Dear Reader

THE ANNALS OF THE FAMILY
Diary of Ivan Goulevitch
B. 5 Jan 1901, Roudnia, Bellorussia
D. 1980. France

The following diary of IVAN GOULEVITCH was provided to us by Rebekah Goulevitch a resident of Brisbane, Australia. Rebekah received it from relatives in France in about 1992, probably Serge and Nicole Churassy - (S)Chkouropat/dski/y in earlier times.

In preparing this digital copy from the paper copy supplied to us by Rebekah, we have avoided making any changes other than simple spelling errors. Even then some spelling errors have not been changed as they add to the character of the grammar and the record itself. This present digital edition appears to be at least the second transcription of the original diary of IVAN – question marks and inserts in the text suggest that the original translator was unsure of some of the meanings in the original diary.

The title page was missing from the copy supplied to us. We have applied the title on page 1 on the basis of IVAN’S comment on page 15 (Chapter III) – “… this diary that I have called “The annals of the family.”

We would like to trace the diary to its rightful inheritor and invite that person to communicate with us. We are part of a Goulevitch chain (“Basil’s – Vasilliivanovitch - chain” – my grandfather Basil b. 1897 Poland, married to Josephine Katsuba, b. 1899 “7 verst from Kiev” Ukraine). Basil and Josephine arrived in Australia in 1925 with Basil’s cousin Paul Goulevitch (b. ?1901, m. Agsna Schkouropatski, b. ?) and a Schemlovski family after escaping from Siberia in 1918 (ie. well before the 1922 migration describe by IVAN) and after spending much of the intervening period in Shangai, possibly as refugees.

We have built a tentative family chain from IVAN’s diary but we cannot definitely tie Basil’s chain to the chain of IVAN, though Katsuba may be a connection. According to the diary, IVAN’S sister Marie married Stephan Katsuba who may have been Josephine’s brother. Josephine was the youngest of 15 children of whom only 5 survived. Basil was the youngest of 17 children – number survived unknown.

We communicate with two other Goulevitch chains in Australia - “Paul’s chain” (b. ?1901, m. Agsna Schkouropatsky), and “Martin’s chain” (son Adam, b. 1901, Roudnia, m. Ursula Schkouropatsky, b. 1901, sister of Marie who married Adam’s brother Basil); and two Goulevitch chains in France - “Francois’ chain” (b. ?, m. Anna Chkouropadsky, b. 1886, Roudnia); and “Pierre’s chain” (b. 1881, Roudnia, m. Maria Liepsky, b. 1883 Krackowiec Ukraine).

We can possibly tie some of these chains together (through three Schkouropatsky sisters – daughters of Theodore S/Chkouropatski and Agnes (or Agsna/Jagna) Goulevitch. But we cannot tie them with any certainty to either IVAN’s chain (IVAN’S mother Praxeda Schkouropatski had no brothers or sisters but could be Theodore’s cousin) or Basil’s chain.

We would like to discover the connections, especially direct Goulevitch connections, if possible!

If you can assist, if you would like to see copies of the chains so far established, or if you can provide new chains please contact me as follows:-

The following photos are from Anatolij Marinchak of Vladivostok,
Russia via John Goulevitch in Darwin, Australia.

Anatolij's ancestors were from the small village of Serebrianka near city Swobodnyj in the Amur area. His grand-grandfather
Goulevitch Semen arrived in Serebrianka from village Rudnia in Mogilyov of Byelorussia in the beginning of the 20 century.
His grandmother was Marinchak (Goulevitch) Juli Semenovna. Also he knows of a Skouropadskaya and has received a photo from Agneshi Konstantinovny in France who he has now lost contact with.

	River Serebrianka in the village of Serebrianka
	The main street of the village of Serebrianka
	Alexander Goulevitch in Serebrianka
	The road into the village of Rogachevka
	The ancient family home of Voronovyh in the village of Rogachevka
	The main street of the village of Rogachevka
	The house of rest in Rogachevka, previously a Catholic Church
	The main street of the village of Rogachevka
	The grave of Pavla Nikolaevicha Goulevitch in a Cemetery in the village of Rogachevka
	The grave of Alexandra Katuba (Katsuba) in a cemetery in the village of Rogachevka. He was born in 1916 and died in 1994. Photo 3 August 2004.
	The grave of Goulevitch Ujzela Vasil'evna in a cemetery in the village of Rogachevka. Was born in 1903? Died in 1978.
	The grave of Kacuba (Katcuba) Aleksandra Evmenovny in a cemetery in the village of Rogachevka. Born 18 December 1918. Died 13 June 2003.
	Goulevitch's who lost their lives in WW2 are circled in green. This is a monument to the defence counsels of a native land in the city of Svobodnyj. Goulevitch A.A. Goulevitch A.I. Goulevitch B.O. Goulevitch B.P. Goulevitch I.A. Goulevitch K.I. Goulevitch P.A. Goulevitch C.C. Goulevitch E.L.

All my ancestors – as well as myself – are natives from Poland. We have kept our catholic religion forever. Our most distant ancestors remained in the Voline region. According to the narration that have remained in the family, the three Goulevitch brothers met again one day in the Mogalev region and they build a house at the fringe of the forest, close to a large spring. They saw there a layer of iron ore, which would enable them to develop trades of fabrication of this metal.

Later on, the place became a big village, where they stayed and it was called Roudnei, “Roudia”. Nobody knows how many years it took to this village to grow. How many centuries have they lived in the town of Roudnei? We know only one thing: the majority of the inhabitants of that town have for name Goulevitch.

The land where they lived was owned by a grand landowner. To live there our ancestors paid a tax, that is: all the family worked 3 days a week for the owner. Their life was not easy. My ancestors were not farmers, they worked the iron, that enabled them to have a place of residence and the local authorities let them live peacefully, which for that epoch in Russia, was a privilege of some craftsmen. For the same reason these families were free, independants in relation to the owner, who was a count (G.B. earl).

These rights of our family had been registered and the documents were in the count’s possession. When the count died, the countess became widow she transferred these to the administrative service of Mogalev's government.

After her death, having no children, this big property passed on to the hands of distant relatives, only for the reason that it would not come across the hands of farmers or the public treasury. It’s in these circumstances that the new count took possession of the property and the fate of my ancestors. To avoid the serfdom, the families struggled to retrieve the documents, which should have been in the administrative service of the governement, in Mogelev, but apparently they had disappeared.

