to Germans Roots in Russia Professional Genealogy Services (PGS), the world’s only professional genealogy service provider, specializing in Germans from Russia genealogy.

Germans from Russia share a very unique history. In the late 18th and early 19th century, our ancestors were invited by Catherine the Great to settle the sparsely populated territories of “New Russia”. From the Volga River to the steppes of Southern Russia, from the shores of the Baltic Sea to the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, they established settlements and villages.

Over time and with changing Russian politics, the privileges that were originally granted such as the freedom of religion, the right to have German schools and exemption from conscription were slowly abolished. While most stayed and adapted to the new circumstances, some left to try their luck in the “New World”. Two World Wars, communism, famines, persecution and deportation to Siberia were some of the many challenges for those that remained in Russia. Unfortunately, many family ties between the Old and New Worlds were abruptly disconnected after WWI. Today, there is a total of approximately 12 million descendants of Germans from Russia worldwide. They mostly live in Germany, Russia, in the United States, Canada, as well as in Brazil and Argentina.

For those interested in tracing the history of their German Russian ancestors, many often hit a brick wall during their research. The fact is many records are not available online, and can only be accessed by digging through old “offline” records. These include scanning old land records and census files, searching through microfilms, or deciphering information from old records written in Russian or German. 

The goal of German Roots in Russia PGS is to provide professional genealogical service to the German Russian community worldwide. We are here to answer all your questions around German Russian genealogy, and to assist you in your search for your own ancestry.