Important Persons of the Eastern Branch

Besides Karl Gebhard and Karl Raffael, the Estonian branch of the family also produced other notable personages.

  • Jakob Julius Fabian, a son of Fabian Wilhelm, distinguished himself in the Napoleonic Wars. For taking the fortress of Namur in a surprise attack, he was awarded the Prussian "Pour le mérite" medal. In recognition of his heroism, his coat-of-arms was hung in the Knights' Cathedral in Revel.
  • Another successful officer was Nikolai, a son of Gustav Gideon. As a young navy officer, he took part in a famous sea voyage around the world. During the Crimean War, Tsar Alexander sent his fleet to the estuary of the Amur to see whether English ships were entering Russia from the East. Nikolai was later made an admiral and the Tsar's general adjutant. He was awarded numerous medals, became the administrator of the Court of the Grand Duke and tutor to Grand Duke Alexei.
  • A grandson of Karl Raffael, Alfred, 1861 to 1922, Serrefer, was a remarkable politician. He was chamberlain to the Tsar and represented the interests of the large estate owners in Estonia as a member of the Imperial Duma, the Russian parliament. As the deputy Captain of Knights in Berlin after the Russian revolution, Alfred advocated the occupation of Estonia by German troops.
  • Carl, 1872 to 1941, Kook, also proved to be a gifted politician. This grandson of Gustav Gideon was a representative of the German-Baltic Party in the parliament of the 1st Estonian state and a Council Member of the German Cultural Administration body.

 

Following persons were active in the diplomatic service:

  • Moritz (Maurice), 1872 to 1934, Orgena, 1st Secretary at the Russian Embassy in Paris (1908 to 1910) and head of the Office of the Exterior of the Russian Imperial Government (1910 to 1916).
  • Ernst, 1875 - 1961, Kook, Councillor of State, Consul in the USA from 1904 to 1912, then Consul in Breslau until the outbreak of the 1st World War, then Consul-General in Copenhagen dealing with the closing of Imperial Russian representations until 1923.

 

There have been notable achievements by members of the family since the 2nd World War too:

  • Wolfgang, 1895 - 1983, Serrefer, was deputy mayor in Nienhagen/County of Celle and member of the District Council. He was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
  • Olaf, born in 1943, Jürgensberg, achieved considerable success as a swimmer.
  • Karin, born in 1929, Serrefer, Professor of Nursing, was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Linköping in 1995.
  • Jürgen, Dr. med., passed away on August 17, 2008 at the age of 99 on "his" island Langeoog. His dedication for people and facilities on Langeoog have been appreciated in this obituary.