Thus my ancestors families become the property of the young aristocrat. Its was slavery, a real slavery that these families experienced. For example, they choose among the women good nurses for the children of the “master”. The didn’t hesitate to flog people at the fields. Thus it went on until the end of slavery.

I can’t give more precisions about these peoples life, since there is very little witnesses. After farmers liberation my ancestors received a few plots of land which were distributed by family and by man.

Nobody knows how long time life went on thus in that town called Roudia. When the families of these three brothers became a real village, they started to lack accommodation. The foundries had ceased to be profitable and on top of that, the quality of the cast iron had dropped because the secret of its production decreased by each generation. The soil became sterile and sandy. Life was more and more hard and miserable.

Happily, they knew a man who hold a important position by the count. He listened to them and advised that they write to the government asking to replace this sterile land by an other. They followed his advice. Two government representatives came, did an investigation and left. The governement passed an agreement, a convention, with the landowner for replacement of these fields. An agricultural engineer came to Roudia and proposed them to choose new fields where they wished. Finally they settled their choice on a very pretty valley, crossed by small springs and having as frontiers a beautiful river: Bessedia. This engineer, being a generous and good man, and wanting to please them, offered them even large areas of land since he knew that the owner was not short of it.

But our men were scared, since they could have found themselves in prison, it they claimed to occupy much more land than what they had before.

The engineer laughed at their foolishness and their candour and registered them much less fields than they could have had. In spite of that, the surface of this land was three times larger than what they had previously.

In Autumn 1879, the old Roudia burned down, except one house. Thus all the wheat and everything they had disappeared. It was easy to move out. But while waiting to get through the winter, they dug holes into ground and settled down, in the new village of Roudia. Thus the foundation of the new village date from autumn 1879. On the land of the old village, a forest was planted that belonged henceforth to the count. Thus the traces of our ancestor’s life disappeared.

The new village was just over 6.5 km from the old one. I think, that even now, it is possible to find the locality of the old village, thanks to ruins of houses and traces of foundries. I think that also a broken carcass of a crane of 25 pouds (1 poud = 16kg) that was set into motion by the lake water, can be found. All these remains enables to find again the cemeteries where our ancestors are burieds.

My grand-father as well as my father told me that the first years of life on this new land, were marvellous and even rich. They were never fearful of work and twenty years passed thus by. The inhabitants of the village tripled and the soil that was sandy in the beginning, became sterile again, and they knew misery once more, hard life and lack of accomodation.

Nothing grew without manure, they strained themselves for nothing. There was no machines in the village all was made manually. The women share was also hard: they had to saw linseed, make fabric thereof and then sew. They didn’t buy any clothes, everything was home made. Obviously all day went by working hard. The work was not interesting, it didn’t bring any money in. It deprived them of freedom and did them feel that they were slaves of their own life. I will talk more about my parents life later on.

I would have loved to describe my parents life as being joyous and filled with much splendour. Unhappily, it was quite different. My father Ivan, was only 6 months old when his parents died. (His fathers, and my grand-father was called Matwei). He had three brothers and their father, that is my great grand-father, departed to military service, which at that time lasted 25 years. He never came back. Who departed to military service? The government sent an inquiry to find out, among the farmers a number of recruits. The master transmitted the number of recruits to the township and they designated those who had to leave the village for the military service. Obviously, such a long service could not be easily accepted by young men. They knew that one did rarely come back to his native village. Most died far off from home, of pain or in battle.

The township choose those with small families usually, it is to say, those who had the least of votes. Some young men, knowing they were at risk of being chosen, took to flight and preferred to hide themselves in forest, all the rest of their life. There was a number of these wanderers who lived in “deserts” like animals, always looking for food and clothes. They became also dangerous carrying out rapes and plunder. Some were caught, put in irons and sent to their place of service. He who went to the military service lost his land at the same time.

My great grand-father having departed to military service, his three (?4, JG) children found themselves without land and lived in deep poverty. They worked as day-labourers for farmers, but not one had any compassion for these miserables. Nobody wanted to receive or feed them in their homes. Such were the conditions of their life. To escape thereof Matvei set up house with a widow who had four children and lived in the next village. This widow was practising the orthodox religion, so Matvei changed religion. This widow was very rich. People narrate – and it has become a legend in our family – that her husband had taken advantage of the money of a treasure found by his grand-father. It happen 50 years ago. That grand-father was the poorest among the poor. He was a shepherd. During many years he was taking care of a flock. One day, he had lead his flock close to a road where he found a purse of leather full of golden coins. In the past they used to transport money in calf- or goat skins. These coins belonged to public treasury had to be sent by road that went through three governments. The civil servants – had they drunk too much or did they lack vigilance – didn’t notice that their calfskin purse had fallen from the cart. The state services sent public notices to all villages with a reward promise – and even a medal – for those who found that money. The old shepherd didn’t say anything: his best reward were the golden coins …. Had he been honest, the reward had been enough to allow him to live comfortably the rest of his life, even if he wasn’t very old yet (around fifty), but greediness prevented him from making himself known.

Having all that money at his disposal, he could not spend it because his family’s poverty was such that it would have given rise to suspicion immediately. During two more years he remained shepherd. He had no children, but he had as apprentice the future husband of that widow. He took well care of his child’s education, giving him instructions as to how he could take advantage of that money. After those two years went by, this old man gave up his shepherding work and started to buy hemp and to resale it in the neighbouring towns. A few years later he had earned up a good captial. He bought also horses and became propriater to fifty horses, which he used to transport linen and sand with, to resale them in Moscou, where he settled his business. The young man knew well that he would inherit this business. One day, while coming back from Moscou after a good sale, he told to grand-father, that he had been stolen of all the money. The grand-father understood that it was a lie and started to scold him, but he swore that it was true. May be because of that lie – or may be it was his fate – he died soon after, leaving a wife and four children.

The stolen money he left could not be kept at home, so she entrusted it to a relative. She was illiterate and unaware of the amount thus entrusted. She thought that each note wasn’t worth more than a ruble … and that relative, ‘conscientious’ returned her as many rubles as she had entrusted him banknotes, according to her requirement. The difference was enormous: one ruble for a note of a hundred! In a few years she spent all that money and since the children were small, she decided to remarry before getting to real misery. She accepted therefore my grand-father to her house.

