Tatiana Vsevolodovna Prujan was born in Tbilisi January 17, 1909. Her father, Vsevolod Zapolsky was a general in the Czar’s army. He was killed in 1922 (April). Both her father and mother (Tatiana Butyrkina) were gentry (dvoriane) from way back – 16th century.
After the revolution (1917) mama had several jobs, among them – at the butcher shop as a bookkeeper, at the gas station (she was about 16-17 years old), which didn’t last very long. My grandmother found out that mama had to walk to work, often in freezing weather, and made her quit. What other jobs she had, I don’t know.
In 1930 she married Georg Archaia, our father. I don’t know exactly what happened between them, but he stayed in Sukhumi, where I was born, and mama, with her mother, my sister (born in Peterhof) and I, moved to Peterhof….
After the German invasion (1941) we had to leave our town (we watched the palace burning!) and move (we walked!) to the rear, because we were told that the front stopped in Peterhof (we were told so by the German Wehrmacht). We walked to some village, found an abandoned house, where we stayed (all thirteen of us!) for sometime. Mama and her friend made a few trips back to Peterhof to "help" themselves to bread that was still left on the shelves. Later we moved farther back, away from the front, and settled in a village called Nemezkaya Kolonia. Mama found some work in a laundry washing clothes for Germans (bad days), or working in their kitchen (good days – we got soup!). Eventually she became an interpreter at the commandatur.
In 1943 we were told we had to either stay and wait for the Soviets or keep moving, all the way to Estonia. Mama chose Estonia (she knew what was awaiting us in the Soviet Union!) We got to Estonia (via cattle cars). At that time there were only three of us. Our beloved grandmother was killed by fragments of artillery fired from Leningrad. We lived about a year in Estonia. Mama worked…(probably at an office at the D.P. camp).
My sister and I attended first Estonian, then Russian schools there. We also, by the way, got to know deacon Rediger, whose son Alexei is now a Patriarch of Russia! Redigers were mama’s close friends.
We left for Germany in August 1944 – again a choice – Germany or Soviets! Landed finally in Neuburg on the Donau, where mama worked at the factory, ironing clothes. When W.W. II ended, we were lucky enough to be in an American occupied zone. We moved to Munich – for my sister and me it was back to school (Russian school organized by Fr. Alexander Kiselev called "Merciful Samaritan").
Mama signed up to go to 1) USA; 2) South America; 3) Australia; 4) New Zealand. The first sponsor found was from Cleveland, Ohio – U.S.A.! We arrived in U.S.A. June 14th 1950. Mama worked for our sponsor for a year cleaning gloves. By the way, they remained friends until her death.
After she learned enough English she … became a bookkeeper for some used car dealer. She was very active in our club in Cleveland, the Russian Cultural Club.
In 1957 she married George E. Prujan. Shortly after they moved to Washington, D.C. She worked for McGraw Hill until she retired. The rest? Home, Church, traveling a lot, her kindergarten at Church, grandchildren (whom she took twice to Europe). As we were sorting out her notes, letters, etc. we found hundreds of "Thank you" cards, letters – she helped so many. With her small pension, she managed to (help) those who needed help.
Nina Chordas (her daughter)
July 20, 1996