Vladimir Kitayevsky

Kobrin → Outstanding persons

 Memoirs of the daughter. What I remember

My father on December 31, 1940 at the age of 44 years died. It is possible to consider that on New Year's Eve. Then this day we as at Orthodox Christians, it was not celebrated yet, and – on January 14, to mother had 35 years, me – 7,5, and to the brother there are incomplete 4 years. There was it in the evening. I stood at its bed, especially without realizing that occurs. The grandmother, mother's mother, gave in hands to it a candle. My mother was not at this time of house. She was afraid to watch how he hard died. He was ill about two weeks – caught a cold. Then there was a frosty 40th-degree winter and for my father very adverse time. It had even frost-bitten fingers on a hand. He did not take any medicine. Time - two came physicians. Examined also on it the end. That night we with the brother laid down with mother on one bed in other room. The grandmother – on the furnace (she with us did not live). Mother dreamed that the father offered her very cold hand and told: "I came to say goodbye".

The father was very representative in appearance, is high growth, an athletic constitution, with beautiful bones of a face and very lovely smile. Having quiet, balanced character, never raised on anybody the voice. Never hit us, children. To it it was rather tender to tell: "Galinka, do not look here, I will wash". And I, of course, never dared to look in that party. It was very goodhearted. It inhabitants constantly addressed for council, needing the help, to write something, some applications, etc. He never rowed to mother though she to it sometime and had some there claims and character – not from the best. As she spoke, she was irritated most of all by its tranquility i.e. as it reacted to her emotions. Fellows villager had to it the best memory. Because of it, after his death, respected also my mother, tried to help it with something. We lived with it in the worst situation subsequently. At retreat of Germans everything that was burned down. Sometimes it was necessary to sleep under the open sky. To live in a cellar, but not long as also that burned down because on a floor there was a straw.

After his death paper came from Minsk that the father is admitted to the Writers' Union. With arrival of Russians it sent the verses to Minsk, in connection with belonging to Belarus. Wrote, probably, in Russian as then we had no Belarusian. It was remembered as the father wrote: continuously, without reflecting as though verses occurred to it. I almost did not see any corrections in its notebooks. (I was taught to read early as I cried that all are able to read, and I – am not present, 5 years I already fluently read the newspaper). During war mother earthed its verses in bags. When later dug out, little remained and those with the pro-smoldering edges, the others – decayed. After war, I do not know, what is the time, searched for the father as Ukrainian poet. They managed it not at once as looked for it in Zhabinkovsky district. From where we moved to of Tevli of Kobrin district in 1938. Once to us the familiar teacher came and told that the father is looked for long ago and that he prompted where it is possible to find a family of Kitayevsky who is already dead.

It agrees, the metric record found me in Zhabinkovsky archive (REGISTRY OFFICE) made in Vezhki's (arrival) church to appear the following: Vladimir Ignatyevich Kitayevsky was born on June 3 (old style) 1896 in the village Pillars in the corporal's family. Father: Kitayevsky Ignatiy Ivanovich. Mother: Keskevich Anna Vasilyevna. Orthodox Christians. The nationality was not specified but only – religion. Then it was the Grodno province, the Muravyevsky volost, the Kobrin County, and now – the Brest region, Zhabinkovsky district. At Poland was – the voivodeship Polesia Kobrin to a povet. They were a sort from the town of Kamentsa near Bialowieza Forest. Kamenets as the city was erected in the 12th century by the prince Volynsk Vladimir Vasilyevich, and also – a big tower – White Vezha who costs to this day. Now in it the museum is located. Kamenets for centuries many times passed from hand to hand. At the Lithuanian reigning it held a specific place as got in the way from Viln. In the 14th century. there was Vitovt's lock, kN here. Lithuanian.

When the grandfather of my father, Ivan Kitayevsky married, they bought Pillars from the landowner of 20 hectares of the earth in present Zhabinkovsky district in the village, in km 35 from Kaments. They located on the farm near the railroad, were engaged in economy, held a windmill. Two sons – Ignat and Pyotr, also daughters had. They were engaged as mechanics, could repair different equipment. Daughters povykhodit in marriage, sons got married and shared. Ignatius took in the wife the bride from Kaments, the clerk's daughter – Keskevich Anna Vasilyevna. They had three sons. Younger Vladimir is my father. The senior Fedor died years 30 from a sort. The poem of the father "On the death of the brother" remained. Average – endured my father and died somewhere in 51-52 years. My grandfather Ignatius (he died till my birth) was as now call the psychic. Plus to it when was at war in the Turkish war, bought black magic from the Turk. Having thoroughly studied it, successfully showed miracles different there just for fun. Also succeeded in assistance to patients. Children to his death were still "vyyunosha" and he did not manage to teach them to it so far. Prior to World War I of 1914 my father continued the education in the city. During war of all inhabitants evacuated deep into the Russian Empire. The family of the father arrived to the Kherson region, In the same place died of flu and his father Ignatius is buried. You have to have a statement of the grandfather for release of the father from a compulsory military service as then it was made for gifted people. In this application the farm address where they then lived is written. But the father refused this privilege. It were released, the chief suggested it to give lessons to the daughters.

