Certificate of Arrival for Stephan Sevestian Bondareff
1/26/1935
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A refugee from the 1917–1921 Russian Civil War, Stephan Bondareff served in the White Russian Army that was defeated by the Red Army (Bolsheviks), who created the Soviet Union. After fleeing Russia in 1920, he traveled to Turkey, Bulgaria, and Paris, France.
In Paris, Bondareff was hired by the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show as a “cossack horse trick rider.” After briefly working in the United States, he traveled with the show to Laredo, Mexico, in December 1926.
On September 12, 1927, fearing he would not be allowed to enter the United States since he had no visa, Bondareff “Waded Rio Grande River” at Eagle Pass, Texas. He later settled in Dearborn, Michigan, and worked for the Ford Motor Company.
Seven years later, Bondareff took advantage of a law designed to allow Russians who had fled the Soviet Union without proper documentation to create a record of their arrival and apply for permanent residence. He filed to legalize his status in August 1934, writing that he was without a passport, and that if he returned to the Soviet Union “they would put me in the jail first and then kill me.” Immigration officials created a record describing Bondareff’s river crossing, and he was granted permanent resident status. He became a U.S. citizen in 1937, and died in 1978.
In Paris, Bondareff was hired by the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show as a “cossack horse trick rider.” After briefly working in the United States, he traveled with the show to Laredo, Mexico, in December 1926.
On September 12, 1927, fearing he would not be allowed to enter the United States since he had no visa, Bondareff “Waded Rio Grande River” at Eagle Pass, Texas. He later settled in Dearborn, Michigan, and worked for the Ford Motor Company.
Seven years later, Bondareff took advantage of a law designed to allow Russians who had fled the Soviet Union without proper documentation to create a record of their arrival and apply for permanent residence. He filed to legalize his status in August 1934, writing that he was without a passport, and that if he returned to the Soviet Union “they would put me in the jail first and then kill me.” Immigration officials created a record describing Bondareff’s river crossing, and he was granted permanent resident status. He became a U.S. citizen in 1937, and died in 1978.
This primary source comes from the Records of District Courts of the United States.
National Archives Identifier: 6341140
Full Citation: Certificate of Arrival for Stephan Sevestian Bondareff; 1/26/1935; Naturalization Petitions and Records, 1906 - 1991; Records of District Courts of the United States, Record Group 21; National Archives at Chicago, Chicago, IL. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/certificate-arrival-bondareff, November 9, 2024]Activities that use this document
- Immigration to America: Stories and Travels
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