Register of the Alex N. Kniazeff (Aleksei Nikolaevich Kniazev) papers
Finding aid prepared by Hoover Institution Library and Archives Staff
Hoover Institution Library and Archives
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Title: Alex N. Kniazeff (Aleksei Nikolaevich Kniazev) papers
Date (inclusive): 1911-1993
Collection Number: 2000C46
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: In Russian and English
Physical Description:
52 manuscript boxes, 2 oversize boxes, 17 microfilm reels
(13.4 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Correspondence, minutes, financial records, bulletins, personal documents, printed matter, and photographs, relating to the
Russian Boy Scouts movement abroad and to Russian émigré affairs. In part, microfilm.
Creator:
Kniazeff, Alex N., 1909-1993
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Access
The collection is open for research; 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.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Alex N. Kniazeff Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Location of Originals
In part, originals in: Museum of Russian Culture, San Francisco.
Chronology
1909 August 5 (N.S.) |
Born, Tsitsihar, China |
1933 |
Degree, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Harbin Polytechnic Institute, Harbin, China |
1935-1948 |
Scoutmaster, Tientsin, China |
|
Engineering and administrative positions, Kailan Mining Administration, Tientsin, China |
1941 April 27 |
Married Eugenia Smikovska |
1949-1951 |
General Consulting Engineer, International Refugee Organization, Tubabao, Samar, Philippines |
1952-1955 |
Instructor of Russian, U. S. Army Language School, Monterey, California |
1955-1958 |
Instrumentation Designer, Bechtel Corporation, San Francisco, California |
1958-1974 |
Senior Draftsman, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San Francisco, California |
1959- |
Scoutmaster, Natsional'naia organizatsiia rossiiskikh skautov (St. George's Knights) |
1993 |
Died, San Francisco, California |
Biography
Born at Tsitsikhar station on the Chinese Eastern Railway on 5 August 1909, where his father, an army engineer officer, was
stationed, Kniazev spent the first half of his life in China. As his father was transferred to Manchuria station, where he
was commandant during the Russian Civil War, and later to Harbin, where he was assistant commandant, A. N. Kniazeff moved
with him, graduating from American Methodist College in Harbin in 1927. From 1927 to 1933 he was a student at Harbin Polytechnic
Institute, receiving his baccalaureate degree in electrical and mechanical engineering. Simultaneously, he completed a training
course at the Russkii Obshchevoinskii soiuz military academy in 1934.
Following his graduation, he moved to Tientsin, where he worked as an engineer for a number of companies until 1945, when
he was forced to escape to Shanghai. He was interned at Tubabao refugee camp until January 1951, when he finally arrived in
San Francisco. From 1952 to 1955 he was an instructor at the Army Language School in Monterey until he was able to secure
employment closer to his field of specialization, first as an instrumentation designer for Bechtel Corporation (1955-1958),
and then at Pacific Gas and Electric Company until retirement (1958-1974).
As a member of the Russian boy scouts since 1922 in Harbin, he rose to become Chief Russian Scout of St. George's Knights
(Natsional'naia organizatsiia russkikh skautov). Kniazeff died in San Francisco in 1993.
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of correspondence, clippings and other matter reflecting Kniazeff's involvement in various émigré
organizations. He was a member of the San Francisco Trans-Baikal Cossacks' Stanitza and of the Harbin Polytechnic Alumni Association,
and senior scoutmaster of the Natsional'naia Organizatsiia Russkikh Skautov (National Organization of Russian Scouts, or St.
George's Knights, as it was incorporated in California). Most of the collection relates to the history of the Russian Boy
Scout movement abroad, particularly for the period 1963-1975.
Detailed processing and preservation microfilming for these materials were made possible by a generous grant from the National
Endowment for the Humanities and by matching funds from the Hoover Institution and the Museum of Russian Culture. The grant
also provides depositing a microfilm copy in the Hoover Institution Library & Archives. The original materials remain in the
Museum of Russian Culture, San Francisco, as its property. A transfer table indicating corresponding box and reel numbers
is available at the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
The Hoover Institution assumes all responsibility for notifying users that they must comply with the copyright law of the
United States (Title 17 United States Code) and Hoover Rules for the Use and Reproduction of Archival Materials.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Russians -- United States
Boy Scouts
Nat͡sionalʹnai͡a organizat͡sii͡a russkikh skautov
BIOGRAPHICAL FILE
1918-1977
Scope and Contents note
Includes family documents and illustrated manuscript by Kniazeff's father on carpentry, as well as personal, employment and
army reserve files on Kniazeff's career, arranged alphabetically by subject
box 1, folder 1
General - "Personal file," .
1930-1977
Scope and Contents note
Includes awards, certificates, commendations, diploma and other documents relating to Kniazeff's education, employment and
social activities
Kniazev, Nikolai Ivanovich
box 1, folder 2
Identity papers
1918-1949
box 1, folder 3
Writing entitled "Plotnichnoe iskusstvo,"
n.d.
Scope and Contents note
Holograph
box 1, folder 4
Kniazeva, Nadezhda Alekseevna.
Scope and Contents note
Identity document, 1938
box 1, folder 5
Grievance against Pacific Gas and Electric
1969-1972
box 1, folder 6
Military service in the U. S. Army Active Reserve
1954-1967
CORRESPONDENCE
1969-1987
Scope and Contents note
Arranged chronologically by correspondent
box 1, folder 9
Koslovsky, B. and N.
