My great grandfather (father’s side) Mikhail Vasilyevich Armeyskov was born circa 1890 in Novocherkassk. He learned at least 5 languages (English, French, Swedish, Danish & Norwegian) and graduated from the Sorbonne. Mikhail Vasilyevich identified himself as a Cossack.

In Soviet Russia Mikhail Vasilyevich worked at a post office.

Mikhail Vasilyevich’s mother (i.e. my great great grandmother) Yevdokiya Platova. According to what my father and grandparents told me she was a relative of Matvei Platov, hero of the Patriotic War of 1812.

Anna Stepanovna Armeyskova (Bondarenko) was a maidservant in Armeyskov’s house. So Mikhail Vasilyevich’s marriage was seen as a mésalliance by his parents. After their first daugher Anna (‘Nyusa’) was born in 1911 Anna Stepanovna was ‘accepted’ as his wife. In 1916 my grandfather Boris Mikhailovich Armeyskov was born. After the Russian revolution Mikhail Vasilyevich and Anna Stepanovna had to leave Armeyskovs family house in Uman and moved to Sumy. Mikhail Vasilyevich died in Sumy during Holodomor in 1932.

Mikhail Vasilyevich and Anna Stepanovna had four children. One of them was killed by Ukrainian nationalists from the Ukrainian Insurgent Army during World War II for supporting partisans. My father said that her name was Mariya (but he wasn’t sure).

Mikhail Vasilyevich had two brothers who emigrated to Paris after the revolution. My father told me that he saw the junior brother’s name written somewhere as “A. Armeyskov”.

According to the caption this photo was taken on the 5th of September, 1907, and was given to Mikhail Vasilyevich Armeyskov.