Matvei was a intelligent man, endowed with business. Although young, the hard fate taught him the value of money. After the marriage, he settled down to work and everything he undertook, succeeded, so that in a few years his farm grew bigger and he became to richest farmer of the village. He lived twenty years with this widow, but they had no children. He married off his step-children, build to each a good house. When two of them became parents, their mother became sick and died. Matvei was 45 when he became a widower, and feeling lonely, he decided to remarry, which he did with a young girl of 18 years of age, Maria, from Roudia village. She was also from the Goulevitch family. She married Matvei according to her father’s will, because her parents were very poor and Matvei had helped them very much during many years. For that reason her father felt compelled to give him his daughter. Matvei and Maria lived peacefully, but since he was very rich, very coveted, he knew many business men, who visited him and with whom he feasted with them, which was very unpleasant to the young woman. He lived 2 years with Maria and died, leaving a son of 6 months, Ivan, my father.

My father was born the 6^th January 1873 in the village of Kobvka, government of Mogalev. He father left neither Will nor other dispositions concerning his fortune. Being a vigorous man and in good health, he had never thought about death. He was sick only 1 week and 3 days. Before dying he lost his faculty of speech. Apparently he wanted to say something but it was too late. Matvei had a friend in his village, who was also distant relative. Together they were leasing land from the count and they had even a small business in common. This relative kept Matvei’s money in his home, because Matvei didn’t trust one of his son-in-law. Matvei esteeming to this relative for a honest man, thought that he would return the money to his son when he would come of age, since the mother beig still young could remarry.

The day Matvei died, this relative arrived to the house of the deceased asking for the papers that were in a wooden chest, under the pretext of their common business. Maria, who was an illiterate woman gave him all the papers and nobody ever knew what they contained.

After Matvei’s death life continued on like normally. The step-son’s knowing that their step-father had considerable amounts of money invested in all kinds of businesses, claimed the sharing of that money. Maria tried to explain that she knew nothing about any money, which was true for sure. She told them what happened with the papers she handed over to Matvei’s realative. The step-sons went to see him asking for the money and papers, but obtained nothing. This realative paid a high price for his lies: soon after, he died, no-one knew how.

Had not my grand-father died so early, our destiny would have been quite different. When my grand-mother with her baby, remained among strangers, her life became very hard and sad. She decided to return to Roudia. After the sharing with the step-sons of what was left, Maria was left with a house and horse. She didn’t remain long time widow, soon after she remarried with Ivan also a Goulevitch. Her new husband Ivan, was orphan and had known a great and misery during his childhood. He returned to his village after millary service for which he departed for 25 years (but thanks to a decree of the Tsar, it was reduced to seven and half years) in Petrograd. Maria had 5 more sons but one died while Frants, Piotre, Basile and Adam survived, as well as their sister Anna.

My father was a very endowed and religious child. He was skillful with his hands. Unfortunately he remained illiterated, since his step-father was not able to manage the affairs of the family. When he came to age he decided to live his life seperately and became a cabinet-maker and stone-cutter. When he was 21 years, he departed for one month and a half to millitary service. When he was 24, he married Praxeda Schkouropatskaia. My mother, Praxeda, had no siblings: her mother was called Victoria. This Victoria was married with a man who departed to millitary service for 25 years, she received only one letter from her husband and as life was hard for single woman, she decided to remarry with another man.

They lived together two years when it was rumoured in the village, that her I husband was returning home. Being scared of annoyance, she decided to quit her second husband and wait for the first one. With her second husband husband she had a daughter, Praxeda. Having suffered very much, she decided not to remarry a third time. She lived in Roudia with her small daughter earning her daily bread with difficulty. She followed us to Serebrianka, on Amour, where she died during the winter 1907.

When life in Roudia became impossible, because of the bad condition of the soil, all young ones left for America whereas our family decided to go to Siberia, towards Amour stream.

My father was chosen as scout to go to Siberia, with my grand-father, to select the land they would buy. The first migrants, on Amour, lived there since thirty years. Large territories were uninhabited and availables.

Obviously those who arrived first selected the most beautiful plots of land, especially the Cosaques. Those eight scouts, representing Roudia village and 25 families, arrived to Blagovechensk, where the leadership of the Amour region was situated. They received a list of available land and the prices. My father with his comrades, went along the river Toma, in search of suitable land, during 2 weeks. But nothing pleased them. Sometimes the fields were too low in relation to the river, sometimes there was no forest. Finally , he fixed his choice upon a territory, Petrovsky. However before going back to Blagovechensk to sign the deed, they went to see a relative who had left Roudia five years earlier and was now living in Rogatchev. They took advantage of this occasion to look for other territories and they found one that pleased them more than Petrovsky.

They sign the deeds in Blagovechensk, at the department of migration. They sent immediately a telegram to Roudia to tell them their new address. Thus was founded the Serebrianka village in September 1903. They cleaned up the land and build some very simples isblas (wooden house), just tolive in through winter. To arrive there, they took the trans-Siberian train through Mandchourie. On the other hand, the railway didn’t exist yet in Amour rigion, therefore they had to travel by boat back to Blagovechensk.

Migrants paid only a third of the trip, the public treasury paid the rest. Otherwise they were given a allowance of two to four hundreds rubles by family to enable them to build a house and buy some livestock. The money had to be paid back once they were well settled down, but finally this degree (?decree, JG) was granted amnesty.

Once they moved to Amour region, they build the village that we called Serebrianka. In the beginning, as they had no livestock, neither money, they were obliged to look for work in the surrounding villages, all the adults did so. Thus they worked two years to other people, until they could buld a good gouse and buy a cow. Life in ‘taiga’ was very different from that in Roudia. In the morning they heard wild animals close to their houses. Those who were not lazy and had time could feed themselves exclusively from gifts from the Taiga. North of Serebrianka, expanded virgin forests where wild boars, bears and wolves lived. The migration department gave a gun and hundred cartridges to each family, because the game was so abundant.

Nevertheless it was not possible to subsist on hunting only, they had to work hard to survive in those hard circumstances. One way to make a living was to pick pine cones which they turned into resin and transported on raft to Blagovechensk for sale. It’s price was very high: 1 ruble per poud and even more.

Later on when these families became better off, they bought livestock and cultivated fields. Cottage industry thus disappeared because of lack of time.

The soil was virgin and the climate favourable for good harvests. The cold dew in the morning was so abundant that it was impossible to walk, so humid was the grass. The quality of the grass was excellent. A few small lakes had very good water. With time, when the population became larger, domestic animals became too many, the climate and living conditions changed, there was no more dew, the lakes dried up and the riverbanks were turned into mud and swamps (frogs kingdom) because of cattle. The good grass that used to grow so abundantly in the fields, with strawberries, mulberries, hazelnuts, disappeared. The harvests decreased every year, even though the quality of the soil was good. All these changes took place only 20 years after the settlement in Siberia.

