It contains references to over 23,000 individuals living and working in Riga. This database of some 12,859 entries was created as an alphabetical register drawn up in Riga in 1904 to assist in the collection and administration of tax. It is a composite list in that it incorporates information from previous tax lists, in particular tax lists of 1858-1887. Following the creation of the list in 1904 the archivists continued to add updating information as late as 1917 as new information became known. The original list is held in the State Historical Archives in Riga and is in hand written Cyrillic.
Some notations are in German as well.
The list includes father s names in 10,826 cases, so that there is genealogical information about not less than 23,685 individuals and information concerning two generations of the same family in over 20,000 cases. Some 2,100 Maiden names are listed providing important information about maternal lines. In the case of a woman this is her name at birth. If her father s name is listed then this is likely to be his surname as well. This column is usually associated with a divorce or widowhood.