Leonid Sednev

I have wondered about him and what he looked like ever since I read The Kitchen Boy. I read that he died while in his early twenties but not what happened to him. I wonder if he died from ilness or accident or was he killed by the Reds?

He could have been killed by the Bolsheviks, but we probably won't know unless we can do an autopsy.

THE FATE OF THE ROMANOVS pps. 507-8:
>>"Leonid Sednev, the fourteen-year-od kitchen boy spared by Yurovsky just six hours before the Ekaterinburg murders, was put on a tran on July 20 by officials from the Ural Regional Soviet and sent to Klauga District, where he still had relatives.  Sednev wrote a brief set of  memoires of his time in the Ipatiev House before his death in 1929, at age of twenty-five."<<

With all the photographs taken by the IF,  one would think they would have taken atleast one of Leonid Sednev.

In fact, one would think we could find a lot more information about this young man who was the only young companion/servant in the Ipatiev House.

AGRBear  

THE FATE OF THE ROMANOVS pps. 507-8:
>>"Leonid Sednev, the fourteen-year-od kitchen boy spared by Yurovsky just six hours before the Ekaterinburg murders, was put on a tran on July 20 by officials from the Ural Regional Soviet and sent to Klauga District, where he still had relatives.  Sednev wrote a freif set of  memoires of his time in the Ipatiev House before his death in 1929, at age of twenty-five."<<

With all the photographs taken by the IF,  one would think they would have taken atleast one of Leonid Sednev.

In fact, one would think we could find a lot more information about this young man who was the only young companion/servant in the Ipatiev House.

AGRBear  

I had his death year as 1928, it appears I was off.

The IF may very well have taken photos of him, but they were not able to get their film developed while there.

How long was Leonid actually with the IF?

Where did he come from?

AGRBear

I am very much interested in Leonid Sednev and his geneology. It seems nearly impossible but I'm hoping to find some info about Leonid and any of his relatives.

Thank you,
Anna Sednev

Just out of curiosity, would sednev happen to be your real last name?  Just wondering..
Here's what I gathered from just reading around.

Mother:
Father Ivan Sednev.
Siblings: ?

Uncle: Also named Ivan Sednev (The one that was shot with Nagorny I believe.    )

I hoped that helps, but I know it's not the best family tree. 

Hello Anna --

When Greg King and I were researching our book, we turned up some information on Leonid Sednev.  Perhaps a couple of excerpts will help:

"Across Voznesensky Lane, the early morning had passed uneasily in the Popov House as news of the executions quickly spread among the exterior guards.  Leonid Sednev, having been sent from the Ipatiev House only hours before the shooting, heard these horrifying details from sympathetic sentries, and collapsed in tears.  Although Yurovsky had promised that he was to be reunited with his uncle, the young boy now feared for his own life.  Every few hours, Medvedev checked on him: before leaving for Koptiyaki Forest, Yurovsky had ordered that Sednev was not to leave the Popov House.  To discourage him from attempting to sneak away, the commandant had confiscated most of Sednev's clothes, giving him in exchange only a 'large pair of old black trousers, and an old school shirt, also black, which buttoned up the back.'"

and

"Leonid Sednev, the fourteen-year-old kitchen boy spared by Yurovsky just six hours before the Ekaterinburg murders, was put on a train on July 20 by officials from the Ural Regional Soviet and sent to Kaluga District, where he still had relatives.  Sednev wrote a brief set of memoirs of his time in the Ipatiev House before his death in 1929, at age twenty-five."

Here are our sources for the above information:

Yakimov Statement, May 7-11, 1919, in Sokolov Archives, vol. 5 doc. 17
Marina Grey Enquete sur le massacre des Romanov
O. Platonov Ternovyi venets Rossi. Zagovor tsareubiits
Lev Sonin Poker na kostyakh, ili, Kak skrivaiyut pravdy o sud'be Nikolaiya II
Edvard Yakubovskii Rasstrel v Podvale
Private information from MP Remy to the authors.

We were not able to locate Sednev's memoirs prior to publishing our book, and I don't know that anyone is actively searching for them at the moment.  But they'd be interesting, I'm sure.

I hope this helps...

~Penny Wilson

On October 1, 2008, a petition to rehabilitate the Imperial Family, and a large number of servants, was presented to the Presidium of the Russian Supreme Court. Among the list is this excerpt: "In the late 1920’s in the Yaroslav Oblast [Region], E.S. Kobylinski, the former head of the guard of the royal family during their exile in Tobolsk, and L. Sednev, who in childhood was a cook’s helper in the Ipatiev House, were executed for “counter-revolutionary activity”.