In the beginning, my parents lived with my grand-father, in the same house. Two years after they moved to a “isba” build by my father. In two more years my father had saved enough money to buy a mare, next a horse, and later on a cow. The mare was excellent and gave many foals, which he sold even to their neighbours.

To improve our livelihood and to create better conditions for his family my father worked very hard, since I was still too small to help him. He had a excellent health, which none of his children inherited, but which he exhausted for his chldren and for the farm. Thanks to his dexterity and to his health, he succeeded to have a prosperous farm in a short time.

In the morning, my father worked in the fields or in the forest, and in the evening at home, he made barrels fore resin. And every passing year the life of our family was easier and richer.

I didn’t experience the azure blue carelessness and my suffering was without limits.

I am born the 5^th January 1901 in the village of Roudia, in Mogalev region. I lived there only 2 years, with my parents and my elder sister, Maria, after that, as I said before, we moved to Siberia. My childhood was very sad. At the dawn of my young years, I received fate’s blows that deprived me of health and they prevented me of coming across with beauty. All htat I suffered during the first 15 years of my existence, make me suffer still now, without talking about some small accidents and some adventures: 4 times I faced death, it smiled to me. The first time, it was an accident in the field, when I was injured by a harvester: while I was working with my uncle Frants on the machine. The horses got panicky and run away. I was hurled down underneath the machine, which lacerated my back, and it was a miracle that my kidneys were not injured. Happily it was a very fresh day and I wore a coat and that saved me.

Two years later, at 10, while playing with other youngsters during a feast, I drunk much vodka that almost burned my stomach. An other day again, wanting to show my courage, I fell down from a swing and lost consciousness. It was only many hours later that I regained it. And finally, I received a fullet on the face that shattered my left jaw and disfigured me at the age of 14.

When I was 8, I begun to go to school in our village and only 6 months later knew the alphabet. At the end of three years of school, I obtained the certificate from the primary school. I could not carry on studying because of material and moral obstacles. Until the age of fourteen, I was a playful child, agreeable and optimistic of character, although my encounters with the death.

Those 3 first blows of fate, even though dangerous to my health, were soon forgotten, but the last one striked me as a lightning, leaving trace of misfortune until the end of my life. How many times didn’t I sob, alone without witnesses, feeling an intense pain in my soul.

It seemed to me that a happy life was not for me, and it was may be better to quit this world. But the strong hand of the Lord diverted me of such thoughts and directed me toward a happier life. Thanks to these new and happier thoughts, I was able to overcome all the obstacles encountered during my adolescence. I understood that we have to live and hope, whatever the difficulties.

When the first joyful days arrived, when the nature woke up after a cold and hostile winter, when birch leaves appeared, flowers flourished and various birds came back from far-off countries, I experienced a great joy. I was delighted while contemplating this awakening nature and proud because I was ploughing alone with three horses, for the first time in my life, like an adulte.

And that some day, dressed in a white shirt with small stars and black trousers, a hat on my head, I experienced a joy and pride quite new, but the last rays of the sunset, that marked the end of this joyful day, brought me the most terrible blow, when I returned home.

These verses were composed the dramatic day, when the merciless destiny pushed me to meet the man who, when shooting at me, nearly killed me in the prime of life, like a flower cut by a sickle. That fatal shot was perhaps the last one, but I never recovered. My destiny was not to die on a battlefield, but it deprived me of the most important thing: the health. Thus, until the age of 15, I went through the blows of the destiny that took me even into blood and suffering, but from that age onward my life became quieter.

From my childhood I have worked hard life accustomed me to love it. At 16, I was an adult already. Without being concerned about my health, I worked from the morning to late evening. I did not reject any work and no task seemed to me to be neither repugnant nor too difficult. From 15 years onward, I was a full member of the family. (or complete member)

Around 1915, we were a wealthy family. Two beautiful houses, a nice garden a splendid view, eight good horses and a dozen of cows. Around 1912, our second house was built. The same year, an appointment of a nurse into our village in Serebrianka, was authorized by the hospital of the town.

The nurse Kovalev moved to Serebrianka and he rented our house to serve as hospital and his living quarters. He paid us 15 roubles a month for the house. That nurse settled in, in November 1912. In 1913, we enlarged our house where the hospital used to be and in 1915 we transformed our old houise and added an “isba” in the yard and we moved out.

Thus all the new buildings were given to the hospital, which had now one room for two patients and the nurse’s unit. He rented also from us premises for livestock and equipment of the hospital. We earned now 40 roubles of rent, a month, what was a substantial amount for that epoch.

In 1916, my father was conscript since the first world war was around the corner. He was 42. In the beginning he served in Blagovechensk and then in the middle of the winter, he was transferred to Irkoutsk. I was only 15 and with my elder sister Maria, I was obliged to play the rold of the father in the family.

The war broke out at the end of July 1914. The first mobilized soldiers were summoned up in September 1914. Our horses were taken in November, the same year. Thus we lost two horses that were worth 175 roubles each. A that moment, all the men quit their families, their houses. In our village, not one able-bodied man was left, only old people and children.

The conscription involved the most part of the males and the women, children, the mothers knew that those who went to fight would certainly be killed. Numerous were those who fell asleep for eternity on the battlefields, leaving behind their widows and orphans.

But because of proud men who had never suffered during their lifetime, like you.

You didn’t fight enemy, but your brothers who, alike you, were leading a life of labor to feed their families

In February 1917 the Revolution broke out. The shameful fight came to an end and in 1918 the military events eased. Those who left their homes for the army and survived began to come back home little by little to set to peaceful and honest work again. The young appeared in the villages and those who came back had their eyes full of joy in sight of their native country, of their parents and friends. We were marked by this year 1918, after 4 years of confused and sad events. But an other misfortune appeared in the horizon: the revolutionary flame started to set the country on fire, the fratricide war between 2 colours, the white and the black, begun. I recall these two dark and nightmarish years that appeared like two shades in the night.

The tortures, screams of suffering, the yells of people being put to death still ring in my ears. I would never be able to describe the horrors our people went through those years. It will be said, in the history books, by future generations. At that moment, there will be, perhaps, some honest and upright people, who will not be marked by egoism and hatred toward on these parties, as is the case now. Only then one will be able, to describe fearlessly and make known all the bestiality of events, the terror and blood poured out, not being scared for all said truth.

During these days of tempest, when fires were burning, died, like a martyr, my dear uncle Frants Invanovitch.

