Stay Signed In
Do you want to access your site more quickly on this computer? Check this box, and your username and password will be remembered for two weeks. Click logout to turn this off.
Stay Safe
Do not check this box if you are using a public computer. You don't want anyone seeing your personal info or messing with your site.
My Darling Tatiana,
Very tender thanks for your dear letter. Yes, I am sorry to say that there were terrible mistakes in this letter, yet more than others. Try to be more attentive and think nicely before spelling a word.
Such a joy to know you all have a normal temp. I have 36.7 last night 37.5 and a headache.
I hear Papa walking upstaris - iy is lucky he can see you and give me news of all you.
I have got such a collection of letters from you all now. Shall give Ania your kisses. She has gone to town for church and lunches with her parents.
Doctor just made an injection again - today in the right leg. Today is the 49th day I am ill, tomorrow begins the 8th week.
Tell Baby sweet that Mama kisses him very, very tenderly and wants him to get quickly well again. It is so sad seeing none of you dears, tho' today Anastasia might come down.
Dear Children, Two big kisses for your very nice letter - Olga is reading it now and laughing over it.
I lay in the dark a long time - the Auntie came. Papa has returned. Glad you had tea together.
Tatiana to Alix
1906
My Darling Mama!
I thank you 100 times for your dear letter which I was very pleased to get. How funny it is that Olga and Anastasia had lunch in your bedroom. Now we will go to bed and rest a little bit. I kiss you and Papa 100000000 times but I can't count it myself.
Tatiana
Tatiana to Alexandra
17th January 1909
My darling Mama!
I hope you won't be today very tired and that you can get up to dinner. I am always to awfully sorry when you are tired and when you can't get up. I will pray for you my darling Mama in church. I hope that we can go some day to Ania's little house with you. Please sleep well and don't get tired.
Perhaps I have lots of flaults but please forgive me. It is very nice that you didn't go to church yesterday or else I am sure you would be much more tired.
Was it nice to dine yesterday with Ania in your little room?
I try to listen to what Mary says now as much as I can. Did you see without us Ania's little brother! I find him very nice, and how do you! Many, many kisses to my beloved mother. Sleep will and I hope that you won't be tired. Your loving daughter.
Tatiana
P.S. I will pray for you in church.
Alix to Tatiana
29th October 1914
Thank you, sweetheart, for your loving words. You do not hurt me my little girlies, but those heo are older might sometimes think but it's quite natural.
I perfectly understand all Russian feelings, and connot approve our enemies actions. They are too terrible, and therefore their cruel behaviour hurts me greatly - also what I have to hear out there. I am quite Russian - but as you say, I can't forget my home.
1000 kisses
Mama +
Tatiana to Alexandra
8th March 1910
My sweet own darling Mama
Please forgive me that I have not did what I would last day. I am so sad that I did thay, what U knew you would not like. Please forgive me, I did not want to do something I know you don't like and I won't do it without asking you my sweet mama. How is your head?
I am so afriad that Sofia (governess) can speak to Maria about our little friend (Rasputin) something bad. I hope our nurse will be nice to our friend now.
Please tell Papa that I will also ask him my pardon. I am so sad I made that what you and Papa don't like. Sleep well my own sweet Mama darling and I hope that tomorrow your poor head won't ache anymore. God bless you sweet darling.
Many loving kisses to all from all. Your ever loving own daughter.
Tatiana
Rasputin to Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Alexei
February - Telegram
Dear Little Children,
Thank you for remembering me, for you sweet words, for your pure heart and for your love for the people of God.
Love the whole of God's nature, the whole of his creation, in particular this earth, the mother of God was occupied with flowers and needlework.
Maria to her sisters and brother
19th April 1918
Christ has risen!
I kiss you tenderly three times my darling. My health is better, but I am still ying down. The others walked for an hour in the tiny garden, and we are very pleased. The barrel has brought water, so now Papa can have 9 litres for hsi bath before dinner.
I rocked with Nyuta (Demidora) on the American swing and walked up and down with Papa. Mama is lying on her bed today. She is a little better, though her heard and heart still ache. We have been asked to make a list of everyone who will be coming with you. I hope we have not forgotten anyone. We have to explain the presence of each person who is with us. Oh how complicated everything is now. We lived so peacefully for eight months and now it's all started again, I feel so sorry for you having to pack and arrange everything alone. I hope to have news of you soon.
May the Lord keep you,
Maria
Tatiana to Alix
20th April 1911
Mama my darling,
How about tomorrow? Must I lie in bed or no (ah of course no) I had a little as I walked but my head does not hurt as I lay and now it passed. Can you write deary I would love to know. I would like so much to go to the review of the second wisdom as I am also the second daughter and Olga was the first so now it's my turn.
