Payrolls as a Source for the Reconstruction of Ship Biographies on the Example of the Sarapul Operating Office 1954–1962

Abstract

Introduction. Payrolls are one of the valuable historical sources, which, unfortunately, has limited access due to the law on the protection of personal data. Since they are the most popular source for confirming the length of service and income of citizens, often the funds of organizations can consist of only one payroll. In this regard, the development of processing procedures to identify the implicit information contained in them is relevant. Methods and materials. The work is devoted to a methodical generalization of the authors’ experience in working with payrolls for the period 1954–1962 of the Udmurt administration of small rivers for the reconstruction of the biographies of the ships available there. Analysis and results. The greatest efficiency was demonstrated by the joint analysis of payrolls with orders for personnel. At the first stage, it is advisable to present the payroll data in tabular form. After that, the table is decomposed and a search is made for possible duplicates and combinations of ships. As a result of the work, it is shown that payrolls are a valuable source, not only as a basis for subsequent statistical processing but also as a narrative source of information. On the example of payrolls at the Sarapul operational office in 1954–1962, the operational information of the fleet available there was reconstructed. It is concluded that they are a more timely and objective source than, for example, statistical reports; therefore, in cases of disagreement, preference should be given to payroll statements. Author’s contribution. N.W. Mitiukov made an analytical summary of the submitted documents. N.V. Toshchevikova carried out an archival search, selection of documents, and editing of the manuscript.