Alexander Ivanovitch Petrunkevitch papers

The Alexander Ivanovitch Petrunkevitch Papers consist of correspondence, writings, personal memorabilia, and photographs which relate to Petrunkevitch's family and his interests in Russia, particularly the Russian revolution. The papers contain numerous letters from Petrunkevitch's father Ivan Il'ich Petrunkevitch and his stepmother Anastasia Petrunkevitch which focus on their years in exile in Crimea and, after the 1905 revolution, the work of the Constitutional Democratic Party. The papers contain no materials on Alexander Petrunkevitch's teaching career or his research on arachnids.

The papers are arranged in three series: I. CORRESPONDENCE, 1886-1963 II. WRITINGS, 1917-1963 III. PERSONAL PAPERS AND PHOTOGRAPHS, 1894-1964

Series I, CORRESPONDENCE, contains Petrunkevitch's correspondence with family members and with Russian friends and associates. Most of the letters are in Russian, with lesser quantities in English and German. The letters in the "General" folders are arranged in chronological order; the bulk of the material dates from 1919 to 1924. Petrunkevitch's commitment to furthering American-Russian cooperation is reflected in his letters as president of the Russian Collegiate Institute beginning in 1917 and as a member of the Inter-Racial Council beginning in 1919. Correspondence with August Weismann, Petrunkevitch's mentor at the University of Freiburg, is in folder 38.

The bulk of the series, however, is composed of Petrunkevitch's letters from his father and stepmother Ivan Il'ich and Anastasia Petrunkevitch. The letters commence when Alexander Petrunkevitch leaves home as a young student in 1886. By 1899 when Petrunkevitch was studying in Germany there are monthly letters. Ivan Petrunkevitch's lengthy letters from Tver concern his involvement in the Zemski Sobor, while his stepmother, who signs herself Nastia, writes of family matters. Letters from 1904 to 1911 are written from Crimea and contain observations of Tatar life and customs. Though Ivan Petrunkevitch was elected as a delegate from Crimea to the first Duma in 1905, there are few contemporary letters to document this period. Letters from 1919 on, however, when Ivan Petrunkevitch was engaged in writing his memoirs, contain extensive reflections on the 1905 Revolution, the Constitutional Democratic Party, and the political climate through 1918. Following the Bolshevik Revolution the Petrunkevitchs fled Russia and eventually settled in Prague (1924). Letters from Prague reflect Ivan Petrunkevitch's interest in the democratic experiment of T.G. Masaryk's government.

Series II, WRITINGS, consists of Alexander Petrunkevitch's addresses, articles, book reviews, and poetry. Most of Petrunkevitch's articles concern Russia, particularly the political climate before, during, and after the October Revolution. Petrunkevitch's Russian poetry is in the romantic tradition and narrates tales of tragic love.

Petrunkevitch's personal papers and photographs comprise Series III. The series includes memorabilia such as family history, certificates, awards, and diplomas and files which document Petrunkevitch's interests in Russian organizations in America. Petrunkevitch's journals contain personal reflections as well as additional examples of his poetry. Petrunkevitch published some of these Russian poems under his pseudonym A. Jon-Ruban in Leipzig in 1900. Photographs of Petrunkevitch, his family, friends, and the Russian countryside are in folders 75-79 and 85-87. The photograph album for 1903 (folder 75) contains pictures taken on Petrunkevitch's return visit to Pliski with his American wife.