Research into the family tree of Bulgarian Turks rests on three sources: population records in Turkey, the Ottoman archives and the Bulgarian archives. Families came to Turkey in different waves of migration between 1877 and 1989. That is why you first need to find out the year of migration and your grandparents’ village. The records can reach back as far as the tahrir (survey) registers of the Ottoman period.
Quick Summary
- The first step for the family tree of Bulgarian Turks is the ancestry query on e-Devlet.
- This query is based on population records in Turkey and often starts with the generation that migrated.
- For older generations, Ottoman tahrir, census and yörük registers can be consulted.
- The main waves of migration took place in 1877–1878, 1912–1913, 1950–1951 and 1989.
- Names changed by force make searching Bulgarian records from 1985–1990 more difficult.
Contents
- How the Turkish population settled
- Waves of migration
- Where to start the research
- e-Devlet and population records
- Family traces in the Ottoman archives
- Bulgarian archives and name changes
- What can be found in which record?
- Frequently asked questions
How Did the Turkish Population Settle in the Balkans?
In the second half of the 14th century the Ottomans advanced northwards from Thrace. According to the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, the population of the conquered areas was increased by bringing in Turkish settlers from Anatolia. Tarnovo, the capital of the Bulgarian Kingdom, was taken in 1393 by forces under the command of Süleyman Çelebi. The region thus remained under Ottoman rule for about five centuries. We described this period in our article on Bayezid I and the Battle of Ankara.
A significant share of the settlers were yörüks, Turkmen nomads. According to the encyclopedia, the yörüks of Rumelia had seven military units: Kocacık, Naldöken, Ofçabolu, Selânik, Tanrıdağı, Vize and Yanbolu. The Kocacık yörüks lived over a wide area stretching from Edirne to Shumen, Varna and Silistra. In 1691 these groups were reorganized under the name “evlâd-ı fâtihân” (sons of the conquerors).
The Turkish population was concentrated especially in Deliorman in the northeast and around Kardzhali and the Rhodopes in the south. According to the encyclopedia, in the Ottoman period Deliorman belonged to the kazas of Hezargrad (Razgrad) and Shumen. The Gagauz, Turkish-speaking Christians, live in the Varna and Dobruja area. According to the Bulgarian statistics cited in the encyclopedia, the share of Turks in the country’s population was 19.2 per cent in 1887. This proportion fell to 10.2 per cent in 1934.
Waves of Migration
When researching a family’s history, the year of migration is the most important piece of information. According to the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, during and after the Russo-Ottoman War of 1877–1878, between 500,000 and 600,000 Turks were killed or forced to migrate. In the sanjak of Plovdiv (Filibe), the Turkish population fell from 300,000 in 1875 to 15,000 in 1878. We discussed the background of this war in our article on the Ottoman-Russian wars.
Migration continued in the following years. According to the encyclopedia, Bulgarian statistics show that 72,524 Muslim Turks migrated between 1893 and 1902. After the Balkan War, 115,883 people applied to be resettled. We described the effects of this war in our article on the Balkan Wars.
Major waves also came in the Republican period. In August 1950 the Bulgarian government demanded that 250,000 people be admitted within three months. About 154,000 people came to Turkey in 1950–1951. After that, the migration of close relatives that began with the 1968 agreement continued until 1978.
According to the encyclopedia, in 1989 some 340,000 Turks who had been expelled with compulsory passports migrated to Turkey. The Bulgarian authorities called this expulsion the “big excursion”. Of those who migrated, 160,000 later returned. A large share of the migrants settled in the provinces of Thrace, the Marmara region and the Aegean.
How to Research the Family Tree of Bulgarian Turks
When working on the family tree of Bulgarian Turks, you should move from the newest record to the oldest. The first step is to talk to the elders of the family. Oral information tells you which register to look for in the archives. The following details should be noted down during these conversations:
- The names, nicknames and years of birth of grandparents.
- The year of migration and the province or village where the family first settled in Turkey.
- The Turkish and Bulgarian names of the village the family came from.
- The Bulgarian names forcibly given between 1984 and 1989.
- Passports, migrant certificates, title deeds and letters kept at home.
What the elders of the family recount may sometimes be incomplete or muddled. That is why each piece of information needs to be confirmed with a document. Years of birth and village names in particular may change as they are passed down from generation to generation.
e-Devlet and Population Records
The first stop in Turkey is the “Ancestry and Descendant Information Query” (Alt-Üst Soy Bilgisi Sorgulama) service on e-Devlet. The service uses the records of the General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs. The query shows relatives registered in Turkey’s population records and the links between them. For migrant families, the records often begin with the generation that came to Turkey and was entered in the population register. For this reason e-Devlet is a good starting point for the family tree of Bulgarian Turks, but it is not the only source.