In March 1918, he was arrested during the requisition of the revolutionary and Bolshevik government. His innocent blood was poured out. Nobody among us knows where his corpse was put, there is neither tomb nor cross. He was killed by the Bolsheviks at 30 km from Serebrianka and his corpse was thrown down into a ravine (gully). He was the second brother after my father. He was very joyful and warmhearted. He waged war against Japan at Port-Arthur. He was wounded twice in the leg, but died on another battle-field, without glory, leaving five orphans, and his corpse was never buried. Goodbye my dear uncle, you who drunk your own frozen blood, covered of wounds, sleep in peace.

All these events concerning the revolution, from 1917 until 1920 will be described in an other diary separately. I want to relate what the situation was around us, what we say, what we knew during those terrible events.

You sleep without glory, alone, not thinking anymore about the world and your family.

Then in 1920, an event that took place at Serebrianka, has to be told. It was the murder of a villager of 27 years, Stepan and his sister Maria of 14 years. Stepan made his military service, that is three and half years. Having done two years in the army, he was called to the front in 1914. We thought he had been killed in 1915, but actually he was only wounded and was found, without regaining consciousness, by Germans. Only in April 1919, that prisoner got back home. He lived one happy year within his family, but that happiness was of short duration, because in 1920, the Easter eve, he left with his sister to bring wheat to the city, when they were attacked by bandits, who made them leave the road and, at 50 meters from there, killed them. You can imagine the grief of the family when they found those two corpses riddled with bullets, on the road-side.

Then, life resumed and was calm and peaceful all the remaining year. Our family was living an easy and comfortable life, it was like a bunch of roses in July after rain. This year was period of my life that remains in my memory as one of the best. I begun to be an adult. We made everything ourselves and without difficulties. We did not make anything apart from agricultural work and life was pleasant and agreeable. We had all: bread, livestock, poultry. We were not lacking anything. We were dwelling in the large beautiful house that had been occupied by the nurse formerly. It was an agreeable and comfortable house. I had my own room, furnished with a bed, a table, always flowers and a door leading to an other room. It was a happy epoch, when the revolution storm was over.

The Whites and Japanese left, the power was taken by Bolsheviks and a period of calm settled in as well in life as in work.

People begun to breathe with relief. Alas! It didn’t last long. One year after, in this calm and joyful epoch, I decided to get rid of my iberty and get married with a young woman. I was married at 21 with Agatha Theodorovna Roubanchenko. The marriage took place the 15^th May, but we celebrated it only the 12^th June 1921. At the same time my sister Julie was married with Ossipe Stepanovitch (son of Stephan Goulevitch, JG). Agatha’s parents are still alive, she has got six brothers and 2 sisters. She belonged to an orthodoxe family, but changed her religion, as the interests of our family claimed and the law of the Lord.

The fatal destiny brought us together in nine months by close bond of friendship, made us friends and tied us up for life eternal. She was born in Domontoro village of Poltava government.

As I said already that our house was rented out formerly to serve as a infirmary. After the coup d’etat of February, Kovalev was removed from his post for his bad character and moved out. The village remained without nurse. The representatives of power arrivent and took away all the medicines and drugs they found.

In April 1920, a new nurse was nominated, his name was Kondrate Roubanchenko and he again rented our house. They were only three in the family: his wife, himself and a child. He was the elder brother of my wife Agatha. In August 1920, Gania (abbreviation for Agatha) arrived to Serebrianka with the wife of her brother Kondrate and helped her to move in. She stayed a few days be her brother and she became acquainted with the very likable young people of our village, especially with my sister Julie. They became very close friends. She enjoyed so much her sojoun that she remained longer than anticipated and her brother, seeing budding friendship between her and myself, didn’t want to go against her.

Seeing that he was among good and friendly people, Agatha’s brother wished that his sister would marry me. And I, like an ant passing through grassblades and leaves to attain it’s target, I followed my plan to reach her heart. Several times I prayed God asking for is approval.

I was surrounded by good and generous people, who wished me well and happiness. I felt that I was unworthy of what these people wished for me. When my future marriage begun to be known, my own parents were not entirely satisfied about my decision, but seeing my determination, they accepted and it was me who was right. My good character, my honesty, my respect for my wife, do not allow me to describe anything negativ in this life, to give a pretext to all suspicion. I was very happy, very satisfied of my lot, very much loved by her. We were never independants, to the contrary, we were always boung up for life eternal.

My wife was very authoritarian, had a strong willpower, more than I, although she was woman. After some reisitance of short duration, it’s me who took over.

In 1921, life went on calm and peaceful like a ship on a waveless sea. In 1921, I left for the military service to the city of Svobodni, but was recognized inept thanks to some friends who knew me and belonged to the military commission. But that fatal destiny caught us up all the same, in the beginning of 1922. Circumstances, irrelevants to our will, forced us to take the road and to travel in an unknown world.

Who could have said and foreseen that one month later we would leave this lovely country and everything that was dear and agreeable: the closest relatives, friends, fields, valleys, forests, and our dear village of Serebrianka where the detiny led us twenty years ago.

Who could have said that, by these hard times, we could reach countries far away? And like leaves, lifted up by autumn winds that blow them far away from branches, we would be led on roads that were known only by the Lord

We were faced with these roads that would lead us toward life’s new events and these have enriched this diary that I have called “The annals of the family”. Many changes were waiting us and I will talk about them on the pages of this chronicle, if it is God’s will.

My soul suffer, my thoughts take flight toward the mysterous distance going beyond earth’s horizon; I am dreaming and what will happen after? Who can tell: it is here that my life will come to an end for ever? Or is it possible to say? We can make projects … but it is the Lord who decides. In this pervert world, life is too short to build solid foundations for a life that is but a lightning … It will come, that grand last day after which there is only eternal rest underneath a tomb-stone.

Shaken by two years of revolution arrived the terrible year 1921, year of famine, because the crops were very insufficient. We ate old reserves. Or they were simply destroyed, plundered and we became familiar with the crises. It was an year where assasinations, bandits were daily events.

I am going to tell you one of these assasinations, it took place in 1922. It concerns Louka Grichhetchkov, who was leaving the mill after having brought some wheat, since his own ran out. He was surprised by bandits who grabbed him, took him to the roadside and shot him dead with a rifle, as well as his two horses. They sawed a tree and pushed on the horses that were crushed. When some hundred persons decided to look for his corpse, they followed the road, in fan formation, and they recovered the place of assasination, they were horrified by what they saw. He was covered by snow that the mildness of spring melted uncovering his face. The horses were a little bit further, crushed by the tree. One had been killed on the spot, the other had received a bullet.

