Memorandum Books as a Source for the History of Municipal Public Administration in the Transbaikal Region in the Late 19th — Early 20th Centuries

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the composition and activities of municipal public administrations in the Transbaikal Region during the critical period of 1891–1894, immediately preceding the major reform of local self-government. The study is based on official reference publications — the Memorandum Books of the Transbaikal Region – which were systematically issued by the regional statistical committee and contained detailed information on the personnel of administrative in-stitutions. These publications serve as a valuable historical source, representing the state of municipal governance on the eve of the introduction of the 1892 Municipal Statute. The article reconstructs the organizational structure and personnel of administrations in seven Transbaikal cities: Chita, Verkhneudinsk, Barguzinsk, Nerchinsk, Aksha, Selenginsk, and Troitskosavsk. A comparative analysis of data over four years has revealed a stable model of governance, including the city mayor, members of the ad-ministrative board (including the deputy mayor and the head of municipal affairs), and the secretary. Special attention is given to the social status of the leaders, among whom merchants and urban commoners predominated, reflecting the estate-neutral electoral system established by the liberal Municipal Statute of 1870. The study demonstrates that the Memorandum Books, as a product of official statis-tics, not only recorded personnel appointments but also reflected the practical func-tioning of municipal governance under the specific conditions of Russia’s eastern frontier. The article contributes to the study of urban administration in Siberia by highlighting regional features of the implementation of all-Russian legislation and providing valuable material for further research in historical urban studies and social history.