Tag Archives: Novgorod

Looking to the Embassy for Help

Posted on November 25, 2013 by kjw616

In addition to the diary, Dad’s dresser contained some letters similar to those which I found at the National Archives. After collating the letters from both locations I was able to get a better picture of what happened to them … Continue reading →

Posted in Living in the USSR, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Stranded by the Rain

Posted on October 25, 2013 by kjw616

Dad’s parents and sisters awoke the morning of September 7 ready to move again. Keep in mind that the nearby city of Novgorod was under siege at this time, so it must have been a horrific place to be trapped. … Continue reading →

Posted in The Diary, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The War and Autumn Rasputitsa

Posted on October 24, 2013 by kjw616

Sleep must have been difficult as the military aircraft rumbled overhead throughout the night. My grandparents and aunts were not far from the fighting.  On September 4, less than three weeks after their hurried departure, Dad’s family was chased out … Continue reading →

Posted in World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Running From the War

Posted on October 23, 2013 by kjw616

August 1941, Dad is now safe in Rockaway, New Jersey, staying at the home of his godmother and her family.  He was unaware that his family had left Novgorod with barely any time to spare.  The day before the city … Continue reading →

Posted in The Diary, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Evacuated

Posted on October 18, 2013 by kjw616

What had happened to my grandparents, aunts and uncles?  The diary, letters from the National Archives, and page 195 of  the book, “The Forsaken,”  all pointed to one place- Kuibyshev. A search on Google told me that Kuibyshev is presently … Continue reading →

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Was Anyone Safe?

Posted on October 17, 2013 by kjw616

It will come as no surprise that whenever Dad wrote a letter to anyone- the State Department, the American Embassy, an Army official- the response usually took months. There was a war going on, so his letters were not a … Continue reading →

Posted in World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Christmas at the National Archives

Posted on October 1, 2013 by kjw616

Only someone interested in history and/or genealogy can fully appreciate my excitement when I pulled into the parking lot at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland in April 2012. Would I really find as many documents as I had … Continue reading →

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