The Vyroubovs

[wetzvonken]

As you can see they are lots of people that they still use the "old way". My friend Countess Tatiana Tatischeva, she told me when her sister Helen passed away in the "Carnet du Jour" du Figaro, her sister was called Comtesse Hélène Tatischeff, and not Tatischev, this was only less than a year ago. Princess Metternich suffered recently a stroke in her castle Winneburg. When this new was published in the Point de Vue, she was called née Princesse Vassitchikoff, and not Vassiltchikov.
A tout à l'heure mon cher ami

[helenazar]

Anna Sergeievna Vyrubova, was born Taneyeva, daughter of a distinguished officer of the Imperial Court.

The full name of Anna Vyrubova (nee Taneyeva) is Anna ALEXANDROVNA Vyrubova, not Anna Sergeievna. Alexander Sergeievich Taneyev was her father.

[Joanna]

I am a close friend of Mme Sophia Mijailovna Vyrubov ... Vassily was a true "Grand Segneur" his family belongs to the Russian low nobility ... Anna Sergeievna Vyrubova, was born Taneyeva, daughter of a distinguished officer of the Imperial Court. Her parents lived not far away of Alexander Palace, in a small but cosy cottage. My aunt Elisabeth met her in Finland through Countess Hélène Kleinmichel before she passed away. Her role in connection with Rasputin and some gossips around their relation were quite exaggerated by historians, and by many Russians. Sophie Vyrubov is her niece, through her former husband.

Hello wetzvonken

Many thanks for this fascinating information on the Vyrubov family. I have found in my research that Anna's husband Alexander Vassilievich Vyrubov and Major General Voeikov, the last Palace Commandant, were cousins but I need to follow up on this connection if it was through A.V.'s mother Princess Eudoxia A. Lvov. From my notes, A.V. Vyrubov was born in 1884 and died March 4, 1919 (most accounts wrongly replicate that he died soon after the divorce from Anna and had never married again). His second wife who he married in 1910 was Maria Kireev and they had two daughters, Maria (1912-2000) who married Prince Konstantin Gortchakov, and Olga (1916-1969) who married Serge M. Tolstoy. Also from my notes, Alexander V. Vyrubov's brother was Vassili Vassilievich Vyrubov (1879-1963) who married Olga N. Galakhov (1888-1921). Their son Nicolas born 1915 married in 1953 Sabine de Noailles. Can you help in any corrections/additions of this limited genealogy that I have found so far? Was Vassily a brother to Nicolas? Do you have photographs of Alexander V. Vyrubov?

I am intrigued also that your Aunt Elisabeth met Anna V. in Finland! Can you relate some of the stories that your Aunt has told to you? Do you have photographs of them?

Many thanks
Joanna

[wetzvonken]

My dear Lady you are totally right, I know that but in the hurry to write I had changed her father's name, from Aleksandr to Sergei, in Russian there is no X so you write Anna Aleksandrovna Taneyeva. My aunt Elisabeth Karolyi visited her in Finland like fifty years ago. She found that was a quite simple woman, very humble, and with an extremely sad life. All her role during the Russian Revolution and her relation and influence with the Empress Aleksandra Fiodorovna were totally exaggerated by too many historians, including some Russian émigrés.

[wetzvonken]

First of all my information about the Vyrubov, comes from Sophia Mijailovna Vyrubov or Wyrubow, née Princesse Gortschakova. When she is back from Punta del Este, Uruguay, (we are in summer here), I will check with her your information. She knows a lot about all the different relations between her family and almost all the Russian nobility. On the other hand, my aunt Elisabeth spoke with Anna Vyrubova at a friend's house, she went there with her friend Countess Kleinmichel, which is a relative to the Gortschakov family. She said only that she was a very simple lady, not very intelligent or smart, but with a great devotion to the memory of the Russian Imperial family, if she overcome all her ordeal was because she was very religious. She lived with very little resources, almost in poverty.

[helenazar]

All her role during the Russian Revolution and her relation and influence with the Empress Aleksandra Fiodorovna were totally exaggerated by too many historians, including some Russian émigrés.

wetzvonken,

I was wondering what you mean by this? Which part about her and Aleksandra was exaggerated? Thanks!

