I don't think any of us imagined what he had in store for us. His
story began around the time when the Russian revolution was just
starting. Two of his father's older brothers...or Pete's two uncles
lived in America, but Pete lived with the rest of the family on a farm
near a little village by the Volga River. There was very little
communication with the rest of the world and it was his father's
custom to buy a newspaper and catch up on the news whenever he took
his produce to the city down river. During one of these trips (in
1918) he read news that the tsar's family had been murdered. This made
him uneasy, along with the fact that the value of paper money was
dropping. He felt that some bad things were about to happen, so made
plans to leave Russia as soon as possible. He began selling everything
they owned for...gold. The last thing he sold was the family cow. The
money had become so worthless that it filled a big sack he carried
home over his shoulder. Pete's mother made herself a heavy burlap/
canvas type dress, and sewed the gold dust into the large hem at the
bottom. Then they all dressed in layers of clothing to protect
themselves from the bitter cold during the long journey ahead.
When they finally reached the border they were detained by German
soldiers, who insisted they have physical examinations to see if they
were healthy. The idea was to declare the youngest child "sick" as an
excuse to keep them there long enough to make them spend all their
money while waiting to leave. Finally, they were released and loaded
onto a boxcar with many others leaving the country. The children were
placed in the back by the wall. Pete said it was so cold that every
morning his mother would gently break their clothes loose from where
they had frozen to the wall. Periodically the train would stop for
wood to fuel the engine. The adults would leave the train to relieve
themselves, and the train would start up and begin moving...with many
running to catch it. Some had frozen limbs and eventually died before
reaching their destination in Poland.
When the train reached the Polish border, it stopped, the doors were
opened, and a long line of soldiers faced the length of the train.
Everyone was forced to undress and be searched. Everything of value
(including the women's combs in their hair) was taken as "booty" by
the soldiers. These were hard times, and all those affected by the
revolution were prey. No one suspected that there was gold safely
sewed in the hem of Pete's mother's ugly dress. Satisfied, the
soldiers finally let the travelers dress and leave.
During the journey, all they had to eat were hard crusts of bread they
sucked on before going to sleep. Pete's mother would cover their heads
with a cloth so that the rats wouldn't hurt them. However, they could
hear and feel them scurrying over their bodies looking for food. He
remembers that the best meal he ever had was after they got to Minsk.
His mother managed to get work and bought some small potatoes and
lentils, from which she made a stew. The hot, meager meal was
delicious, and something he will never forget. In 1923 the family
reached England, where they were able to book passage on a ship bound
for America...thanks to the efforts of the two older sons already
living here.
Needless to say, Uncle Pete's story was riveting. He couldn't have
picked a better time to tell it. Our Thanksgiving had more meaning in
that it made us conscious of how precious life is, and how
circumstances can suddenly change when political ideologies become
violent. Uncle Pete had experienced the best and worst or two worlds.
