Count Illya Tolstoy.

[Janoshek]

Count Illya Tolstoy also had something to do with setting up some kind of cultural center somewhere in Connecticut. An organization for Russian writers, artists and such.

[Mark Culpepper]

Thank you Janoshek for setting up this "pool" . I was going to ask Paul to set one up for us on Tolstoy because I find the man fascinating and just have the feeling that there is so much there right under the surface. So having a place where some of us can just "dump information" for Paul. And for ourselves really too because this is something that helps me and my daughter research my Fathers life too.

I am not sure that my Dad was at all involved with the Caroline Group but thanks to information from Mr. Twigsnapper (who I am assuming WAS and by extension (knowing what the rules are now) STILL IS one of those members.) I was able to find out so much more about his life. I do know that he was a Jedburgh team member. I have his knife and thanks to Mr. Twigsnapper I have some reports on his activities in Berlin before the end of the war. Maybe some of you who have never known your fathers can appreciate what that means to a kid who thought that his Dad just "didn't want to be around"

And now my daughter has been pulling on me to find out more. Col Illya Tolstoy then will probably answer many questions for us too. So please out there .... anyone who is interested at all and has any information regarding this fascinating individual please come and jump into this pool with us! Thanks again Janoshek! As Paul said when he greeted you, you are a great instigator for activity! Mark C.

[Paul S.]

Hey guys, this is a good topic... I want to know more about Tolstoy too... but I've moved it to this section since the "Defying Gravity" section is JUST for subject headers based on each chapter.

If this discussion gets lost here in the "general discussion" section, maybe we can just start a new sub-section on "Caroline Personalities" or something but, for now, let's leave it here, OK ?

Thanks,

--PS

oh yeah, and, while I'm at it... I haven't done nearly enough research on this Tolstoy character, but here are two leads that have come across my desk, thanks to Elizabeth:

http://www.skidmore.edu/academics/asian ... ition.html

---and I'll be anybody a buck that was a "Caroline Operation"

and this one is close to my personal heart:

http://www.caribbean.com/cms/The_Bahama ... _L150.html

...aparently our friend Ilya shared my interest in the under-sea world... and photographing it.

Which, BTW, he had in common with Fenimore Cooper, Eldridge's son. I imagine those guys smoked a few cigars together, too.

--PS

[Victoria Steele]

Of course I think I should be getting used to the "co-incidences" by now ... but anybody think that it is slightly odd that there would be such a strong NASSAU conncetion with a military man who was working for the OSS during world war II. And that Dr. Brown would greet him as an old friend.

I noticed Paradise Island being mentioned. (I've been there, but its been a long, long time. Thats where the really neat "pink" sand is .... I think ... so is that where Linda and Morgan spent their pirate evening? Yeah, walked and talked all night. Right.

And this Exuma area is awfully deep off to one side. Did the Caroline investigate that area too? I'm not looking for hidden agendas particularly but on one ship in 1933 you have Eldridge Johnsons son, who was interested in underwater photography ... and you have Tolstoy having something to do with that .... the same year? am I right?

So now its all protected by a PRIVATE concern that has the force of the Bahamian government troops behind it? Huh? I'm going off the deep end here but isn't this beginning to sound like the "Abyss" . Just a wild white rabbit thought! Victoria

[grinder]

Hey Paul,

In the introduction to your book, which you called " Any Cabbie on Catalina" you mentioned the fact that Townsend Brown was near death. He was so ill that Linda pleaded with him not to go .... yet, he went.

Apparently he loaded up with papers he didn't want anybody thumbing through ater his death. You also said that Morgan was the person who met him on the other side of his chopper ride from the Island. Now, this is in 1985, right? Which means that by now Morgan has his first nearly twenty years in this "organization" .... which would make him, about 40 something.

And when he was meeting her Dad on this last trip of his life, Linda didn't know that Morgan was just 26 miles away? (Is that how far the mainland is, can't remember)

Oh, Victoria is going to love the angst in that situation.

