The descriptive and statistical editions of statistical institutions of Tavricheskoe and Ekaterinoslavskoe zemstvo are characterized in the article as a source of stadying ethnic and social groups in the North Priasovje. Each zemstvo edition has the following information blocks with regard to ethnic and social groups: a name of private landowning, an estate or community; a location of landowning, a number of landowners; a name of community; main ethnic or social characteristics.

Key words: descriptive-statistic sources, zemstva, edition, landownership, assessment, povit