The father was all the time at the front, in entrenchments, sometimes on a knee in water. Had the officer's rank, it seems the Finnish regiment (this document at us was stored before war). It was twice wounded and is heavy. Once his hospital attendants did not pick up, considered as the dead. Having regained consciousness, he reached some there hospital. When went, pursued it some with a bayonet and with shout "stop!" the Father stopped and waited for death. The run-up soldier looked at him and shouted: "And! – Kitayevsky!" And poper back. The father before him never saw. It was already civil war. The father served in Red Army. After wound the right hand at it did not work. He learned to write with the left hand, also as right. Then departed, remained only a little bent a little finger. Served as the paramedic. Offered it: "You can put a thermometer? – Work! " After the end of war worked as the hospital attendant in the Kherson lunatic asylum, it had a bride certain Eleonora Shtybert there.

When to refugees allowed to come back home, mother of the father decided to leave home. The father saw off her with to return back to Kherson. They arrived to the village Pillars on the empty ashes – neither house nor home. Come back huddled in tents from branches from what got. Is there was nothing. The father settled the worker on the railroad. Took the loan, constructed a lodge. He as closed border did not manage to go back to Kherson. In connection with the contract with Pilsudsky, these lands departed under Poland. The father tried to cross the border. His Poles caught and obliged whole year to go daily in a gmina to be noted (in Polish – to meldovatsya).

He wrote verses constantly, read them surrounding, familiar wrote acrostics. There is an acrostic and for me, even two. Also underground workers against pansky Poland used its verses. Some remember its verses also now by heart. It was published in the Ukrainian magazine "V_kna" – in Lviv. As the educated person was put vuyty gmina in the village of Tevli, in km 10 from Pillars. Shortly it was removed for privileges for peasants, for the decision to open schools for children in Ukrainian, etc.

The foreman Mendelchuk Ostap with the large family lived in the neighboring village of Lyshchika on the farm: 5 daughters and two sons, the third died in war. One of daughters Ulyana, my future mother was especially good themselves. 34-year-old single Voight came to her elder brother to a soltys, as obliges. Mother's father to it already died of a consumption of years in 50. And, of course, my father with an ulterior motive composed it verses, wrote letters, laid down them in a borka somewhere under penky by agreement with it, took a detour to pass by its farm. It still had a groom over the ocean which saw it during the holiday, decided to marry it for now he sent it letters and gifts. Of course, my father, intelligent and noble was pleasant to mother more, than a little boorish rich emigrant though he was beautiful too. The father because of the nobility did not decide to make it the proposal, did not want to deprive of it well-planned life. He could bring it into a small lodge where there lived mother and still the single brother to whom the daughter-in-law "rustic to a sort" as they then considered was not desirable at all. After arrival of the American the wedding took place. The father, though expected it, took very hard. Probably, also my mother as she came back twice from Warsaw where the elder brother after development of the visa to following across the ocean to the husband saw off her tested too. Next time she did not come back home any more, and to the Lyshchikovsky landowner, her good acquaintance. From there also my father on the apartment to the remote village of Leskovo took away it. There was it in 1930. All family was in good mood, mainly because mother was married to another. Then they lived in the village of Tevli, in the place of work of the father. Here in 1932 I was born. Soon moved to Pillars again. In 1936 my brother Vyacheslav was born. The grandmother, the father's mother, did not live with us as they did not get on with mother. The average brother of the father already married and lived in Kamentsa. The father trough, a t.a worked as the roadman or the foreman – I do not know how more precisely to tell. Between the American and the father there was a correspondence. Mother says that that was employed men what the father would be killed, but one of them warned him about it.

In 1938 sold in Pillars and bought the quite good house from the Jew in Tevlyakh with two hectares of the earth. In this village there was a railway station with depot and a pumping station, different establishments and shops. There lived many Poles and the Jew. Poles considered the father as the communist and some of them took great pain to bother him, did on him false denunciations. Financial position here much worsened because of purchase of the house. The father was dismissed again. With arrival of the Soviet power in 1939 the father was elected the chairman of the Village Council. Its health was affected on the front in entrenchments and from wounds. Though it almost sick did not lie. The chairman then had an uneasy activity, came to him not only in the afternoon, but also at night. Knocked supposedly "spent such enemy there". The father was a person sentimental as he was expressed, and any violence was opposite to him. He refused the chairman's position, completed a monthly course of training on the teacher. Received a position at rural school in the village Fistulas of Zhabinkovsky district, in 12 km from Tevly. We had to move there. We lived in school on the second floor one winter. The father was dismissed again, probably, someone again on him made some denunciation, only nobody knows anything. Obviously, counted him as "enemy" on the fact that it worked as Voight as considers mother. Financial position became heavier. At this time still the boy was born. Childbirth was heavy, and he was a dead. The doctor already advised the father to say goodbye to mother, thought, as she will not sustain.

All this came to an end in an illness and death of the father, can warned still something heavy. In half a year war began.

On a funeral of the father there were only mother's relatives. Mother of the father died a little before him. The brother of his veins in Kamentsa also did not know about his death. And cousin in Pillars were in contention with mother and too probably, did not know, and maybe did not want to come. He is buried in the place of the last residence in the village of Tevli. The father wrote me an acrostic.

Years will pass, you will grow up
And at this time, can be.
Loving, a nadgrobnik, you will read
Also you will tell, the father is buried here.

But I had to run still the child one on his mogilka for one and a half-two km. The father has now 6 grandsons (two daughters at me) and four great-grandsons (three at me).

Pigeon you sit over the book,
And to read you the skilled worker.
You love knowledge and with a young force,
You Izlovchatsya to study.

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