Romanov Claimant- Eugenia Smith
An Introduction to the Woman Who Claimed to be Anastasia
Jun 24, 2009
On 13th October 1963, LIFE magazine announced the possibility that not only had Grand Duchess Anastasia survived the execution of her family, but she was living in Chicago. Following Anna Anderson (who made the same claim in 1922), Eugenia Smith became one of the most famous Romanov claimants.
Eugenia’s Early Years
Also known as Eugenia, Drabek Smetisko's naturalisation papers completed in 1929 (upon her immigration to the USA) state that she was born in Bukovina (an area now split between Romania and the Ukraine) in 1899. Apart from that, nothing is known about her early years.
Becoming Anastasia
Initially, Eugenia claimed that she had been a friend of Anastasia. It was during this friendship that Anastasia entrusted Eugenia with her story, which became the manuscript of the book recounting the childhood and escape of the alleged Grand Duchess.
However, when questioned, Eugenia was unable to give exact details of how her friend had died, or when. After questioning, Eugenia finally claimed that she was in fact Anastasia and agreed to a lie detector test.
The Escape of ‘Anastasia’
Eugenia claimed that on the evening of 16th July, 1918, the family were ordered to write letters to friends and family detailing their ‘new life’ in Sweden. Later that night, the family were awoken and ordered to wash (apparently following a discussion between the commander of the guards and Anastasia’s father, Tzar Nicholas II).
When all the family were gathered in the room that was be their place of execution, Eugenia claims she had suddenly screamed while the order to fire was given. After this, Eugenia claimed to remember very little, until she awoke in the cellar of a peasant’s cottage.
According to her account, ‘Anastasia’ was rescued by a young man named Alexander who had hidden in the truck transporting the bodies of the Romanov family. While trying to rescue as many as he could, he had thrown two of the bodies out of the truck, and after finding one already dead, he had taken the other to the nearest house.
The Lie Detector Test
Over a period of weeks, Eugenia Smith was subjected to 30 tests in an attempt to verify her story. Initially, her alleged identity was kept from the examiner. After the first tests, her results appeared vague. While it showed that she answered truthfully to taking classes with Grand Duchess Maria and dining with the Russian Royal family, her answers regarding whether she knew Anastasia were unclear.
When Eugenia’s claim was revealed to the examiner, he embarked on a new set of questions, asking outright “are you Anastasia, Grand Duchess of Russia?” After studying the results, Eugenia was deemed to have been telling the truth when asked about her date of birth and identity.
Suspicions About Eugenia
Following the publication of her book, Eugenia enjoyed some time on the party circuit, gathering a number of supporters. However, suspicions were raised when she confirmed the claim of another supposed Romanov survivor- Michael
One story claims the two met at a party by accident, during which Eugenia exclaimed “you are Alexei Romanov, my brother”. Eugenia quickly denounced this claim however, when her publisher pointed out that in her book she had stated that her brother had died. After this, it seems Eugenia faded into obscurity, refusing to take a DNA test to confirm her claims. Eugenia Smith passed away in 1997.
Discoveries made since Eugenia’s death render Eugenia's claims of being the escaped Grand Duchess Anastasia impossible. But why she made the claims she did or who she really was remains a mystery.
Sources:
The Case of a New Anastasia, LIFE Magazine, 13th October 1963, pages 104-114
Autobiography of HIH Anastasia Nicholaevna of Russia, Eugenia Smith, New York: Speller, 1963
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