By chance, my father and my uncle Piotre did not become victims of these bandits, whereas Louka was alone, and such was his destiny.

By these terrifying times, most atrocious rumors circulated on what was going on in the region and all those who did not even think about leaving, decided suddenly without knowing where to go…

A few had forseen the departure since some time, which allowed them tosell their livestock, but our family in one week and half, squandered all that had been created thanks to toilsome labor. All that was dear to us, all what we loved, all that we had built, working day and night, in the hope of having a better life and to secure children’s future, was lost in a short time. We sold good horses for 50 roubles, cows for 25 roubles, prices that were incredible low. There was only wheat flour that was very dear, and reached 5 roubles a “poud”.

Thus our dream was ruined. Such was God’s will and our destiny. My father decided suddenly this departure and gathered together all the family. I had no desire to depart and separated myself of all that was dear with more difficulty than my father. I was especially afraid of the road that was awaiting us. It was hard to say goodbye to all I saw, to all I was surrounded by. The rapidity of this dicision annoyed me, since I could not get accustomed to that idea. Before the departure, my wife and I decided to see her parents who were living 80 km from our village. In those war years, the railway was almost destroyed. There was no wagons for passengers, neither timetables for the passage of the train. We waited for a whole day any train that could have taken us.

The next day arrived a train transporting timber and one wagon was only half full. We were able to get on, with three other persons. The way back was as hazardous. We passed one day and half in the village since we were worried about the return. It was my first and last encounter with the family of my wife. In one day and half I made ample acquaintance with them, although I saw them for the first time. I liked them very much, especially her father by his fine presence, the luster in his eyes, the calm of his visage. These two old people, they were 60, were calm folk very healthy and they looked much younger than their age. They seemed to be very happy, it was understandable since they lived within a big family, made up of six handsome sons and three daughters, of whom, one was going to leave them forever. They accompanied us until the river Toma, saying calmly goodbye, without even suspecting what was awaiting us and that we would not see each others any more. But the mother wept and was very anxious … Her heart of mother predicted what we didn’t see. We saw her tears, they troubled us, but we forgot them rapidly. Finally the departure day arrived.

It was the last night that I deserted …

But the morning signified us that we must occupy of the luggage and take up the life of nomads,

Having sold all the poor leftovers of our farm, excepted the building and some utensils and agricultural tools that we hadn’t succeeded to sell and which are listed on following pages of my diary.

We made all the papers, it is to say; the passports and we took the road toward Blagovechensk that was the first stage toward Australia.

We left Serebrianka the 24^th May 1922 to meet the inhabitants of Rogatchev who were more numerous than us, but had the same problem. There was a two and half days journey by horse until Blagovechensk. On the way I was thinking about all the people of Serebrianka to whom we said goodbye in weeping. We left without any rancour, without feeling any spite toward them and I hoped it was the same for them. We had a tranquil conscience. I wished happiness and peace to all those who stayed in Serebrianka.

I cast a last glance at our building that seemed docile during that departure. I left the country where I had pasted my childhood, where I had experienced joys and woes. The crowd of friends and relatives accompanied us until the end of the village and it is there we did our last goodbyes. Goodbye my brothers and friends. The horses moved forward and two minutes later disappeared my dear village.

Two hours later we arrived to Rogatchev. The next day, it was the 25^th May and the Pentecost. All those were leaving got together in the church to have a last prayer, imploring God to give us his blessing. We had to stay three days in Rogatchev, delay provoked by a family, who also leaving. The 26^th May arrived a detachment of soldiers looking for arms. Actually this family was suspected to help bandits to plunder surrounding villages. Happily, all took place in peace, they didn’t find any arms and departed, without arresting anybody.

We breathed a sigh of relief. The soldiers saw well that we were not bandits, neither enemies of the authorities, but people who departed openly with authorizations in order. Finally, when everything was ready, the 28^th May, we harnessed the horses and left, all together 42 carts on the whole.

All who departed and those who stayed felt an anguish in the heart, not being able to imagine the future and the present being like a bad dream. It was a strange picture. The enormous crowd, coming from Serebrianka and Rogatchev, filled the streets of the village. The hubbub of talk, weeping, kissing and words of goodbye …

The first horses left pulling heavily loaded carts, filled with all that was necessary and the most precious. The horses departed slowly and the distance with the people who accompanied us increased, separating us from each others. What a day, memorable and sad! We were on the road all this long springday, and the evening, all the evening, all the convoy stopped for the night in the field, at 2 km from the village Natalino. We all had arms for the defence and a watch was formed to protect the camp. We resembled to a encampment of gypsies, in this beatiful, fresh springnight.

Everything was peachful, one could not hear anything but dreams threading between the tents.

In the morning we took the road again, after having drunk tea. The convoy advanced slowly, the anguish that still yesterday filled our hearts and pressured the chest, disappeared little by little. The sad picture, we saw yesterday, disappeared. A feeling a joy and od vivacity took over. All the past remained behind and appeared thoughts about what may await us, about what we aspire to. The next day, we stopped at 15 km from the town of Blagovechensk, in a large valley, with good water for us and especially for the horses.

The 30^th May, we arrived to Blagovechensk at 1 oclock p.m.. While approaching of Blagovechensk, we decided to divide us into two groups, and the first left half an hour earlier than the second group, so that we would not cause any panic in the town. Actually, the grand convoy of adults and children could frighten people in making them think about a danger that could threaten the inhabitants of the town. But we could not avoid it. When we appeared on the streets of Blagovechensk all the population was watching us, very much surprised because we formed such a big crowd of people. They threw themselves on us like flies, asking us questions: where are we coming from? why? where are we going? The crowd became bigger and bigger, frightened and dumbfounded. We answered that we were going toward the craftsmen village of Nicolaiev on Amour river. Some others didn’t answer any more, They were exhausted by all the questions. And that finished only when we passed the last house. We remained until the 9^th June at Blagovechensk.

It was here we passed the festival of the Trinity. Our delay was caused by the public holidays. It was here, in a small hotelroom, that my wife Agatha, gave birth to a little daughter, so much awaited, Genia. She was born the 7^th June 1922 at 10 o’clock. We baptised her the 18^th June, after breakfast. It is here that we felt the first joys of being father and mother.

We sold our two last horses at Blagovechensk. We were delivered our passports with the right to pass the frontier. We were afraid that at the last moment the authorisation for the departure overseas would not be given us. Actually, they had the right not to let go the young men, not having done their military service. Happily, young people were not many in this convoy and we all had done our duty toward our country.

