The Kiselevs

[Janet_W.]

This sounds fascinating, Bill! I wonder if any of us can find your family name in our vast libraries of Romanov-related books?

[LisaDavidson]

The Kiselev family is a well known one in Russia. There was a famous General Kiselev during the Napoleonic Wars. Bob and I have a good friend who is a Keselev descendant who lives in California.

That's the good news. The not so good news is that we know from records kept by the court and the revolutionaries what happened to all the members of the Imperial Suite who followed the Imperial Family into internal exile. I believe with the exception of Baroness Buxhoeveden, all were murdered by the Bolsheviks. So, respectfully, I think it's doubtful that your grandparents followed the IF to Ekaterinburg.

I do think that it's highly possible that your relative was in the Russian military prior to the Revolution. There was an officer's group that was in Ekaterinburg when the IF was transferred there, and perhaps that is what your family story is about.

[Przemek]

I'm looking for the information on the Pavel Kisseloff (or Kiselev) who was maried with Sophie Potocka. I don't know the exact date of his birth nor of his death. I know only that he was an import figure in the imperial authorities of the time of Nicolas I. I would be very greatful, if somebody can help me. I'm interested alsow in the life of his wife, de domo Potocka

[Mike]

Count Pavel Kiselev (1788-1872) was an outstanding military leader and statesman. There is a lot of biographic material on him in Russian (e.g. here), and he was mentioned by numerous famous contemporaries, including Pushkin. In 1821 Kiselev married Countess Sophia Potocka (who by the way inspired Pushkin for his Fountain of Bakhchisaray).

[BT]

I was saerching for information on my wife's maternal grandmother's maiden name, which has been spelled Kisilof and Kiselef to me. Although, I suppose it could be spelled a number of English way's. Anyway, I was told this name is very old Russian aristocratic family name form around AD 995. This information came from a book of Russian crests that my wife's grandmother showed me, the book is only in Russian, which I don's speak. Her stories about the revolution are remarkable and I have often wondered how to get more information. He father's name was Alexander; he was somehow connected to the Czar. He escaped with his wife, Elisabeth Thompson and their one daughter together, to her homeland of Estonia and then to Paris, France. The children from his first marriage were, I believe, sent to Siberia. I am told that their country cottage is now a tourist attraction in the form of a museum on the Black Sea.

Does anybody have any information on this family name, history, geneaology, etc? Or can anyone point me in the right direction for future research?

Thank you, BT

[felix]

BT,did you check Russian roots? The name sounds familiar, but with other spelling. There  is good info there,F.

[Mia]

Would the family have something to do with the Kiseleffs who lived in the Grand Duchy of Finland? They are fairly well known.

In Helsinki there is a famous neoclassical building called Kiseleff Bazaar (Kiseleff's Bazaar) which was built by a merchant with the name Kiseleff.

Here you have a large picture of it:
http://www.korttelit.fi/rakennus.php/id/469

There was also consul Feodor Kiseleff, who with his brothers inherited the sugar factory in Töölö (Helsinki). He had a number of state and honour duties. Because of his position his wife Amalia Kiseleff (née Mattheiszen) became one of the ladies-in-waiting of Empress Maria Alexandrovna around the Diet 1863.

They didn't get any children but their manor in Alberga was a still full of life because the children of Emilia, the sister of Amalia, visited it frequently. There were also evenings with music arranged at Alberga.



Funny thing, I found a link to an address calender of Helsinki from 1889. There were this many Kiseleffs listed:

 Kiseleff, A., hofråd. Alexandersg. 15.
Kiseleff, A., fröken. Alexandersg. 15.
Kiseleff, Amalia, fru. Alberga. Postadress: Alexandersg. 15.
Kiseleff, arkitekturbyrå (Aug. Nordberg). Ö. Henriksg. 5. T. 118
Kiseleff, R., fru, enkeassessorska. Konstantinsg. 14. T. 11 a
Kiseleff, F., portugisisk konsul. V. Henriksg. 12. Träffas kl. 9-2 och 5-7 e.m.
Kiseleff F.P. & Söner, kontor. V. Henriksg. 12. T. 555
Kiseleff, Marga, blomstermålarinna. Konstantinsg. 14.
Kiseleff, Marga, atelier. Konstantinsg. 14.
Kiseleff, N., fröken. V. Henriksg. 12.
Kiseleff, O., enkekommerserådinna. V. Henriksgatan 12. T. 555

[Athena]

Bad Homburg Villa Kisilov
http://www.hotel-villa-kisseleff.de/