Apparently Morgan was still working for the "Group" then. And he must have been good at whatever they had asked him to do , because he was still "above ground" (Thats a great movie moment by the way, if you haven't figured it yet. The dapper Canadian and the young agent .... "So I see you are still above ground!" Great line!)

Just bringing some of those earlier chapters into focus now because they mean so much more and are worth rereading.

So heres a question. For all his love of nature (the preserve and everything) I still think that Tolstoy was a dangerous man. So did Morgan become that dangerous? You don't have to be specific but I already have figured that your Morgan is not scheduled for a peaceful life. Almost as if the "Group" was into hiring "gatekeepers" during that time frame. And I don't think any of them would have not defended the Group to the death. Thats more or less what it looks like that Morgan signed up for. ...
Thats a big step when you are barely in your twenties. Am I right about him? grinder

[LongboardLOVELY]

Count Illya Tolstoy also had something to do with setting up some kind of cultural center somewhere in Connecticut. An organization for Russian writers, artists and such.

I found a piece about Churaevka. Was this what you were talking about, Janoshek? The community formed around Churaevka, a retreat for artists that the Grebenstchikoff's founded and built in Connecticut in the 1930's became a center of cultural activities of a number of Russian émigré and other artists. Tatiana Grebenstchikoff (1896-1964) was an artist, producing - among others - rare books in her shop in Florida.

Grebenstchikoff was a contemporary of I. Tolstoy, but I do not know if there were any associations. Ever heard of this community, Mr. Twigsnapper?

Linda

[twigsnapper]

Hello again,

Paul, I see that Linda B. has made your research a little easier for you!

Tolstoy had some very interesting relatives also who were always active in supporting and encouraging other Russian families. Of course the Tolstoy family itself was large and peopled by some fascinating and talented individuals in military, political, scientific and artistic fields. They were a multitalented and multitasking lot.

Illya himself was a man of exceptional talents also. Would you have expected that he was an excellent rider and was very interested in animal husbandry and suprisingly was one of the early supporters of the art of artificial insemination for domestic animals. I believe he felt that there was much to be learned about improving our proper care and handling of the animals around us. I believe that he attended classes at Iowa State also but I may be incorrect at that.

Throw this into your pile of information on the man.

Photography was exceptionally important to him. He used it to document important events and to mark new developments. You will note that there were many authors who used his photos on animals but you can understand that much of what he found interesting and good material of course has been classified and probably won't see the light of day for many, many years.

Paul, you yourself are a photographer.And you got pretty good with those reef fish. When you are dealing with this particular situation you might remember some of the things that you have learned in that art and apply it here. Pictures are wonderful, they may still not tell the whole story but it saves all those words that are next to worthless sometimes!

Twigsnapper

[LongboardLOVELY]

Hello again,

Paul, I see that Linda B. has made your research a little easier for you!

Tolstoy had some very interesting relatives also who were always active in supporting and encouraging other Russian families. Of course the Tolstoy family itself was large and peopled by some fascinating and talented individuals in military, political, scientific and artistic fields. They were a multitalented and multitasking lot.

I found some more information about Churaevka. It was established as an "artists" colony late 19th century by engineer/architect George Grebenstchikoff. It is located in Southbury (CT) and is the section close to I-84 and Lakeside Road known as Russian Village. It is on 1100 acres with 29 buildings. Groundwork for the village was laid by Count Ilya Tolstoy, son of the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy. The Southbury Historical Society has much information on the village, which was founded by those who escaped the Russian Revolution.
Many Russian emigres followed Tolstoy and a whole community was founded, centering around a tiny chapel in which the residents worshiped. Few of the descendants of the first settlers remain today, and some of the old cottages are now gone.
Only about eight of the original 26 Russian families still live in the area, but St. Sergius Chapel still stands. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. OH and there is a street named Tolstoy Ln.


Linda