What will you about that?
Ah!!!????!!!! Maraia asks when we must have dealcroic for the hair as we did not have him for such a long time. Yes Mama, and at the second Wilson I will see who I must see . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . you know whom . . . . . . . . . . . . !!!!??!?!
Now goodbye. God bless you two angels. God be with you always and everywhere you are.
Many kisses from your loving, devoted, thankful, true daughter.
Tatiana
P.S. I kiss Ania very much.
Letters From Tatiana
Tatiana to P. Petrov
5th May 1917
Pytor Vasilievich, my dear
I feel so ashamed I have not written to you before, ut please don't think this shows I have forgotten you - absoloutly not. After all, it's possible not to write to friends and yet keep them in you mind - isn't that so? So, how are you feeling?
I was very upset, when I learnt about your illness. Do you have any news from your nephew - how is he? As you will have heard, we all try and keep busy here with some form of domestic activity - each one as he can. We are planting a kitchen garden. Do you really have to stay in bed, or will you be able to go out of the balcony when the weather is warmer? Anyway, all my very best wishes.
It's sad we have not met for so long. Get well soon.
May God keep you,
Tatiana
Tatiana to Alix
26th November 1911
My dear, sweet, darling own Mama,
I beg your pardon that I don't listen to you and that I condrict you, that I am disobediant. At once I never feel anything but afterwards I feel so sad a miserable that I made you tired of telling me always to do that and soon.
Please forgive me, my own precious Mama darling. Really now I'll try and be as good and as kind as I can be, else I know how disagreeable it is to you when one of your own daughters doesn't listen to you and behaves bad.
I know it is very bad of me to be so horrid with you my dear Mama, but really, really my sweet one, I will try and be as good as I can and never tire you and always listen to every word you will tell me.
Forgive me deary. Write to me please a word only that you forgive me and then I can go to sleep with a clear conscience. God bless you always and whereever you go - show this letter to nobody.
Kisses from your own loving, devoted, thankful and true daughter.
Tatiana
Tatiana to P. Petrov
23rd October 1917
Dear Pytor Vasilievich,
I am very ashmaed I have not written to you before now. I very much wonder if you would be able to get hold of my A Tolstoy books, they always used to stand of the first shelf of my cupboard, I don't know how it is now. I would be very grateful if you could get them, although I know how difficult it may be. You could send them with Iza if you are in time, otherwise by post adresses to Comissar Pankrator to be forwarded to me! So there!
We remember you of ten, and I hope you are quite better. Lessons are going well, so that almost all out time is occupied and the day passes uickly - mainly because of the monotony.
Yesterday we took communion in church. It was wonderful. All my best wishes. Everyone sends theri warmest regards. May God keep you. I do not envy you being so close to disgusting, filthy, Petrograd.
Your Number 2 Pupil Tatiana
Tatiana to Alexandra
1912
My sweet darling Mama,
I am so awfully sorry you won't come with us. I hope that you will feel better tomorrow when you come. Fancy it will be the first time that we will sleep on the Standart it is awfully sad Mama dearest.
I hope that Ania will be nice with you and won't tire you and specially won't come in to disturb you when you lie or when you want to be alone. Such a pity I could not stay wiht you Mama dear. It would be such a please to me. I do hope you won't feel too tired. Please mama darlign don't run about the rooms and see how they are. Send Ania or else you will be very tired to recieve Auntie and Uncle.
I will try be as good as I can on board with the officers.
Goodbye till tomorrow. Don't worry about sweet Baby, I will look after him and all will be alright. God bless you my sweet own darling. Many, many kisses to you angel from your own loving deovted and true daughter.
Tatiana
Tatiana to Ania Vyrubova
9th December 1917
My darling: I often think of you and pray for you, and we are always remembering and speaking of you. It is hard that we cannot see each other, but God will surly help us, and we will meet again in better times. We wear the frocks your kind friends sent us, and you little gifts are always with us, reminding us of you. We live quietly and peacefully. The days spread quickly. In the morning we have lessons, walk from eleven to twelve before the house in a place surrounded for us by a high fence. We lunch together downstairs, some times Mama and Alexei with us, but generally they have lunch upstairs in Papa's study. In the afternoon we go out again for half an hour if it's not too cold. Tea upstiars then we read of write. Sometimes Papa reds aloud, and so goes by everyday. On Saturdays we have evening service in the big hall at nine o'clock. Until that hour the preist has to serve in the church. On Sundays, when we're allowed, we go to a nearby church at eight o'clock in the morning. We go on foot through a garden, the soldiers who come here with us all standing around. They serve mass for us seperatly , and then they have a mass for everybody. On holidays, alas, we have to have a small service at home.
