriages” and “On Deaths”.

To register a newborn, the dates of birth and baptism of the child, the names and surnames of the parents, their addresses, religion, legitimacy of the birth, class, social status and occupation were recorded.

The wedding section of the register indicated the date of the wedding, surnames, first names, patronymics, religion of the bride and groom, age of marriage, surnames and names of witnesses — the guarantors. In addition, information on whether the bride and groom had already been married, as well as their class, social status and occupation were also listed. The section on deaths contained information about the deceased person’s place of residence, their class status, first and last name, age and cause of death.

After the October Revolution of 1917, births registration was entrusted to the civil authorities. This was determined by the decree “On Separation of Church from State and School from Church” which included the following provision:

In the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, civil registry offices were formed. They were entrusted not only with registering new births, marriages and deaths, but also issuing certificates based on old registers.

The register from the collection of the Museum of Local Lore belonged to the Church of St. John of Damascus. The church was built in the mid-19th century in Sergach. A market square was formed in front of the church, where every Thursday merchants sold products, groceries, haberdasheries, and paints. Legend has it that during the Patriotic War of 1812, a “review” of bear battalions took place there. Presently, the central library is located in this area.

In the 1930s, the Church of St. John of Damascus was shut down, and six years later it burned down. Photographs of the church of the turn of the 20th century and handwritten registers have been preserved. One of them, from 1860, is presented in the museum’s exhibition.