1973
box 1, folder 14
Tokmakov, Mstislav Vladimirovich
1970
NATSIONAL'NAIA ORGANIZATSIIA RUSSKIKH SKAUTOV (St. George's Knights, Inc.)
1918-1989
Scope and Contents note
Consists of correspondence, orders, minutes, publications and other materials, arranged alphabetically by physical form
box 2, folder 2
1
st Burlingame Druzhina
1965-1975
1
st San Francisco Druzhina
1966-1972
box 2, folder 4
Orders, minutes and circulars
box 2, folder 5
Summer camps.
Scope and Contents note
Guides, handbooks and documents relating to their organization, 1965-1970
Correspondence.
Scope and Contents note
Includes clippings, personal correspondence and other forms of material
Incoming and outgoing letters
box 10, folder 1
Mercier (Mers'e), V. V.
1972-1979
box 10, folder 3
Sedliarevich, N. M.
1973-1979
box 10, folder 4
Minutes of meetings
1959-1974
box 10, folder 5
Senior Russian Scout (O. I. Pantiukhov)
1964-1970
box 10, folder 6
North American Section of N.O.R.S.
1960-1973
Publications.
Scope and Contents note
Listed alphabetically by title
box 10, folder 7
Davaite spoem: Sbornik skautskikh pesen, .
1965
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
Informatsionnyi biulleten'.
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
box 11, folder 2
Listok ispytanii na razriady, .
c. 1938
Scope and Contents note
Printed copy
box 11, folder 3
Programma na 3-ii i 2-oi razriady
n.d.
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
Russkie skauty, 1909-1969
1969
box 11, folder 4
Typescript.
Scope and Contents note
Consists of materials collected by Kniazeff. May include material not present in published edition
box 11, folder 6
Skautenok, .
#4 (1963) - 9 (1965)
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
box 11, folder 7
Vpered, .
#4 (1959), 8-11 (1960)
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
box 12, folder 1
Writings of scoutmaster E. Orlova.
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
SUBJECT FILE
1926-1989
Scope and Contents note
Consists mainly of materials relating to the organizations Kniazeff was involved in, arranged alphabetically by name of organization,
and therein by physical form
American-Russian San Francisco Bay Region Credit Union.
Scope and Contents note
Clippings, correspondence, financial statements, reports, printed matter and other materials relating to this organization's
activities
CORO Corporation (Consolidated Real Estate Opportunities Corporation).
Scope and Contents note
Consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence, financial statements, annual and semi-annual reports and other materials
Kharbinskii Politekhnicheskii Institut (Harbin Polytechnic Institute). Primarily composed of documents relating to the activities
of its alumni association.
Scope and Contents note
Includes clippings of reminiscences and other related matter
Obshche-kazachii soiuz v g. San Frantsisko (All Cossack's Union of San Francisco).
Scope and Contents note
Includes material pertaining to other Cossack organizations
box 15, folder 2
Printed matter.
Scope and Contents note
Includes
Kazachii klich, #1 (March 1954) and
Kazak, #176-192 (1963-1964, incomplete)
box 15, folder 3
Organizatsiia rossiiskikh iunykh razvedchikov
box 15, folder 4
Rossiiskii natsional'no-trudovoi soiuz
box 15, folder 5
Russian Center, San Francisco (Russkii Tsentr)
box 15, folder 6
Russian Community Club, Inc., San Mateo, California (Russkii Obshchestvennyi Klub)
box 16, folder 1
Russkaia Pravoslavnaia Tserkov' (Orthodox Eastern Church, Russian).
Scope and Contents note
Includes award presented by Archbishop Viktor of China to G. M. Ivanov, 1940 October 12
box 16, folder 2
Society of Russian Veterans, San Francisco (Obshchestvo russkikh veteranov Velikoi voiny).
Scope and Contents note
Includes typed draft of B. B. Filimonov's "Bor'ba v Zaural'e," 1935, published serially in the Society's journal,
Viestnik Obshchestva veteranov Velikoi voiny, correspondence relating to its publication and author, and other materials for publication in the journal, as well as documents
relating to the organization's other activities
box 16, folder 3
Trans-Baikal Cossacks' Stanitza of San Francisco
PRINTED MATTER
1917-1987
Scope and Contents note
Includes calendars, clippings, leaflets, programs and issues of periodicals, arranged alphabetically by physical form
box 17, folder 6-7
Periodicals.
Scope and Contents note
Includes issues of
Nash vestnik (Tubabao), 1951 and
Kharbinskoe vremia, #17 (1941)
box 18, folder 1-3
Periodicals.
Scope and Contents note
Includes holiday issues of
Russkaia zhizn', 1964-1969
box 18, folder 4-5
Programs.
Scope and Contents note
Mostly from San Francisco in the 1950s-1960s, but some from Russia, 1917 and possibly earlier - musical evenings, balls and
school productions
Material has not yet been described.
box 46
Material not yet described
box 47
Material not yet described
box 48
Material not yet described
box 49
Material not yet described
box 50
Material not yet described
box 51
Material not yet described
box 52
Material not yet described
box 53
Material not yet described
box 54
Material not yet described