2010.59.10

Postcard-like card showing a portrait of Saint John Maximovich of Shanghai and San Francisco on one side, and a short biography of him on the other. Text entirely in Russian except for the words "Archbishop John (Maximovich) of San Francisco, 1896-1966." Very similar to 2010.59.9 except for this portrait is slightly closer up, and the text is different. This publication belonged to Tatiana Ivanovna Switchevsky, great-grandmother of Oakland Museum of California researcher Adam Nilsen. Tatiana was born in the town of Staraja Russa in the Novgorod province of Russia in 1898. She and her husband, Herculan Herculanovich Switchevsky, who was a lieutenant in the Russian Imperial Navy, fled from Vladivostok in 1922 to Shanghai, where they joined thousands of other Russians who fled Communist Russia. In Shanghai, Tatiana's daughter, Irene, and granddaughter, Julie, were born, and the family enjoyed their hometown and were involved in the Russian Orthodox Church and other Russian organizations. In 1948 the three women, a widowed Tatiana, divorcee Irene, and young Julie, fled during the advance of the Communists in China. They, along with 5,000 other Russians, were relocated by the International Refugee Organization to the Philippines, whose government had offered them the island of Tubabao as a refuge. Although they spent almost two years camping in tents, the women left with fond memories of the beautiful beaches, monkeys, and the jungle environment. They were excited when the opportunity arose to emigrate to the United States--they had long had their sights set on San Francisco, and in November 1950, they boarded the General Hersey and sailed there. The three lived in San Francisco for the next 25 years and were active in the Russian community in the Sunset and Richmond Districts.

From Wikipedia: Saint John (Maximovitch) of Shanghai and San Francisco also John (Maximovitch) the Wonderworker (1896-1966) was a noted Eastern Orthodox ascetic and hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) who was active in the mid-20th century. He was a pastor and spiritual father of high reputation and a reputed wonderworker to whom was attributed great powers of prophecy, clairvoyance and healing, and he is often referred to simply as "St. John the Wonderworker."

Used: Tatiana Ivanovna Switchevsky