You remember how we used to tease you. Greetings to your old servants. Where are you brother and his wife? Have they got a baby? God bless you, my darling beloved. All our letters (permitted letters) go through the Kommissar.
Tatiana to Alexandra
26th March 1913
My dear darling Mama,
I just had a bath and before that a chair, so today I had to chairs. I hope you will sleep well my darling angel and that I will see you not in bed with a bad heart, but feeling well and sitting in your room.
Then I'll come tomorrow at nine to say good morning before my lesson which I have together with Olga. God bless you my own beloved Mama deary. Sleep nicely and be well tomorrow. 10000000000 x 1000000000 so many times I kiss you.
Your own loving devoted true thankful for all daughter
Tatiana
Tatiana to Alexandra
30th September 1914
Mama darling of mine,
Forgive me about the little dog. To say the truth, when he asked should I like to have it, he gave it to me, I at once said yes. You remeber, I always want to have one, and only afterwards when we came home I thought suddenly that you might not like me having one. But I was so pleased at the I idea that I forgot about everything. Please, darling angle, forgive me.
Tell Papa about it, I hope he won't have anything against it. Good night, beloved mother. God bless and keep you.
1000 kisses from your devoted daughter and loving
Tatiana
Tatiana to P. Petrov
26th January 1918
Greetings dear Pytor Vasilievich,
Thank you so much for your two letters. I was very touched you shoudl write so much. We are, thank God, in good health and are living quietly as before, and strange as it may seem, none of this living with us have as yet quaralled. There are lessons in the morning from 9 - 11, and hours walk and then we study for a further hour. After lunch we walk again, usually until four, but if the weather is good, longer. We work until tea, or occupy ourselves in some way in our room. After tea until dinner there are rehearsels of some play. WE have already put on three and are learning another, it's a distraction and it's good for our dictation.
A small mountain had been built up in our yard. When we get bored of our walking to and fro we slide down it, there are often amusing tumbles. Thus Gillard found himself sitting on my head. I begged him to get up, but he couldn't as he had twisted his foot and it was hurting. Somehow I managed to crawl free. It was terribly stupid and funny, though he had to lie down for a few days because of his foot.
Another time I slid down the moutain backwards and hit my head on the ice terribly hard, I thought there would be nothing of the mountain left, but as it turned out neither it nor my head were cracked or even hurt. Ive got a tough head, haven't I? Huh?
It has been cold here, with a strong wind in particular, that cut the face terribly. It was very cold in the rooms. It was 5 3/4 degrees in the hall.
Keep well. We send everyone our warmest greetings.
Tatiana
Tatiana to Alexandra
29th of October 1914
My sweet darling angel, Mama dear,
I do so hope that you all sleep well and won't feel so tired tomorrow as you probably do so much the whole day.
Please forgive me, Mama sweet, if I ever hurt you involuntary by saying something about your former home, but really if I do say something it is always without thinking that I can hurt you, or something like thatm because really, when I think of you I only think that you are an angel, Mama dear - a Russian, and I always forget that was not always so , and that you had another home before you came to Papa here. DO forgive me deary. Now goodbye, I pray God give you a good sleep and that you will be well and happy tomorrow.
Tatiana
Tatiana to Alexandra
7th August 1915
Mama darling mine,
Please give Ania this photo I did at Krasnoe during the review. I'm sure she will be very pleased. Mama, sweet, I am so awfully sad . I see so little of you. I hate going away for so long. Really, we never see you now. It doesn't matter if sisters go to be earlier - I'll remain. For me it's better to sleep less and see more of you, my beloved one.
God bless you deary. 1000 kisses to you and Papa dear, your own loving true child
Tatiana
Tatiana to Alexandra
18th February 1918
Mama darling, sweet one.
I was such a fool today! When you called me several times to come (whilst Ania was there in the afternoon) I was to so awfully much. But the I felt that if I'll come, I'll howl and I did not want to be such an idiot before Ania, but I so wanted to go and you to be caressed.
And then I never thanked you as I wanted for the nice drive. I was so pleased, but by some stupid idea of mine, I did not want to show I was pleased. When you asked me if I wanted to go for a drive, I said I did not know. It was not true - because I wanted to go but I was afraid you would be tired of driving. I was so happy in the morning, that it was simply the devil that got to me and made me so beastly and nasty. Please forgive me, my own precious.
Tatiana
These letters have been taken from my own collection of letters I have and some have been taken from "A Lifelong Passion - The Letter of Nicholas and Alexandra" by Sergei Mironenko. Click on the picture to link to Amazon.com where you can buy this book and read reviews.
