Characteristics of the population of the city of Olekminsk according to the census sheets of the First General Population Census of 1897

Abstract

The main source on the historical, demographic, socio-economic development of the Russian Empire at the end of the 19th century is the materials of the First General Population Census of 1897. Primary sources, that is second copies of the census forms preserved in the regional archives,play a special role in this. In this regard, it should be noted that the safety of materials in the Yakutsk region is quite significant. The introduction of census forms into scientific circulation is an urgent need and the relevance of this information is beyond doubt. In the process of working on the topic, we studied the materials of the First General Census of 1897, primarily in the fund I343 – the Yakut Statistical Committee. The census lists of the population of the town of Olyokminsk settled in the inventory No. 2, in two cases: case No. 63 Spasskaya Square of Olyokminsk District and File No. 68 Nikolaevskaya Square of Olyokminsk District. As a result of the study, we see a gradual increase in the population of Olyokminsk, a significant predominance of men, a widely represented class structure, and a multinational composition of the city’s population. The study of economic activity shows that the bulk of the town’s inhabitants were engaged in petty trade, agriculture, and administrative activities. The predominance of the alien population in the city: exiles, mine workers, representatives of the district administration increased the literacy of the population.