Kate Ritchie and her siblings were clearing out an old shed at their grandparents’ place when they stumbled upon a trunk that had remained untouched for decades. When they opened it, they found a treasure trove of history. Via SBSRussian
Kate Ritchie’s family discovered an old trunk in their grandparents’ shed in New Zealand, full of documents from the Russian Empire.Some TikTok users helped with the Russian translation while others commented the trunk was a vintage Louis Vuitton from the early 20th century.
Photos of Tsar Nicholas II, official papers and letters from the days of the Russian Empire and family photo albums were the first few items the family found in the trunk.Ms Ritchie suggests that her maternal grandfather, Alexander Tetzner, didn’t pay much attention to the trunk as he doesn't speak or read Russian.Kate Ritchie
While some of the documents could be scanned and translated from Russian into English online, others couldn’t as they were handwritten. When she used this channel to spread the word about her new discovery, she was inundated with audience engagement.Some Russian-speaking subscribers quickly reached out telling that the Tetzner familywith representatives of the Russian-speaking community in New Zealand, detailing the support that the Tetzner family gave to the Russian Orthodox Church in Auckland in mid-20th century.
Some of the subscribers were joking in the comments hat this could the best ad for Louis Vuitton, as the trunk was able to keep the family documents and photos safe and intact for a century. Before my great-grandfather Sergius died, my great-aunt sat him down and spoke with him on a tape recorder and he explained the family history to his knowledge at that time.