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@alexdefircks.bsky.social

Family historian, writer and storyteller, https://www.alexdefircks.com/

118 Followers  |  122 Following  |  69 Posts  |  Joined: 04.12.2024
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Posts by (@alexdefircks.bsky.social)

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Today is International Womens Day and I'm thankful my grandmother, Olga Woronoff, was a wonderful example of a strong woman. #IWD #Internationalwomensday

08.03.2026 05:06 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Discover how Alex de Fircks brought her grandmother’s memoir back into print, complete with meticulous footnotes and previously unpublished diaries and correspondence with royalty.
NOW AVAILABLE: downingfield.com/book/upheaval/

28.02.2026 04:23 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Discover how Alex de Fircks brought her grandmother’s memoir back into print, complete with meticulous footnotes and previously unpublished diaries and correspondence with royalty.
NOW AVAILABLE: downingfield.com/book/upheaval/

26.02.2026 06:58 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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One of the fun things of being a family historian has to be sorting through documents!

25.02.2026 08:02 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I definitely enjoy reading author's notes.

23.02.2026 20:44 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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It has to be every family historian's dream to discover documents which give more information on their ancestors. I've been fortunate to have done just that. #familyhistory #ancestors #memoir #Documents @downingfield.bsky.social

22.02.2026 03:22 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Oh that's sad. My mother had Alzheimers. It must be a difficult time for you.

15.02.2026 19:59 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Will it come to Melbourne?

15.02.2026 19:56 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I feel for you. My father died in 2012 and I'm still sorting through documents and photos etc that I brought home. I'm pretty sure that at the time I threw out things which, from a family history point of view, would be valuable. Good luck!

15.02.2026 19:54 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Find out more at Downingfield.com/upheaval

12.02.2026 22:16 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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As a family historian I get very excited about new discoveries and when I found my grandmother's 1919 diary I was delighted. After it was translated, it has been included in the 2nd edition of Upheaval published by @downingfield.bsky.social

12.02.2026 04:47 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
Alex de Fircks discusses her grandmother Olga Woronoff and her family's history of Russian nobility
YouTube video by Downingfield Press Alex de Fircks discusses her grandmother Olga Woronoff and her family's history of Russian nobility

Recently @downingfield.bsky.social interviewed me about the 2nd edition of Upheaval, you can watch it on their YouTube channel youtu.be/M8n4-z99Jbw?...

08.02.2026 06:03 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Many people know Grand Duchess Olga had a crush on my grandfather, but how many of you know my grandmother was a friend of the Grand Duchesses?

You can read letters between the Grand Duchesses and my grandmother in the 2nd edition of Upheaval available through @downingfield.bsky.social

03.02.2026 20:34 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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Perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of weapons are being housed in a library near you… - Alex de Fircks I have always belonged to a library, well as far back as I can remember anyway. It is one of the first memberships I seek out when I move to a new location.

Libraries are custodians of some of the most important things, including ideas www.alexdefircks.com/perhaps-the-...

25.01.2026 03:15 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Three photos of three generations along the matrilineal line, all around the same age - Alex de Fircks I’m very lucky to have these family photos. They are a very small sample of the many photos I inherited. Unfortunately, they are also an example of improperly

Looking at old family photos for this week's blog post - can you see the similarities? www.alexdefircks.com/three-photos...

18.01.2026 02:49 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

A different perspective indeed! What a wonderful story.

11.01.2026 20:07 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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My grandfather was born in 1886 but, thanks to Lenin, his birthday was changed to 1887 - Alex de Fircks Today, January 11th, was my grandfather's birthday. Or was it? My grandfather, Pavel Voronov (Paul Woronoff) was born on December 29, 1886, or was he? I have

When was my grandfather really born? Which date should I use? Family historians will understand the issues here. www.alexdefircks.com/my-grandfath...

11.01.2026 03:44 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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I grew up celebrating two Christmases, one on the 25th December then Russian Orthodox Christmas on 7th January.
If you didn't manage to order Upheaval in time for 25th December, you still have time to put your order in for 7th January, through @downingfield.bsky.social

22.12.2025 20:58 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

A great last-minute Christmas gift idea!

19.12.2025 12:10 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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What could possibly have inspired me to taken on a project like Upheaval, which took me over six years to complete? - Alex de Fircks That was a question I was asked during the book launch for the 2nd edition of Upheaval and a question which I’m often asked by both friends and contacts on

This week's blog post looks at what inspired me to write the 2nd edition of Upheaval and the differences between it and the original manuscript. www.alexdefircks.com/what-could-p...

14.12.2025 07:01 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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A gift for the history lover. Available at www.alexdefircks.com or @downingfield.bsky.social

12.12.2025 03:56 β€” πŸ‘ 29    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Do you know someone who is fascinated with Imperial Russia?
Upheaval would be the perfect present for them!
You can buy it through my website or through @downingfield.bsky.social

03.12.2025 19:07 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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Sorting material for the sequel to Upheaval and running out of desk space πŸ™„ If you haven't had a chance to buy Upheaval yet, here's the link downingfield.com/book/upheaval

29.11.2025 20:37 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Please NEVER pay a publisher to publish your work. The publisher PAYS you. If they’re asking for money, something is not right.

29.11.2025 20:28 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

🀣🀣🀣

22.11.2025 05:55 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Would you like to know why your ancestors made certain decisions? Its possible with Human Design - Alex de Fircks It is now possible to gain these insights through human design.

I've always been curious about the reasons behind decisions my ancestors made and recently, I discovered that Human Design can shine a light on their choices. www.alexdefircks.com/would-you-li...

16.11.2025 04:44 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Do you like to support your local businesses? I do. So do you know you can order Upheaval through your local bookshop? Just give them the details below and support your local bookshop.

08.11.2025 20:21 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Upheaval Step into the glittering world of Imperial Russia – and witness its dramatic fall – through the eyes of Countess Olga Konstantinovna Kleinmichel. ...

πŸ“˜ Want to get your hands on Upheaval: A Story of Russia, Romanovs, and Revolution?
You’ve got options!

πŸ›οΈ Buy in-store: Ask your local bookshop to order it in for you. ISBN: 9781923513013

🌐 Find a retailer: www.downingfield.com/upheaval

πŸ“± Prefer digital? Get e-book version! ISBN: 9781923513037

06.11.2025 22:59 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Lol, I think I'll pass...

05.11.2025 08:03 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

You can never wear too many ties?

05.11.2025 07:59 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0