My ABBAY/ABBEY family went to Russia c.1838 !!

[Myfi!]

Monumental Inscription at  Burstwick, Yorkshire reads:

In memory of Hannah the daughter of Matthew Abbey late of    Ridgmont now of Sixverst near St. Petersburg in Russia with whom she resided in that Country eight years
 but her return thither was prevented by the termination of her mortal existence on the 4th of December 1846 in the 25th year of her age.       
(death cert says she died of consumption   )
 
Hannah was the younger sister of my direct line Mercy, who didn't go.
 
 Matthew and his wife (also named) Mercy and a couple more children do not appear to have returned to England so think they probably died there.
 Am assuming (rightly or wrongly) that Matthew worked for the "Russian Factory" at St. Petersburg.

question 1: Are there any passenger lists from England to Russia circa 1838 ? 
 
question 2:  Is there such a place a Sixverst?   I've googled and googled but can't find it.
 
any help/pointers appreciated


Myfi

[*MRR*]

Hi Myfi

I've searched without result for references to 'Sixvert' in and around St Petersburg.  A few suggestions though - verts is an archaic unit of length (1.0668 km) six in Russian would be Shest; I've therefore also searched 'Shestverts' on both English and Russian (Cyrillic) maps.  As you are probably aware, many place names were renamed during Soviet times and some reinstated or renamed again.  Shestverts could equally have been the name of a residence or estate rather than a town or village.  St Petersburg was established in a swamp and much of the surrounding land is featureless.  Distance markers are commonly used even today to identify a particular spot.  Shestverts could possibly have been approx 6 km from the City centre and therefore long since consumed by the 'modern' suburbs.

Check for BD&M in the Overseas section of the Family Research Centre, London.  Many ex-pats registered events at the British Embassy St Petersburg

Any details of the 'Russian factory'?  I'd be happy to put you in contact with a local researcher if you wish to explore this subject further

Regards 

Malcolm
St Petersburg, Russia

[Myfi!]

Hello Malcolm

Thank you so much for taking the time to look for the possible whereabouts of 'Sixverst'.  Your explanation seems very plausible to me.

Not really sure if Matthew did actually work for the "Russian Factory" as he went to Russia pre UK census so unsure of his occupation.  His father in law was a Dealer in Flax but his own father was a labourer, as were most of the family around that time.
I have read a little on the "Russian Factory" and was quite amazed at how many British were there at that time.

Will certainly look into the BMDs at the FRC in London, probably have to hire a researcher as am unable to get there myself.

Many thanks, really appreciated,
Myfi

[MSBB]

Monumental Inscription at  Burstwick, Yorkshire reads:

In memory of Hannah the daughter of Matthew Abbey late of    Ridgmont now of Sixverst near St. Petersburg in Russia with whom she resided in that Country eight years
 but her return thither was prevented by the termination of her mortal existence on the 4th of December 1846 in the 25th year of her age.       
(death cert says she died of consumption   )
 
Hannah was the younger sister of my direct line Mercy, who didn't go.
 
 Matthew and his wife (also named) Mercy and a couple more children do not appear to have returned to England so think they probably died there.
 Am assuming (rightly or wrongly) that Matthew worked for the "Russian Factory" at St. Petersburg.

question 1: Are there any passenger lists from England to Russia circa 1838 ? 
 
question 2:  Is there such a place a Sixverst?   I've googled and googled but can't find it.
 
any help/pointers appreciated


Myfi

[MSBB]

Hello Myfi,
I think I am from the same family. My great-grandfather, John Abbey was born abt 1846 at Ridgmont.
We have had difficulty tracing him earlier than his marriage to Jane Williamson in 1880 at Brompton, Yorkshire. We can't find him on the census before 1881, in fact it took us ages to find where Ridgmont was as on the census it was Rigmont, Hull.
Only today I received the Monumental Inscriptions for Burstwick and found the death of Hannah Abbey. I googled Sixvert and found your email .
I'd really appreciate any help you could give me.
Margaret.

[Myfi!]

Hi Margaret

My first Abbey connection is Mercy b.1814 dau of the Matthew who went to Russia.

Afraid I have nothing else on the later family......not sure if all the children (bar my Mercy) went with the parents or if some stayed behind. (can't see any of them on census.....arrrg)

I've just had a quick look for your John and like you, can't find him on earlier census....tried all variant spellings of the surname....how frustrating
I'll have another hunt for him later this evening. 
Do you have his marriage cert? would be interesting to know his father's name.

Myfi

[MSBB]

Hi Myfi,
Thank you so much for your reply and your help.
On the marriage certificate it gives his father's name as William Abbey. On the 1841 census I've found a William Abbey, born abt 1820 in the parish of Burstwick, living on the farm of William Stickney at Ridgmont. But I can't find him after that.
Margaret.

[Myfi!]

Oooo Margaret

This is getting interesting...

The William you found on the 1841 could well be the son of Matthew  - baptised 15 Aug 1819 Skeckling with Burstwick.

will send you a personal message (you will see up in the right hand corner messages click on that to read.


Myfi

[tiggertwo]

Hello all:
I've just logged onto this site for the first time having googled Abbey + St. Petersburg.  My Abbey family also went to Russia. 
My father (Edward John) was the last member of his family to be born there (in Orenberg) in 1917. 
My grandfather George Abbey (married Eliza Helen Scotson)was born in Gatchina although he was educated in England.  His sister Lucy married a Mr. Welch and went to live near Baltimore in the US.  There was a brother Eddie who was a merchant seaman.  Two more brothers Arthur and Alfred who married and lived in the Midlands and a spinster sister Elsie, who also lived in the Midlands.   
I think my gf George was the son of John Abbey who had a sister Mary who married a Mr. Pollock, a brother Walter and a couple of other brothers and sisters.  I know they had property in St. Petersburg at the time of the Revolution.
Does any of this tie up?