Russian-Americans

Countess Alexandra Tolstoy, standing second from left in the front, at the Tolstoy Farm in Valley Cottage with a portrait of her father, Count Leo Tolstoy, on the wall behind her.

Saint Sergius Church on the Tolstoy Farm in Valley Cottage.

A boy rings the bell of the shrine of St. Sergius Russian Orthodox Church on the Tolstoy Foundation Farm in Valley Cottage, NY.

Many Russian immigrants have settled in Clarkstown and Rockland over the years, with a large number of them coming after World War II. The Tolstoy Foundation in Valley Cottage helped bring in and resettle thousands of Russian refugees, many of whom ended up in Spring Valley and Nyack. The foundation helped the immigrants find jobs, with many working at factories and workshops as the Russian community in the area grew early on. These immigrants quickly established church services in homes and other buildings, and they soon constructed their own churches, such as the Holy Virgin Protection Russian Orthodox Church in Nyack, which has held classes over the years to teach Russian-American youth about the Russian religion, language, and culture.    

Significant People

Alexandra Tolstoy, daughter of the famous writer Leo Tolstoy, left her native Russia after being persecuted by the Communist regime, eventually settling in the U.S. in the 1930s. In 1939, she created the Tolstoy Foundation, which was established in Valley Cottage in the 1940s. Through her foundation, Tolstoy accepted and resettled thousands of refugees from Russia, helping to establish the Russian community in Clarkstown. Her foundation also assisted numerous refugees from various parts of the world, including Africa, southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe.  

Princess Vera Constantinovna was the great-granddaughter of Czar Nicholas I. She fled Russia because of the Russian Revolution in 1917, eventually coming to the U.S. in the 1950s. She dedicated herself to charitable causes and found a home at the Tolstoy Foundation in Valley Cottage, where she lived out the rest of her days. 

Bibliography

Lerner, Jane. “Another piece of history is gone.” The Journal News, January 16, 2001, accessed on July 27, 2016.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6023849/another_piece_of_history_is_gone/.

Lerner, Jane. “Tolstoy Foundation Looks to Future.” The Journal News, January 22, 2001, accessed on July 19, 2016. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5938387/tolstoy_foundation_looks_to_future/ (second page of an article that starts here: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5938442/tolstoy_foundation_seeks_new_path/). 

McGovern, Tim. “Russian Culture Nurtured in County.” The Journal News, February 19, 1973, accessed on July 19, 2016.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5938826/russian_culture_nurtured_in_county/.

Zimmerman, Linda. Rockland County: Century of History, 1900-2000. New City, NY: The Historical Society of Rockland County, 2002.

“Alexandre Tolstoy Asks For Help In Finding Jobs For Russians.” The Journal News, January 2, 1952, accessed on June 29, 2016. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5727352/alexandre_tolstoy_asks_help_in_finding/.

“Russians Are Building Their Own New Church in Nyack.” The Journal News, October 11, 1955, accessed on July 27, 2016.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5939129/russians_are_building_their_own_new/.