Helen

[wetzvonken]

You know that during her trial she was blamed to have sexual relations with Rasputin, when she was a virgin (she never had sex with her own husband Vyrubov) She was blamed as well to be a lesbian, and I don't want to tell more about this awful slander, which pretended to hurt the Empress herself. She didn't have any relevant role in the changes of ministers at the Russian cabinet as many said, she didn't have any political role at the time. Her mistake was to believe in Rasputin, but we must remember who were the two women who introduced him at the Court, I imagine that you know both of them?

[helenazar]

Oh ok, thanks. All the things that you mentioned, no one really believes them, at least not any serious historians.

[Lisa]

Hi wetzvonken ! In fact I think about this problem of Off/ Ov. And I think that not "current" surnames keep the old version of Off. For exemple the Youssoupov memories (I have this version of the book), the editor is not very in this problem. He just "reput" the spelling of the 1930's (I have also the 1rst edition of the book)But if you look in a dictionnary, you will see russian names written as"ov"... (Romanov, Youssoupov,Orlov, etc) It's became a convention! And I also remarked that Russian emmigrés who live in France spell it in that way ("off")

I thaught about this problem because I often see this spelling in my researches for my master about the Russia...

[wetzvonken]

My dear Joanna, I had spoken with Sofia Vyrubov the daughter of Sophie Vyrubov, née Gortschakov, her mother will be back in two weeks in Buenos Aires. She told me that her father Vassily was a nephew of Anna Aleksandrovna Taneyev's husband. But I would rather prefer to wait for her mother's arrival, she knows much better all the family ties. The new generation doesn't care too much about their background, the young Vyrubov even doesn't speak Russian, just a little bit. So hopefully I will have some news for you before the end of this month. Truly yours LWvP

[Joanna]

Many many thanks Louis for your kindness in sharing and following up with my questions. Please convey to Mme Vyrubov my best wishes and how exciting it is for me to know more of the Vyrubov family.

Joanna

[wetzvonken]

Can you explain what do you want to say about the surname Vyrubov which is the right way to write it, and not Viroubov, which is totally wrong. One of the "Palace members" wrote in Russian, the difference and this lady recognized that Viroubov was a mistake. Nobody wants to see their last name written wrongly. Because I know well Sophie Mijailovna Vyrubov, née Gortschakov I know what I am talking about. The problems with Russian names was originated after the Revolution. For instance the Gortschakov who went to Germany, their family name ended with a W instead of V, in France for a while with a double F, and in Italy was written Gorchacow, without the K.

[Joanna]

Sophie Mijailovna Vyrubov, née Gortschakov

In interviews with Mikhail Aleksandrovich Gortschakov (Gorchakov) who was the father of Sophie, it is interesting to read of the double connection of the Gortschakov family with the Vyrubovs. Mikhail's brother Konstantin married Marie A. Vyrubov, the daughter of Alexander Vyrubov whose first wife was Anna Vyrubova. Mikhail's daughter Sophie married the son of Vasili Vasilevich Vyrubov. Vasili was the brother of Alexander Vyrubov and was a member with Prince Lvov of the Provisional Government. Vasili and Alexander's mother was the sister of Prince Lvov. The Gortschakov's were related to among others the Orlov-Davidovs. Their Wednesday salons in St. Petersburg before the war included Shuvalovs, Witte, Guchkov, Obolenskys, Tatischev, Gagarin.

Joanna

[plutov]

Hello, I am a new member.
I read in John Richardson, "A Life of Picasso", tome 3, p. 192, that his friend the painter Georges Bemberg married in 1921
"Marie Vrubova... Countess Vrubova had managed to escape to France with her three daughters, MARIE, IRENE, and OLGA".
And I don't see that you ever mentionned any Irène...
Besides, what relation had the famous ballerina NINA VIRUBOVA, born in the Crimean resort town of Gurzuf on June 4, 1921 ?

[Svetabel]

Hello, I am a new member.
I read in John Richardson, "A Life of Picasso", tome 3, p. 192, that his friend the painter Georges Bemberg married in 1921
"Marie Vrubova... Countess Vrubova had managed to escape to France with her three daughters, MARIE, IRENE, and OLGA".
And I don't see that you ever mentionned any Irène...

I guess Irina Vyrubova is the mother of famous Prince Nikita Lobanov-Rostovskiy (1935-). His parents were Prince Dmitriy (1907-1948) and Irina Vasilevna Vyrubova (1911-1957).