After having got rid of everything that was left, in Blagovechensk, we were given authorisation to cross the border, thanks to our Chinese passports.

The 9^th June we rented a car that transported us into a port to cross the Amour. The customs, as well on the Russian side, as on the chinese side, were very severe. The passports were carefully examined, as well as our luggage. We put our luggage into a small patrol boat, that was crossing the river between the two banks. The distance was 1 km. from Blagovechensk and ten minutes later we gained the Chinese side.

Here, we got into a ship that should take us to Kharbin. The ticket was 6 roubles per person. All our money was in gold coins: I must mention that just about the moment of our departure, appeared gold coins on the market, that is; the ancient coins of Tsar Nicolas II. Bank notes of roubles, in that year 1921, had dropped so much that they had practically no value. Chinese money was also in circulation, the tajans.

The 9^th June 1922 was our last day passed in Blagovechensk. The years of war and especially revolution had transformed this city. As I said before we needed 3 days to attain this city from Serebrianka. As we went through villages and fields, we recalled that only 6 or 7 years ago, the same ground trembled underneath of livestock and motion of agricultural machines. Even inwinter, very beautiful horses were transporting wheat to towns, where it was sold to government or to enterprises. But now during the epoch of sowing, a silence mortal prevailed on these same fields. We didn’t see any plot of ground cultivated. No trace of livestock. Desert fields.

On the other side of the frontier, we were surprised by the normality of life and the flourishing business. The shops were full of merchandise and of products that had completely disappeared from the Russian side. Hi! the life exist well on this earth.

It is not unique, there is of all sorts; and something invisible, that is called “the frontier” divides this life to many pieces. All what was needed was to cross the Amour River, in 3 minutes, and in coming on the other riverside, appeared, like by a miracle, another life, another people, other merchandise, etc.

The 10^th June , at 1 oclock, the ship “To Vian” left the port, descended Amour and atteined Kharbin. Still two, three glances towards Blagovechensk side and then it disappeared. Three days of boat along the Russian ground, with it’s fields and villages.. Finally, the ship stopped in Soungara, at the Chinese side. A Russian ship came alongside to check the names of Russian passengers, The ships captian had all our papers. This ship was own by Russian merchants, whom the revolution obliged to make business with the Chinese.

The captain as well as two mechanics were Russians, but the crew was Chinese. The Rusian customs were to check our passports. When they left, the ship pulled up the anchor and sailed along the River Soungara towards east. It was here, we saw the last time the Russian frontier, the Russian banks and villages.

The River Soungara is full to the brim and inundates very often the shores that resemble to a sea of grass. But on elevated land some villages and even towns can be seen. These large uninhabited surfaces give shelter to Kounkhuz, who are bandits attacking ships sailing along Soungara and neighbouring villages as well.

Soungara is very rich with fish, but it’s water is so turbid that we cant see the difference with it’s inundated banks.

After a three dys journey we arrived, the 16^th June to the port of Kharbin. Here, in the port, stretched out the Chinese flotilla, to a very long distance, in other words every sort of barges and small boats that served as shops and which number appeared us as hallucinate. Our ship thread into a narrow channel, between sailing boats and came alongside the quay. A representative of every family decended and went to the city, looking for a flat. In such a short time it was difficult to find a flat to everybody and only five or six families succeeded to find an accomodation, at a fruitmarket, in a dirty shack. We paid ten cents each by night. The next day we found a better lodging.

Kharbin is a big city, relatively very streched out, divided to 2 parts: one is called “the ol town of fouti-Dian”, with its narrow streets, it’s houses exclusively with two stories, inhabited exclusively by Chinese. Another part, the new city, founded apparently by Russian migrants, along the railway line, with a beautiful and modern station and large streets.

Kharbin is a very commercial city, where life is very cheap for those who find work in it. Kharbin has monopoly for production of vodka. The best vodka costs 10 kopeks a bottle. Kharbin, as well as all Mandchourie, is marked by Russian migrants. Russian is very widespread, the addresses as well as street names are indicated in this tongue. Practicually, all Chinese speak Russian. What striked me in the first place, in Kharbin, were the rick-shaws.

List of Goulevitch among the 22 families (100 persons) who left Serebrianka:

Uncle Adam arrived to Kharbin in September 1921, one year and half before us. Some thirty families (130 persons) arrived from Rogatchev. The next day, after our arrival, as soon as were settled in our flats, we learned where to get rationings of dark bread, one kg and half by person, free of charge during one month. This aid for migrants and for those in need was assured thanks to charity organisations.

Once a week, we had the right for one ticket of public baths, which were in very good condition. We lived in Kharbin from the 16^th June until the 11^th July, without working because it is very difficult for a European to find work in Asia. But we did try all the same, as a stone mason. I worked three days and earned 12 kopeks, that represents a bottle of kwas and a pound of bread.

While living in Kharbin, we were pursuing our efforts in order to attain another country. We had never thought to remain in Asia, there was no reason to quit our country to replace it by this one. Here was no guarantee of a peaceable and calm life for a European. Those who remained here, had a sad destiny. The majority of those who arrived here, especially those who had still some means, had just one idea: to quit China for Australia.

It was difficult to obtain information in Kharbin, since there was no Consulate of England. As soon as the authorisation came to resume the trip to Shangai, where was found a Consulate of England, we understood that our dream was on the point of being realised. We didn’t take the risk of leaving for Shangai by train, because of some events in South China were disturbing. We choose to depart to Dairen and, then take a ship until Shangai.

We bought the tickets for the train and the ship, as well as a transit visa, since the railway of Mandchourie was owned by Japanese.

The group that left for Shangai was compsed of 25 families, representing 132 people. The Japanese railway company advised us to divide our group into two groups, Because Japanese ships are small and could not receive more than half of us.

The first group departed three days before the second, that is the 9 July. Our second group was to depart the 11 July at midnight. We got into train saying goodbye to all those who remain in Kharbin and who came to accompany us to the railway station.

