“Anastasia” Researcher Releases New Book, Will Autograph Easter Sunday

by Sharon Rondeau

(Mar. 27, 2024) — Johannes Froebel-Parker, a retired schoolteacher and longtime researcher into the demise of the Romanov family in 1918, has published a new book about the youngest Romanov, Anastasia, who he believes, contrary to many historical accounts, survived the brutal slaying at the hands of the Bolsheviks and came to the United States in 1963 to live out her days.

Though using the alias Evgenia Smetisko, Froebel-Parker maintains “Anastasia” is “buried in a Russian Orthodox Monastery near the New York State Capital District with the royal date of birth inscribed on her grave cross.”

An avid educator and historian who has authored five previous books, Froebel-Parker will be holding a book signing for his newest work, “Grand Duchess Anastasia: Still a Mystery?” on Sunday at La Mision Restaurant, 621 Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534.

“ANASTASIA means ‘Resurrection,’ so this is an appropriate date, especially given the story of survival of the youngest grand duchess of Russia,” Froebel-Parker wrote in his announcement of the event.

Of his newest work, Froebel-Parker told us:

This current edition delves more in depth into the development of interest into the case of the woman initially presented as a “well meaning” but “self deluded” lady purportedly named Evgenia, sometimes Eugenia, Smetisko, sometimes Smith who in 1963 claimed to be HIH Anastasia Nicholaevna Romanov, Grand Duchess of Russia.

It begins with a purchase of artwork from her collection deemed unsuitable for a monastery museum, as most of it she had painted as an octogenarian, later nonagenarian, with no religious motifs and no ostensible connection to the Romanov Era. She had, of course, left plenty of Romanov memorabilia and objets d’art to the museum; items she had collected over the years and, it was reported, received from former imperial tutor, Sydney Gibbes. He had brought many things given to him by the Romanov children to Great Britain when he left, but had also returned to the Ipatiev House shortly after the “assassination” gathering up what he could to take back to Great Britain.

This interest, generated by the acquisition of lovely paintings of purported childhood memories from a “disturbed” elderly lady, led to a search for her grave. There a surprise was in store for the name EVGENIA SMETISKO was inscribed on the Orthodox wooden cross, but also the date of birth not of “Evgenia,” rather that of the youngest grand duchess of Tsarist Russia.

With the collaboration of the now late Robert “Bob” Schmitt, pioneer in VFR (visual face recognition) convincing 2D analyses between the verifiable Anastasia Romanov and aka “Evgenia” revealed an uncanny similarity, also between the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, nee von Hessen und bei Rhein and the purported impostress. They too were so closely congruent in analyses which included side by side, and facial overlay views only to be substantiated  later  by 3D analyses with then new software developed by Schmitt, who had appeared both on History Channel and Discovery Channel as a VFR expert.

After the memoirs of Evgenia/Anastasia contained in the new edition,  various readers submitted their thoughts and personal experiences concerning  the evidence and mystery, followed by various vignettes illustrating continual mysterious occurrences which transpired during all the years of the investigation involving Froebel-Parker, the author, and others who had something to do with the search. One of the remarkable elements of the journey is that all who have assisted in some way have had a DNA connection to the author, and among themselves even given diverse heritages: Italian, Russian, Jewish, Irish, Dutch and Swedish.

“Rather than sale of books am praying the event helps get out the story and resolution to the mystery!” he told us in an email Wednesday.

The book is available at Amazon.