Collection Guide
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Dutoff (Vera) Collection
OCH.KUC
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Vera Dutoff Collection
Creator:
Dutoff, Vera (Kuchinskaya)
Identifier/Call Number: OCH.KUC
Physical Description:
10.58 linear feet
Date (inclusive): ca. 1920-1980
Abstract: Vera Dutoff (maiden
name Kuchinskaia) fled Russia, lived in China, and settled in San Francisco, California with
her husband Alexander Dutoff. She was born on November 19, 1900 and died on February 25,
1994. The collection consists of materials related to her daily life and is largely composed
of correspondence as well as keepsake objects including Russian Icons (devotional images)
and lace textiles. A small amount of records were created by her husband Alexandar Dutoff;
her son, Dimitri Dutoff; and her sister, Nadejda Alexandrovna Kutchinskaia.
Language of Material:
English, Russian,
Chinese.
Vera Dutoff (maiden name Kuchinskaia) was born on November 19, 1900 to Alexander
Grigorievich Kutchinsky and Maria Panteleimonovna Mihina. Vera fled Russia and lived in
China for a while. Her sister, Nadejda Alexandrovna Kutchinskaia, was born on May 30, 1902
in Lyaoyang, China. Vera's maiden name is spelled three different ways in the records:
Kuchinskaia, Kutchinsky, and Kuchinskaya.
Vera married Alexander Yakovlevich Dutoff (formerly Dutov) on November 25, 1921 in Harbin,
China. Alexander was born in Poltava, Russia on September 3, 1891 to Yakov Petrovich Dutoff
and Maria Theodorovna Getenko. He lived in Harbin, China and immigrated to the U.S. in 1926.
Alexander died in 1963. Vera immigrated to San Francisco in 1928. Vera's sister Nadejda,
remained in Harbin until 1959, then emigrated to Sydney, Australia. Vera worked as an
Intermediate Clerk for the Railroad Commission and the Public Utilities Commission. Vera and
Alexander's son, Dimitri (also spelled Dimitry), was born June 14, 1929 in San Francisco.
Dimitri enlisted in the Navy in the early 1950s. Vera Dutoff died on February 25, 1994 in
California.
The Vera Dutoff Collection consists of materials related to Vera's personal life in San
Francisco, California. The majority of the records are correspondence that date from the
early 1940's to the late 1970's. Vera corresponded frequently with her son, Dimitri Dutoff,
and a woman in Australia named Helena Palitcin (or Patitcin?). Other materials include
identification papers, immigration records, financial records, burial arrangements for her
husband, calendars, photographs, and a diary. In addition to the paper records in the
collection, there are family heirlooms and keepsakes such as lace shawls, doilies, a
decorative box, a tablecloth, and beads and charms, many of which were likely brought with
the family from Russia or China. There is also a heavy focus on Vera's religious life with
many Russian Icons (devotional images) and religious texts included in the collection. A
small amount of records were created by her husband Alexandar Dutoff; her son, Dimitri
Dutoff; and her sister, Nadejda Alexandrovna Kutchinskaia.
This collection is open for research use.
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires
the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Breck Parkman, 2020.
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual,
or see the
Citing Archival
Materials
guide.
Carri Frola, 2024.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Textiles
Photographs
Documents
Ephemera