RURIK, regarded as the first of the RUS and the origin of the name given
to RUSSIA, was born about 810 and died about 879. His origin is thought
to be Scandinavian, or possibly Jutland (present day Denmark) from a Viking
clan, an offshoot of the Varangians. There are differing theories as to
whether he and his clan invaded the area of KIEV or whether he was invited
in to provide security as a mercenary force against invaders attempting
to disrupt the lucrative trading activities centered in Novgorod on the
Volkhov river. In any case, his kinsman Oleg founded the grand principality
of Kiev and was succeeded by Prince Rurik's son IGOR (912 - 945) who is
considered to be the real founder of the Russian princely house.
The descendants of IGOR established among other princely houses those of
Moscow and Tver. The MOURAVIEFFs are allegedly descendants of YAROSLAV
(Grand Prince of VLADIMIR 1264-1271) and actual records of them have
been documented as early as 1488. The MOURAVIEFF name is often associated
with high ranking military and diplomatic posts. A MOURAVIEFF led Russian
conquests of Poland under Catherine the Great, the establishment of the
Amur
and Ussuri Rivers as the boundary with China in 1858 and the founding of
Vladivostok in 1860. The Amursky Peninsula, a large peninsula
in Siberia where Vladivostok is situated is named to this day after Nicolai
Muraviev who was given the title of Count Amursky. The Mouravieff name
is also closely associated with the Decembrist uprising in 1825 against
Tsar Nicholas I. In 1761, Ivan Mouravieff married the only daughter of
Peter Apostol, the son of Hetman Daniel Apostol. In 1800, at the request
of Peter, Ivan's son Matvei agreed to attach the Apostol name to his own
to prevent the Apostol family name from dying out. Thus was born the name
Mouravieff-Apostol.
In 1238, a MONGOL army under Batu, grandson of GENGHIS KHAN, invaded
Rus and in 1240 captured KIEV. It was ransacked many times over the ensuing
100 years by the Tatars based in the Crimea. It is most probable that the
APOSTOL family has its roots in the Crimea and served as the Khan's representative
ruling over regions to the south and east of Kiev. Indeed, the word "Apostol"
in Russian means "designated Chief of the conquered
nation". These feudal states
were headed by a Hetman who was elected by the various tribal chiefs. The first documented APOSTOL is PAUL, born about 1630. His son, the Hetman Daniel,
was born in 1654 and died in 1737. This was the Hetman Period in the Ukraine's
history . His father or grandfather probably helped the Cossacks in 1648
capture KIEV and then under increasing 
military
pressure from the Polish offered their allegiance to Moscow under Tsar
Peter the Great. The Treaty of Andrusovo in 1667 concluded the
absorption of the Ukraine west of the Dnieper into the Russian Empire as
an autonomous Cossack state under the protection of Moscow. By 1686 Kiev
became part of Russia and under Catherine the Great in 1793, the Ukraine
east of the Dnieper River had also joined the Russian Empire. Daniel Apostol
was the last of the Hetman (Ataman) warlords and was elected from the city
of Glouchov though his residence was in Homoutetz near Mirgorod and the
village of Poltava. He built his church at Velikii-Sorochintzi made famous
by the 19th century poet Gogol. His rule ended in 1725. Little is known
of his son Peter except that Peter's daughter, Elena, the last surviving
APOSTOL, married Ivan Mouravieff in 1761 and Peter later requested
their son, IVAN, to add the name APOSTOL so that the APOSTOL family name
would live on.
Nothing is known of this family prior to NADJDE (affectionately known as Baboushka) marrying Theodore TERESCHENKO in 1883. Their daughter would then marry Vladimir MOURAVIEFF-APOSTOL-KOROBYINE, my grandfather. However, family tradition passed down suggests that this wealthy family in KIEV could trace its lineage back to King Pepin III the Short of France, father of Charlemagne (721 AD). Since Pepin III expanded his empire considerably and exchanged ambassadors with the Byzantine Emperor and the Caliphate of Baghdad, it is reasonable that some of his descendants could have settled in the easternmost parts of his empire.
This family first appears in KIEV during the 18th century and the first recorded ancestor is Artemyi TERESCHENKO, father of Theodore TERESCHENKO. THEODORE and his brother, NIKOLA, contributed huge sums of money to the development of KIEV and many of its institutions. Nikola's daughter, Barbara, married Bogdan HANENKO and together they established a collection of art in the Hanenko Museum of Kiev, financed in large part by the couple's father and uncle. The collection is now housed in two parts in the restored mansions of NIKOLA and THEODORE TERESCHENKO located in KIEV on Boulevard Tereschenko.
