The Mordovian family of the Saratov province of the late XIX century according to the data of agricultural censuses

Introduction. Second half of the 19th century for the Russian Empire is marked by the intensification of the process of transition from a traditional society to an industrial one. This transformation also affected such a conservative institution as the family. Its characteristic feature is the decrease in the average size of the family and the simplification of its structure. However, the transformation process was uneven, under the influence of regional characteristics, factors of the socio-economic and cultural type. Research methods. The research was carried out on the basis of a comprehensive statistical analysis of the primary material of the zemstvo agricultural censuses located in the fund of the Provincial Statistical Committee of the State Archives of the Saratov Region. Results. The surviving materials include over 800 Mordovian households. The analysis of them allows us to speak about the predominance of this ethnos at the end of the 19th century a large, undivided family. This can be traced both in the total number of households of this type and in the number of people living in them. In the general base, the most populated households belonged to the Mordovians, the Tatar and Russian were smaller. Discussion and Conclusion. The article attempted to test the hypothesis that the family structure becomes more complex as it grows. It was found that a small family dominated in a group of households of up to 6 people, and a complex family dominated by 7 or more people. The extended type of household was not predominant in any group, occupying an intermediate position.