Peter Mihailovitch Buyanoff

Peter’s decision-making and actions have a direct affect on how our family began. If he had made one different decision, Information on Peter 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.

Peter is the son of Michael and Efemia Buyanoff. He had two sisters (Uliana Kositzin Buyanoff and Elena Ponomareff Buyanoff ) and two brothers (Demitrey and Paul). He is the biological father of Glebyshka (George) and Irina (Irene) and the biological grandfather of Jeff Kositzin, Susan Jackson Kositzin, Vera Crossfield Shegoleff, Brenda Nicolay Kositzin, Natalie Ferrari Shegoleff and John Kositzin. In addition, he is a great grandfather to: Brandi Parsons Kositzin, Sara Favor, Katrina Kositzin, Anna Kositzin, Matthew Kositzin and Thomas Kositzin.

Peter was born in Blagoveschensk, Siberia on January 5, 1900. Siberia is commonly mistakenly considered a separate country from Russia. Siberia geographically falls in the continent of Asia, but is culturally and politically Russian.

Peter and his brother Demitrey would have been expected to be soldiers during the Russian Civil War (1918-1921). Irene shared that Peter was in the Russian military, but was unhappy. She added: “He arranged to have a Chinese man smuggle him back to Harbin.” “Peter’s brother Demitrey was imprisoned for not joining the army and after his release he rejoined his family.” We have no information regarding his other brother Paul, and his service in the army – if any. Uliana married Ivan Kositzin and will eventually adopted George. This is when George took the last name Kositzin.

To escape the political and social uncertainty in Russia, Peter migrated from Russia in 1918 to Harbin, China. Peter married Vera Kriloff (Krilova) June 20, 1932. The Extract from Register reads that they were married in Harbin China. According to Irene, Vera wanted a divorce, but Peter would only grant the divorce if she (Vera) gave him 2 children. Glebyshka was born December 15, 1933 and Irina May 2, 1939, both in Harbin. In the 2008 interview, Irene stated: “In 1941, Vera initiated and was granted a divorce from Peter.”

Peter’s journey to the United States was convoluted like most emigrants from Russia. A letter from The United Nations High Commission for Refugees and Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration, dated October 9, 1956, reassures Ivan Kositzin, of visa’s for Chile. The visa’ were for these three people listed in the letter: Peter Buyanoff, Eudokia Kositzina and Irina Buyanoff. They were granted passage from Hong Kong, China to Chile by the Chilean Immigration Authorities. This official letter was a follow-up to a letter Ivan sent to the U. N. from September 27, 1956. We are not sure why Chile was involved and there are no documents to explain why they went to Chile or when they left Chile. The route to gain access to the U.S. for Russian emigres took many paths. From Harbin, emigrants would have to travel through different countries: Japan, South America (Chile and/or Brazil), Phillipines and Australia.

The U.S. Arriving and Departing Passenger Lists, shows that Peter left Hong Kong April 5, 1958. He then arrived in Yokohama, Japan on April 11, 1958. He traveled from Hawaii aboard the American Presidents Line ship the President Cleveland and arrived in San Francisco April 18, 1958.

Peter remarried on December 11, 1965 to Lya Jemchoojin in San Francisco. Peter was 65 years old and Lya was 75 years old. We have little information about Lya: she was born on November 23, 1890 in Russia. She emigrated to Ireland in September 1939 with her husband Boris. She arrived in New York, New York on November 25, 1948. She died in San Francisco on November 16, 1969.

Peter became a naturalized citizen on October 17, 1967. Peter died in May 1988 in the San Francisco Bay Area (one document states that he died in San Francisco and another states Alameda). He is buried in the Serbian Cemetery in Colma, California.
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