Blog
Nikolayev, 1887.
Eastern Europe was the region where many of our Family roots originated and evolved, despite the diversity of our ancestors’ ethnicity, social background and religion.
Countless wars had been fought there for millennia. Kiev’s Russia, Lithuanian Knights, Cossacks Hetmanate, the Ottoman Empire, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Austria and Germany, and even the Mongolian Golden Horde fought to dominate the land and spread their influence. Borders were constantly shifting, upper hands were changing, and new connections grew. Even today, in our time, the same trend continues in the South-Eastern part of this region.
The Northern part of Eastern Europe was ruled by The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that was squished like a sandwich between Russia from the East and Austria and Prussia from the West. The Commonwealth had a white eagle as a symbol of state, while Russia, Austria, and Prussia all had black eagles.
The three powerful black eagles made a secret treaty, appropriately called “The Treaty of the Three Black Eagles”, which allowed them to annex, control and manage the Commonwealth for a century.
The Napoleonic era – at the beginning of 19th century – brought about some changes that resulted in the creation of the “independent” Kingdom of Poland, in the lands around Warsaw, with the Russian Tsar – not surprisingly – being their king. Lithuania did not get even that, and became just another Russian province.
It’s no wonder that armed revolts and uprisings of all kinds against Russia soon followed. In mid-1860s, Russia finally agreed to make – or was forced to make – some economic and social reforms for the local population, but at the same time increased Russian military presence in the region by building bases, fortifications and garrisons’ camps.
One such garrison was located in the old City of Lublin – a fortified stronghold in the Eastern part of Poland, destroyed many times during prior wars and rebuilt again several times since the 13th century. Lublin today is a charming, Renaissance era place, that still houses the old medieval castle.
In 1897 another experienced officer from Russia was assigned to serve there – Captain Alexander Yermolaev. He came from Nikolayev, a city on the Black Sea, not far from Odessa.
Nikolayev was founded by Prince Potemkin after the Russo–Turkish War as a large Russian Naval Shipyard and one of the key military centers of the new Southern Russian frontier – Novorossiya (New Russia), as it was called at the time.
Captain Alexander Yermolaev came from a family, based in Moscow and St. Petersburg, whose members traditionally served in the Russian Army since the time of the Napoleonic Wars. After graduating from the Imperial Nicholas General Staff Academy in the 1880s, Alexander was sent to Nikolayev garrison’s Staff. There he met and married Olga – a girl from a local Greek family. Greeks lived in that region since ancient times.
Olga was absolutely beautiful – our family tales always emphasized it – but that alone was not enough for marriage at that time – her father should have had some sort of nobility or significance in state service, otherwise their marriage would not have been approved by Alexander’s family. Olga and Alexander had six children – three girls and three boys – all six obtained good education but lived very different lives.
When Alexander was reassigned to Lublin, his family stayed behind in their house in Nikolayev – Polish people were notoriously unfriendly to the Russian officers and their families. His assignment was meant to be temporary, but he never returned to Nikolayev . Alexander Yermolaev, Tanya’s great-grandfather, served in Lublin for the next 17 years, became a Colonel, and was killed in 1914, in one of the first battles of World War I.
His youngest son was also named Alexander after him. He was born in Nikolayev in 1887 and was 10 when his father left for Poland. This Alexander Yermolaev became Tanya’s grandfather.
But that will be another story – Sasha Yermolaev.
