In the mid-19th century, the Ukrainian lands—which were then part of the Russian Empire—were home not only to German settlements but also to French ones. It was only natural that these ethnic communities had their own organizations.
For example, in Kyiv:
Or in Odesa:
Our beloved city was no exception. As early as 1899, documents regarding the opening of the French consulate in Kharkiv noted that “in 1876, the local French community—which until recently had been insignificant— established the ‘French Charitable Society’ in Kharkiv, which operated its own almshouse. The beautifully appointed Catholic church met the spiritual needs not only of the local French community but also of their compatriots from other cities.”
Its founder was Ignaty Henrikhovich Male. The first paragraph of the society’s charter clearly and explicitly outlined its objectives:
The Kharkiv French Charitable Society aims to provide assistance to French citizens in need who reside in Kharkiv or its surrounding areas. French women who are widows of foreign nationals are eligible to receive benefits from the society. In addition, assistance may be provided, on an exceptional basis, to French citizens not residing in Kharkiv or the surrounding area, as well as to Belgian and Italian nationals in need whose plight warrants support. In any case, such assistance may be provided only with the unanimous consent of all members of the board and must not, under any circumstances, exceed one-tenth of the revenue derived from membership dues for the previous fiscal year.
The information contained in the following section is no less interesting:
§ 2.
In these cases, society:
a) provides food, clothing, housing, and financial assistance—whether temporary or permanent—to anyone unable to support themselves through their own labor;
b) places the destitute in almshouses and other charitable institutions;
c) provides assistance for the upbringing of orphans;
d) facilitates the return to France of persons who are ill or unable to find work in Russia;
e) covers the costs of hospital care and burial for indigent compatriots;
f) strives, to the extent possible, to find employment for every French man or woman of good moral character and conduct;
(g) establishes, when funds are available, its own charitable institutions or participates in the establishment of such institutions.
Membership in the society was open to all adult French citizens of either sex, French women married to foreigners, and—most interestingly—all descendants of French citizens, with the exception of those enrolled in educational institutions or those whose rights had been restricted by a court ruling (§ 3).
At the end of each year, the company published annual reports in the form of small booklets, which were submitted to both the Russian and French authorities in accordance with established regulations.
Three such reports were discovered in the State Archives of the Kharkiv Region. Thanks to them, we can learn many interesting details about the life of Kharkiv’s French community in the early 20th century. However, they are written in French.
As these same reports indicate, the society included not only French nationals but also members of other nationalities. For example, it is known that Dmitry Alekseyevich Alchevsky was a member.
From the very moment the society was founded, French consuls played an important role in the organization’s life. However, there was no French consulate in our city until the second half of the 19th century. It was not until November 30, 1899, that French citizen Stéphane Lavollée was appointed vice-consul of France in Kharkiv. And on August 20, 1908, pursuant to a decree by the President of the French Republic, the Kharkiv vice-consulate was upgraded to a consulate. Ludwig Lorantievich Rabu, who was serving as vice-consul at the time, was promoted to the rank of consul.
Thus, from the beginning of the 20th century, French consuls began to take an active part in both the life of the national community and the activities of the organization itself. In 1913, at the initiative of one of its members, amendments were made to paragraphs 5, 6, and 9 of the bylaws of the “French Charitable Society”:
The amendments were unanimously adopted at the organization’s general meeting, the minutes of which were signed by:
— the French consul in Kharkiv, as chair of the general meeting;
— Louis Bonnot, as chair of the society’s board of directors;
— August Buroz, as vice chair of the board of directors;
— F. E. Morel Bourginon, as secretary of the board of directors.
By a decision of the Kharkiv Provincial Council for Affairs Concerning Societies and Unions dated October 29, 1913, the new draft charter was approved, and the society was entered into the register of societies in the Kharkiv Province under No. 61 on November 2, 1913.
In 1914, the German and Austrian organizations operating in Kharkiv were declared enemy organizations and were soon shut down. As for the French citizens living in our city, who formed the core of the “French Charitable Society,” they were mobilized and returned to their homeland to defend their country. Their subsequent fate, alas, remains unknown at this time. What a pity. After all, this could have significantly expanded our knowledge of “French Kharkiv”—small though it may have been.
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