On October 1, 2008, a petition to rehabilitate the Imperial Family, and a large number of servants, was presented to the Presidium of the Russian Supreme Court. Among the list is this excerpt: "In the late 1920’s in the Yaroslav Oblast [Region], E.S. Kobylinski, the former head of the guard of the royal family during their exile in Tobolsk, and L. Sednev, who in childhood was a cook’s helper in the Ipatiev House, were executed for “counter-revolutionary activity”.

Very interesting Kev, and welcome to the forum.  Is this the petition from Maria V.?  I don't suppose there's any way to find out who actually wrote the petition, what sources they used?

T

Here's the link with the reference to Sednev being executed.
http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/28491.htm

Thanks again.  Apparently the author is Victor Aksyuchits.  When he states "In the late 1920’s " I guess it doesn't look like he has any definitive sources.  The poor guy barely escaped death w/ the Romanovs only to die a few years later.  It would be interesting to know exactly what the truth was re: his death.

T

In reference to Reply 16 of this topic:  Where are these memoirs and have they been published/translated into languages other than Russian?  I don't believe that I've ever seen such.  Even a fragmentry quote........   AP

One would think, given that this young man was an inside participant in the final days of the Romanov family, that historian sleuths in Russia would have long ago started investigating where he ended his life. There must be third generation relatives who might have information. Since the fall of Communism, one would also think if any documents existed they would have surfaced by now, although Russia remains one of Europe's greatest "attics".  With the revolution, came extraordinary plundering of the homes and possessions, both the upper classes, and the titled. And much of this was hidden by the looters, and turns up all the time now. Perhaps, buried in old papers somewhere, is the answer to Sednev's disappearance. Would it be possible that the mere writing of his experiences at the Ipatiev House, within 10 years of the event, be considered reason enough to execute him for "counter-revolutionary" activites? Keep in mind that although the executions were celebrated events in communist Russia by the late 20's, any attempt to humanize the family or their squalid murders might be a real threat to the state.

Exactly!  Do we know of ANYONE who has ever actually seen them?  Even reputed "accurate" copies?  Any direct quotes?  Or is this a case of third, fourth-hand repetition of a "said-to-be" existence?  Where did the information originally arise that he allegedly wrote brief memoirs in the first place?   AP

More info on Sednev from another thread, with sources:

Hello Anna --

When Greg King and I were researching our book, we turned up some information on Leonid Sednev.  Perhaps a couple of excerpts will help:

"Across Voznesensky Lane, the early morning had passed uneasily in the Popov House as news of the executions quickly spread among the exterior guards.  Leonid Sednev, having been sent from the Ipatiev House only hours before the shooting, heard these horrifying details from sympathetic sentries, and collapsed in tears.  Although Yurovsky had promised that he was to be reunited with his uncle, the young boy now feared for his own life.  Every few hours, Medvedev checked on him: before leaving for Koptiyaki Forest, Yurovsky had ordered that Sednev was not to leave the Popov House.  To discourage him from attempting to sneak away, the commandant had confiscated most of Sednev's clothes, giving him in exchange only a 'large pair of old black trousers, and an old school shirt, also black, which buttoned up the back.'"

and

"Leonid Sednev, the fourteen-year-old kitchen boy spared by Yurovsky just six hours before the Ekaterinburg murders, was put on a train on July 20 by officials from the Ural Regional Soviet and sent to Kaluga District, where he still had relatives.  Sednev wrote a brief set of memoirs of his time in the Ipatiev House before his death in 1929, at age twenty-five."

Here are our sources for the above information:

Yakimov Statement, May 7-11, 1919, in Sokolov Archives, vol. 5 doc. 17
Marina Grey Enquete sur le massacre des Romanov
O. Platonov Ternovyi venets Rossi. Zagovor tsareubiits
Lev Sonin Poker na kostyakh, ili, Kak skrivaiyut pravdy o sud'be Nikolaiya II
Edvard Yakubovskii Rasstrel v Podvale
Private information from MP Remy to the authors.

We were not able to locate Sednev's memoirs prior to publishing our book, and I don't know that anyone is actively searching for them at the moment.  But they'd be interesting, I'm sure.

I hope this helps...

~Penny Wilson