1. Genealogy Forms and Templates
Proper documentation is the foundation of successful genealogy research. Having the right forms helps you organize your findings systematically and ensures you don’t miss important details.
Essential Forms for Family Research
- Pedigree Chart — traces your direct ancestors back through generations
- Family Group Sheet — documents each family unit with parents and children
- Research Log — tracks what sources you’ve checked and what you found
- Correspondence Log — records your communications with archives, libraries, and other researchers
- Source Citation Form — documents where you found each piece of information
Special Forms for Ukrainian Research
Ukrainian genealogy presents unique challenges that benefit from specialized tracking:
- Name Variant Tracking Sheet — essential for Ukrainian names that were transliterated differently under various administrations (Austro-Hungarian, Russian, Polish, Soviet)
- Immigration Record Worksheet — tracks ship manifests, port of entry, and destination information
- Parish Record Tracker — monitors which church records you’ve checked across different denominations and jurisdictions
2. Meeting Archives and Presentations
The Ukrainian Genealogy Group PEI has hosted numerous informative meetings and presentations over the years, bringing together experts and enthusiasts to share knowledge about Ukrainian genealogical research.
Notable Presentations
Ivan Svarnyk — Lviv State Archives (March 1, 2000)
Ivan Svarnyk of the Lviv State Archives offered a historical perspective on the changes in the borders of Ukraine and how this has impacted on the names and spellings of various towns, cities, and counties. His presentation covered the meanings for genealogists of the various administrative divisions used in research, including:
- Judicial divisions — court records and their jurisdictions
- Ecclesiastical divisions — church administrative boundaries
- Provincial divisions — civil administrative regions
This presentation is particularly valuable because understanding how borders changed helps genealogists determine where to look for records of their ancestors. A village that was in Galicia under Austria-Hungary might later have been in Poland, then the Soviet Union, and now independent Ukraine, with records scattered across multiple archives.
3. Genealogy Software
Modern genealogy software makes it easier to organize, search, and share your family history research. Here are some options suitable for Ukrainian genealogy:
Desktop Software
- Family Tree Maker — comprehensive software with good support for source citations and multimedia
- Legacy Family Tree — powerful features including research guidance and source tracking
- Gramps — free, open-source genealogy software that runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux
- RootsMagic — user-friendly with excellent reporting capabilities
Online Platforms
- FamilySearch — free platform by the LDS Church with billions of records, including many Ukrainian church records
- Ancestry — largest commercial genealogy platform with immigration records and census data
- MyHeritage — strong European record collections
Tips for Ukrainian Genealogy Software Use
When selecting software for Ukrainian genealogy research, consider these factors:
- Cyrillic support — ensure the software can handle Ukrainian characters
- Multiple name fields — you’ll want to record names in both Latin and Cyrillic scripts
- Flexible date formats — Julian and Gregorian calendar dates may differ
- Source citation support — critical for tracking records across multiple archives and countries
- Location hierarchy — should support changing administrative divisions over time
4. Getting Started with Ukrainian Genealogy
If you’re new to Ukrainian genealogy research, here’s a step-by-step approach:
Step 1: Gather Family Knowledge
Interview living family members and collect:
- Full names (including maiden names)
- Dates and places of birth, marriage, and death
- Immigration stories and dates
- Names of ancestral villages in Ukraine
- Church affiliations
Step 2: Search Canadian Records
- Immigration records at Library and Archives Canada (1891-1935 available online)
- Census records from 1901, 1911, 1916, 1921
- Homestead records from provincial archives
- Church records from local parishes
Step 3: Reach Across the Ocean
- LDS Family History Library — microfilmed church records from Ukraine
- Ukrainian archives — Lviv, Kyiv, and regional state archives
- Community history books — see our Community and Family Histories directory
Step 4: Connect with Other Researchers
- Join the InfoUkes Genealogy mailing list
- Contact the East European Genealogical Society
- Attend Ukrainian Genealogy Group meetings
5. Newsletters Archive
Newsletters from previous meetings of the Ukrainian Genealogy Group PEI are preserved in PDF format. These newsletters contain summaries of presentations, research tips, and community announcements.
For further information or to access archived materials, contact Ted Lomatski at the Ukrainian Genealogy Group PEI by email.
6. Contact and Resources
For downloadable forms, newsletter archives, and additional resources:
- Email: [email protected]
- Subject: Include “Genealogy Research” in your email subject line
Additions, corrections, suggestions, and links are always welcome. The Ukrainian Genealogy Group PEI is committed to helping researchers at all levels of experience trace their Ukrainian roots.
7. DNA Testing for Ukrainian Genealogy
In recent years, DNA testing has emerged as a powerful complement to traditional documentary research for Ukrainian genealogists. Three major consumer testing services dominate the market, each with distinct strengths for tracing Eastern European ancestry.
AncestryDNA offers the largest database of tested individuals, currently exceeding 25 million profiles. For Ukrainian genealogists, its strength lies in the sheer number of potential DNA matches, many of whom have attached family trees that can reveal shared ancestors. AncestryDNA's ethnicity estimates can distinguish between broad Eastern European regions, though the granularity for Ukrainian-specific ancestry continues to improve with each update to their reference panels.
