Ivan Kositzin

Place of Birth

Blagoveschensk, Russia
Place of Death

San Francisco, USA
Burial Place

Russian Sectarian Cemetery in Colma, California

Ivan, with his wife Uliana, was the man who adopted Glebyshka (George) Petrovitch Buyanoff , raised him and brought him to the U. S. Information on Ivan comes from 3 sources: Ancestry.com documents, documents found in the Kositzin’s home (2008 and 2022) and first-hand recollections in an interview with Irene in 2008.

He was much more of a father to George than George’s biological father Peter. In a petition to adopt Gleb (George), Ivan writes about Gleb: “His father now disappears and his mother dies.” This petition was submitted to the District Court of Tientsin, Hopei Province, China on July 31, 1947. Since George was born in China, he was considered a Chinese citizen, as a result, adoption and emigration had to be approved by the Chinese government.

Ivan was born on July 12, 1883 in Blagoveschensk, Russia. Interestingly, there is an area Southeast of Blagoveschensk called Kositsino. We have no information to connect our surname with this region, but there is the possibility that our ancestors were from this region. Record-keeping and the retention of these recorded materials were not done accurately or securely. We can only assume that the city of Blagoveschensk was used on official government documents due to the commonality and recognition of the name. As an example, people from the Bay Area will say they are from San Francisco, when in reality they may be from a neighboring city.

He married Uliana Kositzin on November 8, 1901 in Blagoveschensk. In a document that Uliana submitted to the I. R. O. (International Refugee Organization), she states that Ivan: “Did never serve and nowhere.” We can assume that she is referring to Ivan not serving in the Russian Army. Another line Uliana wrote about Gleb furthers Peter’s neglect as a father: “…his father is lost soon after the communists have entered Harbin, and his whereabouts is unknown.”

Ivan was officially granted passage by the Bureau of Public Safety City Government of Greater Shanghai, in 1937 to travel from Shanghai to Harbin. Ivan and Uliana then led the migration with George from Harbin to Tientsin in 1940, then to Manila and then finally to San Francisco. Ivan became a naturalized citizen on May 15, 1956. The I. R.O. (International Refugee Organization), which was shut-down and replaced by The United Nations High Commission for Refugees, granted Ivan a Pass (May 1, 1949) and Certificate of Travel (January 28, 1950).

In September of 1956, Ivan wrote a letter to the The United Nations High Commission for Refugees and Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (Hong Kong Office) attempting to secure passage for Peter Buyanoff, Eudokia Kositzina (Evdokia was a cousin of Uliana – in family documents her name was written with a “v” not a “u”) and Irina Vera Buyanoff for Chile. (We have found no records of anyone in our family actually traveling into or out of Chile. Emigrants from Russia and Harbin took many different routes to emigrate to other countries). Ivan received a letter in response dated October 29, 1956, assuring him of passage after receipt of $900 U.S. dollars.

During their emigration processes, Ivan had to pay out over $1200 in U. S. currency. Obviously, that was a large amount of money during that period of time. George had mentioned during a conversation about his family some years ago, that his “father” had owned a business in Russia. According to George, his father (I am not clear if George had been referring to Peter or Ivan) had a merchant marine business and was wealthy. We can assume if this information is were factual that Ivan had a monetary sources to pay the required fee’s.

On July 2, 1957, Ivan sent a check to the First National City Bank of N. Y., for $300 U.S. dollars. This was to handle travel expenses for Evdokia and Irina only (no money for Peter – even though he was listed as a traveler in the first letter drafted by Ivan).

Ivan and Uliana arrived in San Francisco on March 17, 1950. They departed from Manila, a city in the Philippines, aboard the American Presidents line ship the President Cleveland on February 20, 1950. He made his residence’s at 1217 2 nd Avenue and 229 8 th Avenue in the Richmond District (Little Russia).