Researching the Sephardic Communities of the Ottoman Empire

A Summary of Researching the Sephardic Communities of the Ottoman Empire

This presentation discusses the history of Sephardic Jews in the Ottoman Empire and how to use Ottoman records for genealogical and historical research on this community.

The Sephardic Jewish community in the Ottoman Empire grew as a result of the Alhambra Decree issued by Spain in 1492 which expelled Jews from Spain. The Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II welcomed the Sephardim into the Empire. This was likely a strategic move to increase the Sultan’s tax base and as a political move against European entities. Chain migration led to continued growth of the Sephardic population in the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire had a millet system where different religious communities were self-governing and responsible for tax collection. This gave Jewish Chief Rabbis considerable power.

The Ottoman Empire, which lasted over 6 centuries, produced a vast quantity of records. At least 25 successor states emerged from this Empire and an estimated half a billion people could trace their ancestry using Ottoman records. The Ottoman Archives in Istanbul houses hundreds of millions of documents and millions more are spread throughout the former Empire in countries such as Bulgaria, Greece, Bosnia and Tunisia.

Ottoman Turkish, the language of Ottoman records, is a dead language that presents significant challenges. It was a court language spoken by the elite that combined elements of Turkish, Persian and Arabic. People attempting to translate Ottoman Turkish documents without specialized knowledge often produce inaccurate translations. Researchers must also contend with the multitude of other languages spoken in the Empire, including Ladino, Hebrew and Arabic.

The archives of the Ottoman Empire are dispersed throughout the former Empire, making research challenging. Key repositories include the Ottoman Archives in Istanbul, the Oriental Section of the Cyril and Methodius National Library of Sofia, the State Archives of the Republic of North Macedonia, and the Historical Archive of Macedonia in Thessaloniki. The Arab world also holds numerous archives with large Ottoman collections, including those in Egypt, Iraq and Damascus.

FamilySearch is actively collaborating with other entities to digitize, preserve, and share Ottoman records online. This includes indexing the records to make them searchable and using AI-powered handwritten text recognition (HTR) to automate the reading and translation of Ottoman Turkish documents. The potential of these records is huge, particularly because Turkey's e-Devlet platform already utilises Ottoman records to generate family trees for its citizens, a model that could be replicated elsewhere.

Key Ottoman records for social and family history research include:

• Nufus (population registers): Beginning in 1878, these registers contain detailed information about individuals, including their parents, birth year, religion, residence and house number. FamilySearch has created an index for the Nufus registers of Israel/Palestine, searchable by father's or mother's name.

• Nufus Tezkiresi (national ID cards): These cards provide similar information to the Nufus registers but were used as personal identification.

• Tapu (property deeds): These records became particularly informative in the late 19th century, offering details about both the property and its owner.

• Tax records, including the Jizya (poll tax for non-Muslims), often list family names.

• Earlier Nufus records (censuses): These censuses, dating back to 1831, provide less detail than the later registers and typically only include males.

• Sharia court records: These records, often dating back to the 16th century, document legal matters involving Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

• Tax registers: These registers, more prevalent in the 16th and 17th centuries, can be valuable when used in conjunction with other records.

• Missives and correspondence: Records of government communications, criminal activity, and rebellions can be found in the Ottoman Archives in Istanbul and may mention individuals by name.

The presentation concludes by briefly discussing the challenges of working with Ladino records, another key source for Sephardic research. Ladino, a dying language written in the difficult-to-read Solitreo script, presents paleographic hurdles. FamilySearch is partnering with the Israel Genealogy Research Association to index Ladino-language community records from Thessaloniki, with the hope of expanding these efforts to other collections.