The 12 July, at one o’clock, the train left from the Kharbin station, taking us across the steppes of Mandchouria, towards South. We saw ploughed fields, maize and millet fields. From time to time we saw some small village of shacks, fanza in Chinese, scatted here and there the train took us further and further from our cold country, across the mountains. The next day, at 9 o’clock, we left the town of Mouken and at 8 o’clock in the morning, the 14 July, we arived finally to the town of Dairen. It was raining and since we were not authorised to go into the ship, we stayed at the station. In the evening, the rain stopped, the sun began to shine. As we could not stay any more at the station, we found a flat for the night. The next morning, we were able to start putting our luggage into the ship. While we were waiting the departure of the ship, close to the station, a crowd of Japanese arrived, very interested in our group. They invited a group of children into their home, they gave them to eat, and made them to sing Russian songs. It was only in the evening that the children returned. The town of Dairen is big, beatiful and comfortable. Above the town is a mount, covered with trees and greenery. The streets are beautiful and large, with houses of six stories. A beautiful bay gives access to the sea.

At ten o’clock in the morning, we could go into the ship, “Sakiamaru”, and at one o’clock p.m. we left Dairen, and the 15^th, at one o’clock in the morning, we arrived to the port of Tsindao. The 17 July, we arrived to Shangai. The port was enormous and there was hundreds of European ships, of all sizes. We put our luggage on the quay, where the custom begun to examine them, but very soon, the interest dissappeared and were able to depart.

We left the doors of the port and remained on the street, close to two hours, hoping to meet with those who came 3 days before …

Soon we learned that the first group had been picked up by an Englishman into his home, and that he sent 2 trucks to take us, as well as our luggage to his courtyard. His house was in a suburb of Shangai and was composed of 2 wings, had a wide vegie garden, growing potatoes and other vegetables. He worked in a bank, was married and had a son of 13 who spoke perfectly Russian.

When we met again with our friends of the first group, we did not reconised some women and young girls (although only 6 days had passed) because they were dressed with dresses given by the French and English. These charming people helped us much and I don’t know how things would have been, if these people were not there.

When the first group arrived to Shangai, they didn’t know the city and spoke only Russian. They found the flats small and much to expensive. Two days after, it was Sunday. They decided to go to church to pray. The catholic church, in Shangai, was built by French or English. The Russians arrived much before the mass, but when it was time for the mass and the priest had made the sign of the cross, the church was immediately filled up by French and English people, who evidently were rich inhabitents of Shangai. They were very surprised to see, in their church, all these European people, bizarrely dressed, with young children in their arms. They didn’t stop staring at them to, the point that the Russians became indigant at them, feeling themselves being intensely observed.

When mass was over, they surrounded those Russians, asking questions about their origins. They were curious of minor details and they took women and children to that Englishman’s place. They brought food and a pot to make soup.And it is there that we met again at our arrival to Shangai. But we didn’t stay long in that house. One hour later, 5 trucks arrived to take us to an unknown direction. The host of the house was absent, the hostess begged us to stay, but others forced us to go. The trucks arrived to French barracks, where we were all lodged in the same premise. In the evening we were given a Chinese dinner: a soup, beans and rice.

The next day, the same trucks took us to a French school. There the lodging as big and confortable. We occupied the ground floor, composed of 5 class rooms. It is interesting to note that at every removal we were surrounded by a crowd of photografs who followed us. We remained here from the 18 July to 5 August. We were very well-fed. There was a chef to whom we were able to explain the way to prepare the soup and other meals we were used to. We had, twice a day, the soup a la russe, bread, etc. We were also given secondhand clothes; shirts, suits, shoes, hats. There was not any new clothes, only used ones, but the sharing of these old clothes provoked real quarrels. These quarrels remained like a spot of shame for all our group and towards those people who received us, and who helped us, but they saw well what happened between us and who ceased to feel sympthy and trust toward Russians.

Now, it is not any more worthwile to look for culprits and responsibles of that accurrence.

Three monks lived in this school, people very close to us, aswell as an interpreter. And we received visits of rich people of Shangai. In one of the classroom there was a table covered with clothes of every size, for men and women, collected from people of this city. Each family was convoked in turn, He or she went infront of the table and choose what she needed. Some clothes were still in very good condition, some other were pulled to pieces while fitting them, but there were large quantity of them, and most of them were not distrubuted because of our quarrels..

Shangai is s gigantic city, spread out in a grand and beautiful valley. The streets that lead toward the port are straight and form big quarters, while in some places of Shangai the streets are not in direct lines but resemble two serpents in grass. The population is in majority Chinese and the foreigners represent only 10%, and if, in Mandchouria numerous peoples speak Russian, many spoke rather English and a little French.

In this city, the population is so enormous, housing/accommodation/flats so minute, that the city smells like a Chinese kitchen, its spices, accentuated by steams of humidity of the very hot climate. This stench prevented us from strolling in this city.

It is interesting also to observe the “cochers” whose uniform is seen again in the images of newspapers. (?). They pull a cart with two wheels, for two people, the Chinese places himself between two stretchers and runs with his two passengers as quick as a cheval, and for a price of misery. The life of a poor Chinese is very sad. But apparently they are used to this life. Every lucid and humane person, who has had opportunity to be deeply acquainted with the life and suffering of this people, will speak with sadness about these exploited people.

This people is oppressed also by other people, especially by the English and French. The capitalist world, inhumane, has taken advantage of their condition, making them work like livestock. How many times these oppressed people revolted against their lot and against their masters? But these attempts were not crowned of success.

The workers who work in the cities, at the ports, have miserables wages. They eat especially vegetables of all kinds and do not know bread. All their clothes they wear on themselves: a hat of straw, braid shoes that protect them from tar melted by sun; instead of pants, they have got a kind of rag surrounding their kidneys. Some sleep in the street, it is there may be, they were born, it is there they will die.

As I said already, these people debased by their own destiny, but also exploited by other nations, because of their culture that is on a very low level in comparison with others. Technically they are as advanced as others, but lack moral sense, political and civic, their conscience cann’t be awakened, supressed by a mysterious and fatal lot. Maybe the principal reason of their misfortune is their profane and islamic religion that existed in Russia also, there is two thousand years. I was amazed that these people remain in faith now, and perhaps, still long time, in a kind of idol, about which I had never heard talking before. I think their religion is divided into several branches.

Unfortunately, to describe their religion in minute details, their rites, their customs, their prayers, there should be more interest that I had at the epoch and especially, it would need more time and attention. What I can describe, is the way parades in the streets, that seemed

Ivan Matvei	10 persons
Ivan	5
Stepan	2
Josef	5
Pavlinka	3
Pavel	4
Piotre	3
Vassili	4
Josef	2
Piotre	2
Casimir	6
Anton	4
Adam	5

My Childhood

Ivan Goulevitch

A gunshot

Ivan Goulevitch

In remembrance of my uncle – these verses replace a wreathe

Ivan Goulevitch

It was the last night that I deserted …