Memoirs. Post 1. My Background, Where It All Comes From

Let us start our journey across my lifetime. But where is the head of it?

I think I should start with the relatives. To tell where they all came from. What is the background.

My childhood was in the house of my mother and her parents. The influence of my mother's branch of the family tree had always been stronger, than my father's. That's why I start with this part.

My Granny Maria, and Her Family

My grandmother was born in 1927 in a small village Knyazhoye, Smolensk (the yellow mark on the map above). The date of birth according to the passport was June 11th. But my granny told me that her exact birthdate was May 31st. Her young age was hard, full of destitution and danger. In age 14 her family and she faced WW2. Her father went to war, her mother died from starvation soon after the beginning of war in Russia in 1941. Maria, her 13-year-old sister Anthonina, 10-year-old brother Nickolai, and 3-year-old brother Victor were left alone, and had to overcome all the horrors of war on their own.

I've never seen Nickolai. My grandmother always told us that he was missing. But soon after my granny's death we found a letter from Nickolai dated 1950. So, she knew that he had stayed alive, and kept the letter. On the contrary, granduncle Victor said that Nickolai was a thief, and he was arrested. But Victor was too young then, and didn't know all the details. I realize how easy it was to become a Stalin's 'public enemy' in those days. I still think that the brother was repressed like many other guiltless people.
I don't remember grandaunt Anthonina. She died in 1987 when I was one-year-old. They say, that she saw me, and once nursed me. Of course, I can't recall it :) So far I remember, she lived in Vyazma, Smolensk (the lilac mark on the map). Her life was not that easy. Her husband was alcoholic, and it was not common to divorce then. Consequently, her hard life broke her health, and she died in her late 50s.

Victor became an engineer, and lived a good life in Moscow (the orange mark). Now he is almost 77 years old. He helped a lot to Maria, often visited her family, later he and his wife Lidia helped a lot to my mother Galina, and they helped me.

Maria did her best all the family would get over the difficulties of war. After war her father went back from war. But soon he got married again. In his absence Maria took the place of mother, and brought up her brothers and sister in the most difficult time. But after that she had her own way, she went to Smolensk, studied at university, became a teacher of History and German, and was sent to Sloboda School (now Przhevalskoye, the green mark). This place became her home for the rest of the life.

My Granddad Ivan, and The Children

As I remember from my mother's stories, my gradfather was born in 1926 not far from Sloboda (Przhevalskoye after 1964). The village was called Bubolevo (the red mark). He was wounded in WW2, and left his leg. But he was a strong man, and it didn't ruin his life. When he met Maria, he decided to marry her. It was a funny story. When Maria was proposed, she joked that she would marry only on New Year's Day. Ivan cought her on the word. In some months, on New Year's Day my grandfather came again. This time with musicians, saying that all his friends and relatives are waiting for the bride. Maria had nothing to do but to marry.

My grandfather was a real workaholic. I took it after him. He worked a lot, and did his best to buy a good place, to build a house there, and to make a better life for his children. There were two of them: Oleg (born 1951), and Galina (born Feb 16th, 1955).
After school Oleg moved to Smolensk to study telephone networks, and he married Nelly there. They've lived in Smolensk all their life (the pink mark). In her young age, Nelly together with all her family suffered all the violence of Stalin's repressions. All members of the family died in Siberia except Nelly, and her sister Zoe. But her sister got mad, and never recovered again. Nelly died last year (2014). Zoe died a couple of years before. Oleg is suffering his hardest period of lifetime, widowed, no children, absolutely alone.

After school Galina also went to Smolensk. She had a course of Soviet Merchandising, and then worked as a shop assistant. But after a couple of years she got ill. She had problems with veins on her right leg. In hospital she was operated by drunk doctors, and it caused a much worse effect. After another couple of years she lost her right leg.
She met Anatoly, my father, after all the incidents. They got married in 1985 when she was 30. I was born Apr 27th, 1986. I've never seen my granddad Ivan. He died in 1983 because of heart attack when he was only 57. It was a very big loss for my mother.

My grandparents had lived a good quiet life together. Maria also suffered his death a lot. She was disoriented, and didn't know how to keep the household. After Ivan's death my mother became the real head of the family with all good and bad sides. My father couldn't become the man who would be able to take the place of the late ex-head of the family. Consequently, Galina ruled everything though she was a disability, and initially had lower chances for that.

My Father's Background

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