Collection Summary
Peter A. Demens Papers
1880-2000
(bulk 1892-1919)
1880-2000
(bulk 1892-1919)
MSS57554
Demens, Peter A.,
1850-1919
45 items
5 containers plus 1 oversize
3.0 linear feet
Russian
English
Collection material in
Russian with some in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Author, businessman,
railroad promoter, and entrepreneur. Notebooks, scrapbooks, correspondence, and
articles mostly relating to Demens's authorship of articles for the Russian
journal Viestnik Evropy and Russian and American newspapers on events in America and his
life.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Demens, Peter A., 1850-1919.
Korolenko, Vladimir Galaktionovich, 1853-1921--Correspondence.
Kropotkin, Petr Alekseevich, kni︠a︡zʹ, 1842-1921--Correspondence.
Pobedonost︠s︡ev, Konstantin Petrovich, 1827-1907--Correspondence.
Slonimskīĭ, L. Z. (Leonid Zinovʹevich), 1850-1918--Correspondence.
Stasi︠u︡levich, M. (Mikhail), 1826-1911--Correspondence.
Suvorin, A. S. (Alekseĭ Sergeevich), 1834-1912--Correspondence.
Tolstoy, Leo, graf, 1828-1910--Correspondence.
Tverskoĭ, P. A., 1850-1919.
Vengerov, S. A.--Correspondence.
Subjects
American newspapers.
Dukhobors--Canada.
Jews--Russia.
Molokans--California.
Molokans--Hawaii.
Presidents--United States--Election.
Russian newspapers.
Russo-Japanese War, 1904-1905.
World War, 1914-1918.
Places
California--Social life and customs.
Cuba--History.
Florida--Social life and customs.
Hawaii--Annexation to the United States.
Russia--Emigration and immigration.
Russia--History--Revolution, 1905-1907.
Saint Petersburg (Russia)--History--To 1917.
Soviet Union--History--Revolution, 1917-1921.
United States--History--1865-1921.
United States--Politics and government--1865-1933.
Titles
Vi︠e︡stnik Evropy (Saint Petersburg, Russia)
Occupations
Authors.
Businessmen.
Entrepreneurs.
Railroad executives.
Provenance
The papers of Peter A. Demens, author, businessman, railroad
promoter, and entrepreneur, were given to the Library of Congress by his
daughter, Vera Demens (Mrs. Andrey) Tolstoy, in 1977. Additional items were
given by William H. Parsons in 2001.
Processing History
The papers of Peter A. Demens were arranged and described in 1977. The
collection was expanded and reorganized and the finding aid revised in
2012.
Additional Guides
An article by Robert V. Allen, "Peter Demens: The Redoubtable
Hustler," appeared in
The Quarterly Journal of the Library of Congress
34, no. 3 (July 1977): 208-226.
Other Repositories
A scrapbook of Peter A. Demens is located in the St. Petersburg Museum
of History, St. Petersburg, Florida.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Peter A. Demens
is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Peter A. Demens are open to research. Researchers are
advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Peter A. Demens Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1850, May 1
Born Pyotr Alekseyevich Dementyev in Novgorod Governorate near
St. Petersburg, Russia; a nobleman
1867
1871
Served as officer in tsar's infantry guard
1871
Took ownership of the family estates in Tverʹ Province upon
his majority
circa 1872
Married Raisa Borisenko
1881
Arrived in United States and traveled to Jacksonville,
Fla.
1881
1885
Settled in Longwood, Fla., and operated lumber and contracting
businesses
1886
1889
Assumed charter of Orange Belt Railway and set up with others
the Orange Belt Investment Co., a rail line constructed from Sanford, Fla., to
the Pinellas Peninsula, present-day St. Petersburg, Fla.; sold interest in the
railroad, 1889
1889
1892
Moved to Asheville, N.C., and operated P. A. Demens
Woodworking Co., a lumber and contracting business; sold business, 1892
1892
1919
Moved to Los Angeles, Calif., and operated steam laundry
venture; invested in citrus groves, Alta Loma, Calif.; president of Cucamonga
Citrus Fruit Growers Association
1893
1914
Contributed articles to
Viestnik Evropy
under the name P. A. Tverskoĭ
1905
Returned briefly to Russia
1919, Jan. 21
Died, Alta Loma, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Peter A. Demens (1850-1919) span the years 1880-2000,
with the bulk of the material dating from 1892 to 1919. The collection consists
of notebooks, scrapbooks, and an addition.
The notebooks contain drafts of Demens's articles and correspondence.
Tucked inside the front covers are notes written by former Library of Congress
area specialist for Russia and the Soviet Union, Robert V. Allen, listing the
contents of the pages and dates of each volume. Demens's articles, written
mostly for the Russian journal
Viestnik Evropy
, were signed as P. A. Tverskoĭ. Topics include American politics and
presidental campaigns, annexation of Hawaii, Cuba, Dukhobors and their
immigration to Canada, treatment of Jews in Russia, the Russo-Japanese War and
Bloody Sunday, Molokans in California and Hawaii, World War I, the Russian
revolution, and Demens's life in Florida and California. Correspondents include
Vladimir Galaktionovich Korolenko, Petr Alekseevich Kropotkin, kniazʹ,
Konstantin Petrovich Pobedonostsev, L. Z. Slonimskīĭ, M. Stasiulevich, A.
S. Suvorin, Leo Tolstoy, and S. A. Vengerov. Of interest in the undated
notebooks is a draft of "Ten Years in America: From My Personal Memories," a
series of articles that appeared in
Viestnik Evropy
from January to May 1893.
The scrapbooks contain clippings of Demens's articles from various
Russian and American newspapers and journals. The addition includes a photocopy
of the scrapbook held by the St. Petersburg Museum of History, St. Petersburg,
Florida, that covers a date span not represented by the other scrapbooks in the
collection. The addition also contains a bibliography of works by Demens
writing as P. A. Tverskoĭ and a publication from a symposium on Demens held
in 2000.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged by type of material.
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Notebooks
1
1892-1896
1892-1896
(14
vols.)
2
1896-1900
1896-1900
(9
vols.)
3
1900-1905
1900-1905
(8
vols.)
4
1906-1909, 1916-circa 1918
1906-1909, 1916-circa 1918
(4
vols.)
4
Undated
Undated
(2
vols.)
5
(2
vols.)
5
Loose page, notebook enclosures,
and fragments,
undated
undated
5
Scrapbooks,
1881, 1907-1919
[
See Oversize
](scrap1)
1881, 1907-1919
5
Addition
5
Bibliography of writings by P. A.
Tverskoĭ,
1880-1912
1880-1912
5
Parsons, William H., editor.
Peter Demens: An International Symposium
. St. Petersburg, Fla.: Heritage Press of St. Petersburg,
2000
2000
(2
vols.)
5
Scrapbook, photocopy,
1908, Jan. 1-Feb. 25
[
See Oversize
](scrap2)
1908, Jan. 1-Feb. 25
OV 1
Scrapbooks,
1881, 1907-1919
1881, 1907-1919
(4
vols.)
OV 1
Addition
OV 1
Scrapbook, photocopy,
1908, Jan. 1-Feb. 25 (Container 5)
1908, Jan. 1-Feb. 25