Arsiente “Musik” Romanoff’s WWII draft card carries the note: “This man has never attended school one day. He cannot read or write. Cross-eyed.
Musik, the son of Arsiente Romanoff, was born about 1912. He was the brother of Barbara Romanoff (Beach). Although the City records list Musik as having been buried in the Seldovia City Cemetery, Plot #169, there is no date recorded for his birth or death. US Census records indicate that if he was Arsiente, son of Arsiente, Sr., he was born about 1912 and probably in Seldovia.
Perhaps the reason he was called Musik was because he was a notorious harmonica player.
Mae Annette Fox Sharp says “We called him Moosic. His name was Arsenti Romanoff, and his family came from Kodiak. He never had a home or family, but lived everywhere. He could barely see, and always seemed to look the same age. He did odd jobs for everyone and everyone fed him and gave him a place to sleep. He had an accordion, which he played by ear. He gave me an old one of his and I would play along with him, not knowing a note of music, but we made a lot of noise, with guitars that no one could play, banjos, and a piano. We managed to get a few knocks at the door asking us if we were having a party. We had a lot of fun. He also taught us how to play flip the coin, heads or tails. I remember cheating on this one, and I’m sure he knew it as we all won when we played with him.” From “My Seldovia - My Life”.