23andMe provides detailed haplogroup analysis alongside its ethnicity breakdown. This is particularly useful for understanding deep ancestral migration patterns. Many Ukrainian families carry Y-DNA haplogroups such as R1a (common throughout Eastern Europe and associated with early Slavic expansion) and mitochondrial haplogroups like H, U, and J. While haplogroups alone cannot pinpoint a specific village, they can confirm or challenge family narratives about geographic origins and ethnic heritage.
MyHeritage DNA has a strong European user base, which is a significant advantage for Ukrainian research. Because many of its tested users are in Europe, including Poland, Germany, and Israel (home to descendants of Galician Jewish communities), MyHeritage often surfaces DNA matches that are invisible on North American-dominated platforms. Its chromosome browser and shared DNA tools allow detailed comparison between matches.
8. How DNA Results Complement Traditional Genealogy Research
DNA testing works best when combined with traditional genealogical methods rather than used in isolation. A DNA match alone tells you that you share a common ancestor with another person, but it cannot tell you who that ancestor was or where they lived without supporting documentary evidence. The most productive approach is to build your family tree as far back as documentary records allow, then use DNA matches to confirm connections, break through brick walls, and discover previously unknown branches of your family.
For Ukrainian genealogy specifically, DNA testing can help in several scenarios. If you know your family came from a particular village but cannot find records, a DNA match with someone whose family is documented in that same village can provide strong circumstantial confirmation. If your ancestors' village was destroyed or its records lost during the world wars, DNA cousin matches may be your only path to reconstructing earlier generations. Endogamy (marriage within a small community) is common in many Ukrainian villages, which means DNA matches among descendants of the same village may share more DNA than expected. Specialized tools like the Leeds Method and What Are The Odds (WATO) calculator can help sort through clusters of matches from endogamous communities.
9. FamilySearch vs. Ancestry.com for Ukrainian Records
FamilySearch.org, operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is a free platform that holds an enormous collection of Ukrainian records. Its microfilmed holdings include Greek Catholic and Orthodox parish registers from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Russian Empire, civil registration records, and conscription lists. Many of these records have been digitized and are available for free browsing. FamilySearch also hosts a collaborative family tree where researchers can contribute and connect their findings.
Ancestry.com, by contrast, is a subscription service with its own vast collection of records, particularly strong in North American immigration and census data. For Ukrainian genealogists working from the Canadian or American side, Ancestry's ship manifest collections, border crossing records, and naturalization indexes are essential for connecting your immigrant ancestor to their homeland. Ancestry also partners with archives worldwide to add new record collections regularly.
In practice, serious Ukrainian genealogists use both platforms. FamilySearch is the superior resource for original Ukrainian church records, while Ancestry excels at North American records and offers the DNA matching service described above. The two services overlap in some areas but are largely complementary. A practical strategy is to start with Ancestry's immigration records to identify your ancestor's village of origin, then move to FamilySearch to find baptismal, marriage, and death records from that village's parish.
10. Recommended Genealogy Apps for Mobile Research
Modern genealogists increasingly conduct research on tablets and smartphones, whether browsing microfilm images at a Family History Center or photographing gravestones in a cemetery. Several mobile apps are well suited to Ukrainian genealogy fieldwork:
- FamilySearch Memories — A free app that allows you to photograph documents, headstones, and family artifacts, then link them directly to individuals in the FamilySearch family tree. Its built-in indexing features let you tag names, dates, and locations on the go.
- Ancestry App — The mobile companion to Ancestry.com provides full access to your family tree, DNA matches, and record collections. You can add new findings directly from your phone, which is useful during archive visits or family reunions.
- BillionGraves — A cemetery documentation app that photographs headstones and records their GPS coordinates. Ukrainian cemeteries in Canada, particularly on the prairies, contain valuable genealogical information. BillionGraves lets you contribute your photos to a searchable global database.
- Google Translate — While not a genealogy app per se, Google Translate's camera feature can instantly translate Ukrainian and Polish text, which is invaluable when working with original documents or navigating Ukrainian archive websites. Its accuracy with printed text has improved dramatically and it now handles Cyrillic script reliably.
- Gramps Web — The web-based companion to the Gramps desktop software, allowing you to access and update your family tree from any device with a browser. Because Gramps is open source and supports Cyrillic text natively, it is a strong choice for researchers who work with records in multiple scripts.
By combining these mobile tools with the desktop software and online platforms described earlier, you can build a research workflow that moves seamlessly between your desk, the archive, and the field.
Frequently Asked Questions
Standard pedigree charts, family group sheets, research logs, and correspondence tracking forms are essential. For Ukrainian research specifically, you'll also want forms that track multiple name spellings, immigration records, and church parish information across different administrative jurisdictions.
Popular genealogy software includes Family Tree Maker, Gramps (free and open-source), and Legacy Family Tree. For Ukrainian research, you may also want tools that support Cyrillic text and can handle the multiple transliteration systems used for Ukrainian names.
Yes, newsletters from previous meetings are available in PDF format, including historical presentations. A notable presentation by Ivan Svarnyk of the Lviv State Archives covered the changes in Ukrainian borders and their impact on genealogical research.
Start by gathering information from living family members, then work backwards. Key resources include immigration records at the National Archives of Canada, church records through the LDS Family History Library, and community history books. The Ukrainian Genealogy Group PEI can provide guidance on getting started.