The Mouravieff-Apostol descendancy
The first MOURAVIEFF-APOSTOL was MATVEI, son of IVAN MOURAVIEFF,
who at the request of PETER APOSTOL added the name APOSTOL to that
of MOURAVIEFF. His marriage to Anna Tchernoevitch resulted in a daughter,
KATERINA, and three sons - MATVEI, SERGEI and HIPOLYTE. The son's became
leaders in the Decembrist movement of 1825 which was crushed by Tsar Nicholas
I resulting in Matvei being banished to Siberia, Sergei being hanged and
Hipolyte losing his life to a gunshot wound that some say
w
as
self-inflicted. Matvei was eventually allowed to return to his homeland
and had his honor reinstated by Tsar Alexander II in 1885. During his last
years, he befriended Vladimir KOROBYINE, his sister KATERINA's grandson.
Katerina married a Bibikof and their daughter married Vladimir's father.
Having no children to carry on the name of MOURAVIEFF-APOSTOL, Matvei requested
Vladimir KOROBYINE add the name to his. In 1886 by decree of the Tsar,
VLADIMIR KOROBYINE became VLADIMIR MOURAVIEFF-APOSTOL- KOROBYINE. He married
Nadya Tereschenkov and had three sons, Vadim, Andrew (my father) and Alexis.
Vadim died in 1999 and Alexis died in 2000. Andrew had three sons, Michael,
Christopher and me. Andrew died in 2002.
The KOROBYINE family name has been traced back to SELIVAN KOTCHU-BEY
in Constantinople who lived from about 1377 to 1463. The Bey
was a title of authority given to rulers of different tribes roaming the
anatolian steppes and other parts of
the Ottoman Empire. Apparently, the KOTCHU-BEY name became corrupted or
changed such that his son became known as IVAN SELIVANOVITCH KOROBIA .
By about 1482 with the birth of his son, IVAN IVANOVITCH, the name KOROBIA
had become KOROBYINE. Little is known of the family's exploits though the
lineage is well documented. VLADIMIR KOROBYINE (1826-1895) married KATERINA
BIBIKOV. It was their son, VLADIMIR (my grandfather), at the request of
the famed Decembrist, MATVEI MOURAVIEFF-APOSTOL, who added the name
MOURAVIEFF-APOSTOL by decree of Tsar Alexander II to his own to create
the current family name of MOURAVIEFF-APOSTOL-KOROBYINE.
The Manx side
Of Celt or probably Viking ancestry, this is the maternal side of my heritage.
For more detailed information visit
www.m-a-k.net
The Caines of the Isle of Man can be traced back for many generations. My ancestors of which we have direct records start with William Caine who was born around 1730. He had several children including a namesake son, William. He in turn reared a large family with one son being named John. Due to the poor economic conditions in the Isle of Man in these times and the fact that the family had lost all their property which they had used for farming, John went to Liverpool, England to earn a living. It was there that Thomas, the most famous of the Caines was born.
Sir
Hall Caine, born Thomas Henry Hall Caine, was a colorful personage famed
for his many novels about the Isle of Man. His books,
published between 1877 and 1931, were translated into dozens of languages
and often reached more than 20 re-printings. For his work during the first
world war, he was knighted Sir Hall Caine. This was unusual since most
such titles include only the first name. Apparently, Sir Hall Caine disliked
his given name of Thomas and convinced the King to bestow his title using
only his last names. He had two sons, Gordon Ralph and Derwent, who served
in Parliament with distinction and Derwent was also knighted and received
a baronet. Derwent had at least three children out of wedlock, one of whom,
Eline, was subsequently adopted by the elder Sir Hall Caine as his own
daughter. Gordon Ralph had a son, Derek and a daughter Mary, my mother.
Eline married Charles Gill and had a daughter, Gloria, who married a well
known American TV financial analyst, Luis Ruckheyser. They had three daughters
and live in the United States. Eline died in 1999. Derek, who died in 2004, had
a daughter, Melissa who now lives in New York. Mary had two sons, Michael and
Nicholas who live in New York and Florida. Mary died in December of 2003 in Florida.
More information on this illustrious family can be found at the
Hall Caine website.For more detailed information visit
www.hallcaine.com