Register of the Vrangel' family papers

Finding aid prepared by Natasha Porfirenko, revised by Lora Soroka
Hoover Institution Library and Archives
© 2009
434 Galvez Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003
hoover-library-archives@stanford.edu


Title: Vrangel' family papers
Date (inclusive): 1849-2003
Collection Number: 95012
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: Mainly in Russian
Physical Description: 10 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box (6.2 Linear Feet)
Abstract: The Vrangel' family papers include correspondence, printed matter, and photographs, relating to Russian military activities during World War I, White Russian military activities during the Russian Civil War, and especially to Russian émigré affairs in the interwar period. Includes obituaries of Petr Vrangel' and letters of condolence following his death. Mainly in Russian.
Creator: Vrangelʹ, Petr Nikolaevich, Baron, 1878-1928
Creator: Vrangel' family
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Access

Originals closed; microfilm use only except for Box 11. Materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Use

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Acquisition Information

Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1995

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Vrangel' family papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Biographical Note

A veteran of the Russian-Japanese War (1904-1905) and World War I General Baron Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel' joined the anti-Bolshevik armies in Southern Russia in late 1917. He was known for many years in Russia as the "black baron" and "the last enemy of the Soviet Republic", while on the other hand he was honored as "the last knight of the Russian Empire" by his comrades. Vrangel' was the commander-in-chief of the White Army in the final stage of the Civil War and leader of the White émigré movement.
After the rout in early 1920 of the Denikin forces, Vrangel' succeeded Denikin in command and soon whipped the demoralized remains of the White Army into shape. He also tried to win popular support with a program for land reform. Vrangel' was successful for a while on the Crimean front, but after the Russian armistice with Poland in October 1920, the Communists were able to concentrate larger forces against him. Vrangel' was forced back into the Crimea, and in November 1920, he had to evacuate his forces to Constantinople. The Russian Civil War thus came to an end. Vrangel' died in exile at Brussels. His children believed he had been poisoned by the Soviet secret police. He is buried in the Russian Cathedral in Belgrade.
This collection contains personal papers of the members of the Vrangel' family: General Baron Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel', his wife Baroness Ol'ga Mikhailovna Vrangel' (including papers relating to her grandfather, conservative Russian journalist Mikhail Katkov), their son Baron Alexis (Aleksei Petrovich) Vrangel', and grandson Baron Petr Petrovich Vrangel', as well as his mother Baroness Maria Dmitrievna Vrangel', his brother Baron Nikolai Nikolaevich Vrangel', and granddaughter Natal'ia.

Scope and Content of Collection

The Vrangel' family papers include correspondence, photographs, and military papers relating to Russian military activities during World War I, White Russian military activities during the Russian Civil War, and especially to Russian émigré affairs in the interwar period and after. They include obituaries of Petr Vrangel' and letters of condolence following his death. The materials are mainly in Russian.
This collection contains personal papers of the members of the Vrangel' family: Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel', his wife Ol'ga Mikhailovna Vrangel', their son Alexis (Aleksei Petrovich) Vrangel', and grandson Petr Petrovich Vrangel', as well as his mother Baroness Maria Dmitrievna Vrangel', his brother Nikolai Nikolaevich Vrangel', and granddaughter Natal'ia.
A significant part of the collection are the letters from Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel' to his wife Ol'ga during his time in the Army. The original correspondence was sent over an extensive time period; starting in pre-revolutionary times, through the Russian Revolution and Civil War period, and ending with the emigration. The letters give a unique picture of the dynamic situation in the Russian Army in exile with information on various people, military units and schools in emigration.
Baroness Olga Mikhailovna Vrangel' worked as a volunteer nurse with the Russian Army during World War I, and after the revolution headed a group of volunteers who organized a tuberculosis sanitarium in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. During the 1930s, while living in Belgium, she raised funds for the support and education of young Russian refugees. She later came to the United States, where she died in 1968. Olga Mikhailovna served as chairman of the Ladies Welfare Committee at Our Lady of Kazan Russian Orthodox Church in Long Island. Her papers include personal documents and correspondence.
The papers of Baron Alexis (Aleksei Petrovich) Vrangel' contain materials on their family genealogy, correspondence, and a memoirs relating to the Russian Civil War and his grandfather Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel'.
The increment received in 2009 contains material relating to conservative Russian journalist Mikhail Katkov, grandfather of Olga Vrangel.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into four series: Family file, Photographs, Mlitary Archive, and Katkov Family file.

