Elisabeth Debar Russian Railway Letter File, ca. 1890-1910 | University of Illinois Archives

Based on information included in materials provided by the Archives et Documentation of the Mairie du Havre, as well as the content of the letter itself, the letter has been roughly dated to ca. 1890-1910. Clara Debar is recorded to have been born in 1858. In 1861, her sister Elisabeth was recorded to be 7 months old, thus being born either in 1860 or early 1861. Within the letter, Elisabeth mentions an "Alfred," presumably her nephew, Alfred Doublel, born in 1885. In considering Elisabeth's sentiment in writing "Alfred a t-il-re�???�??�?�§u son argent je crains fort qu'il m'oublie maintenant qu'il me sent loin," it is presumed that Alfred must have been at the very least three years old, if not older at the writing of this letter.

Additionally, Elisabeth mentions the presence of "La Grande Duchesse Anastasie" on the same train. Research indicates that it is highly improbable that the famed Grand Duchess Anastasia, daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, was the Anastasia mentioned. She had been born in 1901 and no evidence could be found indicating she would have visited Berlin in her early years. Instead, it is seems that the Anastasia in question is Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna (1860-1922) of Russia, later of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who was a member of the Romanov dynasty and who, as a member of the court in a northern German province, could potentially have been present on a train from Berlin to St. Petersburg, potentially to visit her family who stilled lived in Russia.