For more detailed information, copies of old records can be requested from the population directorates. Some of the migration and settlement documents are kept in the Republican Archives of the Directorate of State Archives. These documents may contain information about the place the family came from.
Family Traces in the Ottoman Archives
Most of the region left Ottoman rule in 1878. According to the encyclopedia, however, Kardzhali and its surroundings remained Ottoman territory until the Balkan War of 1912. For the generations before these dates, Ottoman records need to be consulted. Research should start with the registers of whichever region the family came from.
According to the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, the tahrir registers record the adult men of the villages together with their fathers’ names. The entries take the form “Ali veled-i Mehmed” (Ali, son of Mehmed), and marital status is also noted. In archive catalogues these registers appear under the name “tapu tahrir defterleri” (land survey registers).
According to the encyclopedia, the first Ottoman census in 1831 recorded only men. Separate count registers were kept for the yörük and evlâd-ı fâtihân groups. For example, the evlâd-ı fâtihân register dated 1691 is today in the Ottoman Archives. If the village and kaza names are known, these documents are very valuable for the family tree of Bulgarian Turks.
Ottoman documents are written in Ottoman Turkish, so expert help may be needed to read them. We compiled names that occur frequently in old records in our article on Ottoman boy names. To understand why the records were kept, you can also look at our article on Ottoman tax units.
Bulgarian Archives and Name Changes
After Ottoman rule ended, birth, marriage and death records were kept by the Bulgarian authorities. Municipalities and regional state archives in Bulgaria are the main places to find these records. As the documents are in Bulgarian, translation help may be needed.
These records hold an important obstacle. According to the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, in 1984 the Bulgarian authorities forcibly replaced the names of Turks with Slavic-Bulgarian names. The same practice had been applied to the Pomaks in 1972 and to the Roma in 1980. Turks regained the right to bear their own names in 1990. For this reason the same person may appear under a different name in documents from those years.
Village names also changed over time. Bulgarian names replaced many Turkish village names. Matching old and new place names is therefore important in work on the family tree of Bulgarian Turks. This matching can take time.
What Can Be Found in Which Record?
The main records that can be consulted for the family tree of Bulgarian Turks are summarized in the table below.
| Record | Period | What does it show? |
|---|---|---|
| e-Devlet ancestry query | After migration | Relatives registered in Turkey’s population records |
| Copies of population directorate records | After migration | Detailed family records |
| Republican Archives | After 1923 | Migration and settlement documents |
| Land survey (tapu tahrir) registers | 15th–16th centuries | Adult men and fathers’ names |
| Yörük and evlâd-ı fâtihân registers | 16th–18th centuries | Yörük groups |
| 1831 census | 1830–1831 | Male population |
| Bulgarian municipal and regional archives | After 1878 | Birth, marriage and death records |
These records complement each other. Information that cannot be found in one source often turns up in another register. Documents kept at home should not be forgotten either in work on the family tree of Bulgarian Turks. Dates of birth and death used to be written on the first pages of old family Qurans. Gravestones in village cemeteries also provide important clues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the family tree of Bulgarian Turks be found on e-Devlet?
Partly. e-Devlet shows only people registered in Turkey’s population records. For the generations before migration, you need to look at the archives.
Which archives should be consulted for the family tree of Bulgarian Turks?
In Turkey, the main places are the population directorates and the Ottoman and Republican archives of the Directorate of State Archives. For the period before migration, regional Bulgarian archives can also be consulted.
Are women recorded in the tahrir registers?
Generally not. Since the tahrir registers were kept for tax purposes, they record adult men.
Which records should families from Kardzhali consult?
Kardzhali and its surroundings remained under Ottoman rule until 1912. For this reason, traces of families from this region can be sought in Ottoman registers up to that date.
What was the 1989 migration?
It was the forced migration that followed the Bulgarian authorities’ pressure to change names. According to the encyclopedia, 340,000 Turks came to Turkey during this process.
Conclusion
The family tree of Bulgarian Turks is a line of research that must be pursued patiently, step by step. It is best to begin with what the elders of the family recount and with e-Devlet records. Once the year of migration and the village name have been found, you can move on to the Ottoman and Bulgarian archives. Taking changes of personal and place names into account makes the search much easier.
Sources
- TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, entry “Bulgaristan” (Bulgaria)
- TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, entry “Deliorman”
- TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, entry “Yörükler” (Yörüks)
- TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, entry “Evlâd-ı Fâtihân”
- TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, entry “Tahrir” (Survey)
- TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, entry “Nüfus” (Population)
- Kemal H. Karpat, Osmanlı Nüfusu (1830-1914) [Ottoman Population, 1830–1914].