Related Material

There are two additional Vrangel' collections in the Hoover Institution. One originates with General Baron Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel' and another with Baroness Maria D. Vrangel'.
Vrangel' collection, 1916-1929, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Baronessa Mariia Dmitrievna Vrangel' collection, 1915-1944, Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Russia -- Emigration and immigration
Soviet Union -- History -- Revolution, 1917-1921
World War, 1914-1918 -- Russia
Officers
Refugees
Russia. Armii͡a

 

Family file 1908-2003.

General Physical Description note: 5 boxes

Scope and Contents note

Includes letters, service records, personal papers, articles, and obituaries relating to General Baron Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel'.

Arrangement note

Arranged chronologically.
box 1, folder 1-2

Family history undated

General note

Available on microfilm reel 1

Scope and Contents note

Includes correspondence, astrological chart, the book Geschichte der Wrangel zur dänischen und Ordenszeit, and an edict of the Most Holy Synod of Russia (photocopy)
 

Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel' (1878-1928) 1908-2003

box 1, folder 3

Children's drawing undated

General note

Available on microfilm reel 1
box 1, folder 4

Fairy tale and nursery rhymes, holograph (in Russian) by Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel' undated

General note

Available on microfilm reel 1
box 1, folder 5

Service record 1921 December 29

General note

Available on microfilm reel 1
box 1, folder 6

Order of the day 1916 January 27

General note

Available on microfilm reel 1
 

Correspondence

 

Ol'ga Mikhailovna Vrangel' (wife)

 

Pre-revolutionary period

box 1, folder 7-8

1908-1914

General note

Available on microfilm reel 1
box 1, folder 9

1914-1915

General note

Available on microfilm reel 1
box 1, folder 10

1914-1917

General note

Available on microfilm reel 1
box 1, folder 11

1915-1916

General note

Available on microfilm reel 1
box 1, folder 12

Letters from the Army (after the Revolution) 1917.

General note

Available on microfilm reel 1

Scope and Contents note

Includes typescripts of the letters.
box 1, folder 13

Civil War 1919-1921

General note

Available on microfilm reel 1
 

Emigration

General note

Available on microfilm reel 1
box 1, folder 14

1921-1928

General note

Available on microfilm reel 1
box 1, folder 15

circa 1923

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
box 1, folder 16

1923-1924

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
box 1, folder 17

1926

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
box 2, folder 1

1927

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
box 2, folder 2-3

1927-1928

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
box 2, folder 4

Princess Mariia Vladimorovna 1918-1928

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2

Scope and Contents note

Includes letters from Ol'ga Mikhailovna Vrangel'.
box 2, folder 5

Boris Alekseevich regarding Russian Army in Constantinople 1921 May 13

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
 

Publications devoted to the last Russian Commander in Chief Lieutenant General Baron Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel' 1928-2003

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
 

Clippings

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
box 2, folder 6

Bound 1953-1978

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
box 2, folder 7

Loose 1960-2003

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
 

Newspapers and magazines

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
box 2, folder 8

1928

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
box 2, folder 9

1929

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
box 2, folder 10

1957

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
box 2, folder 11

1971.

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2

Scope and Contents note

Includes articles commemorating departure of the White Army from the Crimea.
box 2, folder 12

1979

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
box 2, folder 13

1980

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
box 2, folder 14

1981

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
box 2, folder 15

1982

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
box 2, folder 16

1993

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
box 2, folder 17

1998

General note

Available on microfilm reel 2
 

Death anniversaries

box 2, folder 18

Thirtieth 1958

General note

Available on microfilm reel 3
box 2, folder 19

Fortieth 1968

General note

Available on microfilm reel 3
box 2, folder 20

Fiftieth 1978

General note

Available on microfilm reel 3
 

Obituaries and letters and telegrams of condolence on the death of Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel' 1928

General note

Available on microfilm reel 3
box 3, folder 1-2

General

General note

Available on microfilm reel 3
box 3, folder 3

Volume 1 (Russian correspondents)

General note

Available on microfilm reel 3
box 3, folder 4

Volume 2 (Foreign correspondents)

General note

Available on microfilm reel 4
 

Clippings (bound)

General note

Available on microfilm reel 4
box 4, folder 1

Russian newspapers and magazines 1928

General note

Available on microfilm reel 4
box 10, folder 1

Rossiia, newspaper 1928 May 5

General note

Available on microfilm reel 10
box 4, folder 2

Foreign media 1928

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 4, folder 3

Près de la tombe, musique de Th. Evsevsky, symphony devoted to General Baron Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel' 1928.

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5

Scope and Contents note

Includes marches of Kirasir and Sumy Regiments.
 

