Historical Sketch: Anna Anderson

 Today's historical sketch is inspired by two recent happenings: My trip to Charlottesville and my reread of Ariel Lawhorn's excellent book, I Was Anastasia. Charlottesville was not just home to Edgar Allen Poe, but also Anna Anderson Manahan. For many years, Anna claimed that she was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, Anastasia. Here's what history remembers of her:

-Born in Poland in 1896

-She survived a horrific explosion at her factory job and showed signs of severe trauma and mental health issues. She attempted suicide by jumping off a bridge into a canal in Berlin, but was rescued

-While in the asylum, she claimed to be the missing Russian Grand Duchess. Some royals believed her and championed her cause.

-But others did not! Anna peculiarly refused to speak Russian, choosing to answer any questions she was asked in German. She also did not respond to photographs or family heirlooms shown to her. 

-From 1938-1970, Anna filed a court case to prove her identity as Anastasia. After a lengthy investigation, the court ruled that there was not enough evidence to support her case.

-In 1968, Anna moved to Charlottesville and quickly married a retired UVA professor, Jack Manahan. The couple were know to be...eccentric to say the least.

-Anna died in 1984, and her death certificate listed Nicholas II as her father

-DNA testing confirms there were no survivors from the massacre of the Tsar's family

Source: Anna Anderson Manahan

Here's an interesting quote from Nicholas II's surviving sister, Olga, on her meeting Anna:

“Somehow or other she did not strike me as an out-and-out impostor. Her brusqueness warred against it. A cunning impostor would have done all she could to ingratiate herself with myself. But Mrs. Anderson’s manner would have put anyone off. My own conviction is that it all started with some unscrupulous people who hoped they might lay their hands on at least a share of the fabulous and utterly non-existent Romanov fortune. . . . I had a feeling she was ‘briefed,’ as it were, but far from perfectly. The mistakes she made could not all be attributed to lapses of memory. For instance, she had a scar on one of her fingers and she kept telling everybody that it had been crushed because of a footman shutting the door of a landau too quickly. And at once I remembered the real incident. It was Maria, her elder sister, who got her hand hurt rather badly, and it did not happen in a carriage but on board the Imperial Train. Obviously someone, having heard something of the incident, had passed a garbled version of it to Mrs. Anderson.”

Source: The Last Grand Duchess. Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna. by Ian Vorres. Charles Scribner & Sons (1964) quoted in Paul Gilbert's The ghost of Anna Anderson continues to haunt us https://tsarnicholas.org/2024/02/12/the-ghost-of-anna-anderson-continues-to-haunt-us/

Back to School with Edgar Allen Poe

 I recently had a lovely trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, for a conference at UVA. I found a hidden historical gem that was the perfect break in between conference sessions. When I think of Edgar Allen Poe, I usually think of ravens, hearts, and Baltimore. And who can forget the very first Simpsons Halloween special, with Bart as an adorable raven terrorizing Homer as he mourns for his lost love Lenore/Marge?

Now when I think of Poe, I can add UVA to the list. Although he only spent one semester there, UVA has preserved his dorm room and created a little mini exhibit on campus. You can peak at his dorm room (with some modern additions like a poster of a raven) through glass and listen to a brief biographical recording. Poe was a brilliant student who had a genius for languages, but his family wasn't able to pay for his education. He turned to gambling to raise the money and ultimately had to leave without a degree.

This is a great mini exhibit to visit as you explore the rest of UVA and downtown Charlottesville. And if you're looking for a book to take on your trip, the new Poe biography entitled A Mystery of Mysteries is a fun read!