Obituaries as a Prosopography Source (on Documents of Manuscript Collection of Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv)

The aim of the work is to determine the potential of obituaries (notifications about death in a form of posters-announcements or letters) as a prosopography source. Also to expand and clarify a collective portrait of a Rydel family thanks to the analysis of the obituary of Balbina Rydel from the «Obituaries collection of the 19th–20th centuries» (F. 351) of the Manuscript Department of Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv. The methodology of the research is based on the principles of historicism and objectivity as well as relies on the theoretical and methodological achievements of prosopography, which, in particular, are taken into account while identifying obituaries of those persons, who can be grouped according to common criteria. The scientific novelty consists in the introduction of obituaries into the field of view of prosopography, the establishment of their value for this discipline and the creation of a fuller and more reliable collective portrait of a Rydel family on the basis of the obituary of B. Rydel and metrical sources and while considering a wider historical context (the Galician rebellion of 1846). Prospects for further studies. The collection contains a group of obituaries of inhabitants of Lviv, who died in 1856. These documents allow to conduct research on each of their lives and to create their collective portrait. In addition, obituaries are a valuable source for the study of biographies of famous families, in particular, the reconstruction of collective portraits of aristocracy members, who inhabited various European cities (Warsaw, Vienna, Krakow, Lviv, Paris and other), as well as social status and professional groups. Conclusions. Obituaries expand our knowledge about a particular person and entire groups of people, facilitate a deeper and more comprehensive study of their biographies. The example of the reconstruction of the Rydel family past illustrates the value of these documents for the scholarship in the area of family history. So, the analysis of obituaries indicates their significant potential for prosopography – particularly for research on family and professional history, history of everyday life, aristocratic family lines – and, consequently, perspectives, which these documents open for specialists in those branches of research.