Ol'ga Mikhailovna Vrangel', wife of Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel' (1885-1968) 1908-1968

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 1

Marriage certificate of Petr Vrangel' and O'lga Ivanenko 1908 October 1

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 2

Passports 1918-1946

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 3

Certificates and travel documents (as a wife of the Commander in Chief of the Russian Army) 1912-1919

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
 

Correspondence

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 4

General 1917-1923

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 5

Family undated.

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5

Scope and Contents note

Includes letters from her daughters Natal'ia and Elena.
box 5, folder 6

Obituaries and letters of condolence 1968

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 10, folder 2

"Fears for Finland Future," interview with Baroness Vrangel in the Detroit News 1940 February 11

General note

Available on microfilm reel 10
box 5, folder 7

Mariia Dmitrievna Vrangel', 1857-1944 (mother of Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel'). Letter to her granddaughter Natal'ia undated

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
 

Alexis (Aleksei Petrovich) Vrangel', son of Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel' (1922-2005) 1922-2004

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
 

Personal documents and service papers

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 8

Birth certificate 1922 July 7

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 9

Mein Stammbuch Vrangel' family genealogy compiled by Alexis Vrangel' 1936.

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5

Scope and Contents note

In German.
box 5, folder 10

Marriage certificates

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 11

Certificate of naturalization, United States of America 1948 December 13

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 12

Diplomas

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 13

Letter of recommendation, Headquarters, Continental Air Command, Mitchell Air Force Base, New York 1955

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 14

Correspondence 1958-2004

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 15

Publishing file 1961-1987

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5

Scope and Contents note

Includes letter from A. Shcherbatov regarding the Smolensk GPU Archive .
 

Photographs 1912-1929.

Physical Description: 7.0 folders

Scope and Contents note

Prints depicting Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel' during the Russian Civil War and in exile. Many prints depict his burial in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.

Arrangement note

Arranged chronologically.
box 5, folder 18

Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel' undated.

Physical Description: 2.0 photographs

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 19

Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel' as Horse Guards officer, Saint Petersburg, Russia 1912

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 19

Parade in Tsaritsyn (Southern Russia) with General Denikin, Civil War 1919

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 19

Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel' with his wife, Constantinople 1921.

Physical Description: 2.0 prints

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 19

Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel' with cadets in Yugoslavia 1922.

Physical Description: 2.0 prints

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 20

General Baron Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel' in Zemun, Yugoslavia 1922 March 19.

Physical Description: 1.0 album

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 21

Russian Army in the Balkans 1922-1923.

Physical Description: 1.0 postcard_album

General note

Available on microfilm reel 5
box 5, folder 22

Russian Army in exile (everyday activities) 1925.

Physical Description: 1.0 album

General note

Available on microfilm reel 6
box 5, folder 23

Petr Nikolaevich Vrangel', burial in Belgrade, Yugoslavia 1929.

Physical Description: 29.0 prints

General note

Available on microfilm reel 6
box 10, folder 3

Ninth Siberian Battalion, Ura-Tiub 1870 August.

Physical Description: 1.0 print

General note

Available on microfilm reel 10
 

Military archive 1914

Physical Description: 4.0 boxes
box 6, folder 1

Polki Imperatorgkoi konnitsy, bound manuscript circa 1914.

General note

Available on microfilm reel 6

Scope and Contents note

Includes verses.
box 6, folder 2

Polki Imperatorgkoi kavalerii, holograph lists undated

General note

Available on microfilm reel 6
 

Shatilov, P. N., General, memoirs undated.

box 6, folder 3-5

Volumes 1-3 undated.

General note

Available on microfilm reel 6
box 7, folder 1-4

Volumes 4-6 undated.

General note

Available on microfilm reels 7 and 8
box 8, folder 1-5

Volumes 7-11 undated.

General note

Available on microfilm reels 8 and 9
box 9, folder 1-2

Volumes 12-13 undated.

General note

Available on microfilm reel 9

Scope and Contents note

Includes content summary
box 9, folder 3

Sbornik Rossiiskoi voennoi poezii, izdanie obshche-kadetskogo ob'edineniia, Paris 1957

General note

Available on microfilm reel 9
 

Katkov family file 1854-1910

Physical Description: 2.0 Files

General note

Available on microfilm reels 9 and 10
box 9, folder 4

Letters, memoranda, and essays by M. N. Katkov, copied by his daughter, N. M. Ivanenko undated.

General note

Available on microfilm reel 10

Scope and Contents note

Bound manuscript
box 6, folder 2

Correspondence relating to the Katkov family 1849-1910

General note

Available on microfilm reel 6
 

2022 Incremental Materials

box 11

One letter in Russian in a folder titled in English "Tragic love"