My family history
Imagine we are observing the Koshelets family through a century through a family photo album.
The family's story began the moment Stepan and Maria met. They were young and in love, dreaming of a family of their own. But Maria's father Ivan was a wealthy peasant, a kulak, and Stepan worked for him as a laborer. And although they were not aristocrats, but the unequal marriage was on the face of it. At first the young people wanted to run away, but they were stopped by the belief that "without the blessing of parents there can be no happy life". They decided to confess to their father, and then what would happen.
It was a difficult decision, but Ivan did not oppose his daughter's decision. The only condition of the father was departure from his native land. There was nothing to do, so the young family set out on the road. Under the Stolypin agrarian reform they arrived in the lands of Western Kazakhstan. Almost the same steppes as in Ukraine, but much more severe and deserted. They settled with many resettlement families to the north-west of the Aktobe fortification in the lands of the Tabyns near the aul Marzhanbulak.
photo 1. Koshelets Stepan Mitrofanovich and Maria Ivanovna with their son Peter and daughter-in-law Elena
Here the settlers founded the settlement Vsesvyatskoye. They built houses, engaged in farming and cattle breeding, erected the first church. Among them worked Stepan and Maria, who by the beginning of the First World War had three children: Ivan, Irina and Evdokia. Stepan was not drafted to the war, he worked in the rear, engaged in the supply of meat products.
The war was replaced by revolutions, civil confrontation and the establishment of Soviet power. The family grew and strengthened, they already had 8 children: Ivan, Irina, Evdokia, Nikolai, Grigory, Peter, Yakov and Vera. All grew up hard workers, helped their parents, received a 4-class education under the new government. But the plans and dreams of children were destroyed by the war. Three older sons went to the front: Ivan, Nikolay, Grigory. The first was killed in the first days of the war near Bialystok, and Nicholas and Grigory with honor defended the family name, fought the enemy. Nicholas liberated Ukraine, and Grigory participated in the Battle of Stalingrad. Both returned with wounds and medals. They continued their way in their native collective farm, got married, built houses, brought up their children.
Photo 2. Koshelets Nikolai Stepanovich
Photo 3. Koshelets Grigory Stepanovich
Sisters Irina and Evdokia worked in the rear on collective farm fields, Peter and Yakov helped them. Day and night they worked, brought the victory closer. And never once complained about the difficulties. At the father Stepan Mitrofanovich the conversation was short: "To work, not to dishonor the family name". The youngest Vera was only 7 years old when the war began. But she also tried to help at home, as the elders were all busy in the collective farm.
photo 4. Sisters Irina Kanibolotskaya (Koshelets) and Evdokia Raida (Koshelets)
Interesting and complicated fate of my relatives, but I would like to continue the observation of my great-grandfather, Peter Stepanovich Koshelets.
photo 5. Koshelets Pyotr Stepanovich Koshelets, tanker
Peter Stepanovich was born in 1927, was the sixth child and the fourth son in the family. Judicious, hardworking literate. From small years helped his father with cattle. He was engaged in grazing, haying, which later affected his future profession. He worked his way up to the head cattle breeder in the collective farm. But it will be later. In 1944 he was drafted into the army, took tanker courses and was sent to the active army. On the way to the front came the news that the war is over and a new era begins - the restoration of the national economy. My grandfather stayed on the territory of Ukraine, helped to restore cities, industry, here he met his future wife Zinaida. Relationships developed rapidly, the couple was in love and did not notice anything around them, especially their shortcomings. After the wedding, they moved to the city of Aktobe, where they had their firstborn son Vladimir. But the life of the young couple did not go well. Zinaida daily complained that she lived alone, away from the homeland, that it was difficult for her, and Peter was not satisfied with the fact that the household was in disorder. The quarrels did not end. The only solution was divorce. For that time, the case is unthinkable, condemned by society, but there was no other way out. Peter divorced his wife and went to his native village and later to the Komi SSR to earn money. Almost until his death he did not see his son, but he constantly helped him.
There in the north he was engaged in cutting wood, which was used for construction all over the country. He wrote to his parents, who were worried about the personal tragedy in his son's life, sent money to his ex-wife to support his son. Life went on as usual. In a local store in Pechora he noticed a girl. Tall, black-haired with cornflower eyes, but did not dare to get acquainted, because of the painfully strong wounds inflicted on him by his first marriage. He was afraid that history would repeat itself. The situation was resolved by his friend Victor, who invited her and her friends to a dance. Then they were held in the local House of Culture to harmonica or accordion. Then my great-grandfather met his second wife Elena. But he was in no hurry to get married. The young people dated for about two years, then decided to get married.
The wedding was merry and lasted three days as it should. All of Elena's relatives were there, and his younger brother Yakov came to see Peter. Who after the wedding told him that his mother was seriously ill at home and asked her son to come home. Pyotr went. Elena could not wait for him for a long time, packed her things, documents and went on her way, despite the fact that she was on miscarriage. She came to Kazakhstan, as it seemed for a couple of weeks, and stayed there forever. Her mother-in-law was seriously ill, it was necessary to help her father-in-law with the household. The young people stayed.
photo 6. Peter and Elena with their firstborn son Vladimir
Elena worked at the post office, Peter at the cattle-breeding complex. Everything was smooth in their family, but Peter's relatives disliked his second wife.
photo 7.Elena Ilinichna Koshelets (Kaneva) on the Pechora river
She was too willful, too independent, self-sufficient. The daughter of a fisherman, she lived all her youth on the bank of the huge Pechora River, where reindeer herders live. She did not speak Ukrainian, did not know how to work in cattle breeding and vegetable garden. She did not knit or embroider. But she learned everything quickly. Everything in her hands burned, her house was a full cup and there were always people in it. All holidays were held noisily and cheerfully.
photo 8. A holiday in the family of Elena and Peter Kosheltsov
They had 2 daughters and 5 sons. But 4 sons survived: Vladimir, Gennady, Anatoly and Yuri. Helpers to the father, joy to the mother. All, as one, tall, dark-haired, swarthy, "a compound of ice and flame", so says my grandfather Anatoly, because his father's roots go back to Mariupol, and his mother's roots to Pechora.
Peter and Elena's family endured a lot, but all endured and stood firm. Great-grandfather died in 2002, great-grandmother in 2004. But after them remained a house with an apple orchard, 4 sons, 12 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. Only one son lives in Kazakhstan now - my grandfather Anatoly. He lives in his native Marzhanbulak in the house where the history of our family began. And though I do not bear this surname and have not seen my ancestors, but I am proud of my ancestors and want to be like them. Hardworking, do not stop in front of difficulties and always go forward. The history of our family is not over. There are a lot of interesting things ahead.