Childhood of Sonja (Susanna) Graf -
the solutions to (nearly) all open questions.

By the stubborn research work of Alfred Schattmann of Munich nearly all "the riddles" of Sonja Graf’s youth seem to be solved. (> Letter by the Munich Municipal Archives to Mr. Schattmann.)

The family of Josef Graf (born 23.07.1869) lived originally in Liebenthal, a small village in the Volga region near the large city Samara (which was Kuybishev in the Sovietunion).
His parents were farmers (Johannes Graf and Barbara née Paul - all good old German names).
His "wife" Susanna Zimmermann (born 08.05.1876) in Rownoje (German: Seelmann), near Samara. Her parents were Friedrich Zimmermann and Anna, née Kolsing, also good old German names, Mr. Zimmermann was a salesman.
The couple stayed in Munich from September 1906 on - but the first child, Maria was also born in the Bavarian capital on 29.11.1900.
May be the "family" had moved back to Russia - to the seaport of Taganrog sited at the Asow Sea (part of the Black Sea).
There two children were born:
Valeria (26.05.1904)
Oskar Melchior (19.01.1906)
The fourth child, the next son, called Alex, was born in Germany again (07.09.1907), in a city near Munich named Dachau. He emigrated to Australia in 1956.
Susanna (Sonja) Graf was born in 16.12.1908 - the "family" then lived in Ainmillerstr. No. 22
Three children were younger than Susanna:
Helene (28.02.1910) - this is "Hella", mentioned in "Yo Soy Susann" on page 19, she died on 29.01.1930.
Cyril (08.06.1911)
Artur Wolfgang (07.10.1912)
The very numerous family moved to Elisabethstr. 45 (III floor) in January 1915.
The profession of the father is given as artist (painter) and priest (roman-catholics), later on as "magnetopath".
In 19.09.1919 the father (and the family) was repatronized as German citizens and the Grafs married in 19.04.1920 - with 8 children, the eldest 20 years old!
The father died in 09.10.1935 in Munich, nothing is known till now about the fate of Susanna's mother.
Susanna (Sonja) Graf’s register card is highly interesting.
Her profession is given as "Kindermädchen" (= nanny) and "Kunstgewerblerin" (= craftswoman).
At the best is that later on her profession is given as "Schachmeisterin" = woman chessmaster.

From 10.12.1926 to 12.09.1927 she stayed in a so-called "Fürsorgeheim" - which is a kind of "boarding-school for growing-ups" - not a Lyceum as she reported in her second book. From end of 1927 to end of 1929 she left Munich to Kirchschönbach - which is in Lower Franconia - South Germany - maybe also a kind of "boarding school", run by nuns. Sonja had lost the civil right to swear at the court - that is mentioned on the registry card - so she must have committed a crime. (Maybe committing perjury.) From 01.11.1929-05.03.1931 she lived again in Munich with her parents (Elisabethstr. 45) There were 3 other addresses given: From 05.03.-03.09.1931, then from 01.09.1931-29.05.1933. She left to the Netherlands, but came back to Munich from 06.12.1933 to 17.03.1934 - when she left for Amsterdam. The last note is that she has got a passport from the German embassy in London, valid till 20.09.1941.

Sonja Graf (1940) Photo from the collection of Ken Calitri (Chess Guru), Lawrence Totaro's site

PS:
Good explanations about the Volga Germans on:
www.webbitt.com/volga/home.html