The Zaitsevs were a dynasty of Nizhny Novgorod merchants and industrialists active from the 18th century to the early 20th century. The family traced its origins to peasants of the Beryozopol stan of Nizhny Novgorod Uyezd, who lived in the selo (a larger village) of Nizhny Izbylets near Gorbatov, and over several generations made a fortune in rope-making and the trade in hemp goods.[3]

Origins and early history

In the first half of the 18th century, Ivan Yakovlevich Zaitsev (1711–1776) founded a rope-making business in Nizhny Izbylets. His sons Pyotr and Aleksey expanded the enterprise: they supplied some of their hemp rigging to the Demidov mine owners of the Urals for the barge caravans that transported iron. His grandson Ivan's son, Grigory Petrovich (1768–1812), became a major entrepreneur, and his sons Evlampy and Yermila traded in ropes at the Nizhny Novgorod Yarmarka.[3]

In 1839, Evlampy Grigoryevich Zaitsev (1793–1850) bought his freedom from the Turchaninov landowners together with his large family, and in 1840 he was registered as a Gorbatov merchant of the 3rd guild. His third son, Andrey Evlampyevich (1824–1889), achieved the greatest success: he became a merchant of the 1st guild and mayor of Gorbatov. In the late 1850s he acquired a rope factory in Kasimov in Ryazan Governorate and, during his ownership, turned it into the largest enterprise in the industry, equipped with steam engines. In the late 1880s Andrey Evlampyevich moved to Nizhny Novgorod, where he acquired real estate. In 1871 he was elected a member of the City Duma.[3]

The trading house and the Nizhny Novgorod period

After Andrey Evlampyevich's death, the business was continued by his sons — Mikhail Andreyevich (1851 — year of death unknown) and Aleksandr Andreyevich (1867 — year of death unknown). They founded the trading house "Andrey Zaitsev's Sons" with an authorized capital of 120,000 rubles, dealing in yarn, linen and hemp thread, and twine. The trading house's office was located in the main building of the estate on Rozhdestvenskaya Street.[3] Both brothers were merchants of the 1st guild and prominent figures in the city's public life.

Mikhail Andreyevich was engaged in steamship operations, chaired the council of the Minin Brotherhood, served as an honorary member of the council of the Kulibin Trade School, as a member of the board of trustees of the Mariinsky Girls' Gymnasium, and as warden of the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian (1896–1912); he was also a trustee of the Widows' Home and of the O. V. Kutaisova municipal children's shelter. He was close to John of Kronstadt.[3] Aleksandr Andreyevich chaired the council of the Minin Brotherhood from 1894 to 1918, was an honorary member of the Nizhny Novgorod Governorate Board of Trustees for Children's Shelters, and a member of the committee of the Mariinsky municipal maternity institution.[3]

The mansion on Bolshaya Pecherskaya

At the beginning of the 20th century, Mikhail Andreyevich Zaytsev acquired a plot on Bolshaya Pecherskaya Street, where a one-story wooden house with a wing used as a shop had previously stood. In 1904–1907, a two-story stone mansion with a mezzanine, in the spirit of Classicism and Baroque, was built here to a design by the architect Dmitry Aleksandrovich Verner — a model of an impressive merchant's residence.[1][2] In 1918 the building was nationalized; it later housed residential apartments, and then the canteen of the Suvorov Military School. In 2020 the mansion was restored as part of the preparations for the 800th anniversary of Nizhny Novgorod: the historic stucco molding (80% of which had been lost) was recreated, the facade was repaired, the fence and drainage elements were restored, and the Zaytsev coat of arms was reinstated. The building now houses a center for restorative medicine and rehabilitation for children.[1]

Genealogy

  • Yakov Zaytsev (? — first half of the 18th century) — a peasant from the selo (a larger village) of Nizhny Izbylets.
  • Ivan Yakovlevich Zaytsev (1711–1776) — founder of the rope-spinning business and progenitor of the merchant branch of the family.
  • Pyotr Ivanovich Zaytsev (1734–1795) and Aleksey Ivanovich Zaytsev — co-owners of the rope-making business and suppliers to the Demidovs.
  • Grigory Petrovich Zaytsev (1768–1812) — a major entrepreneur.
  • Evlampy Grigoryevich Zaytsev (1793–1850) — a Gorbatov merchant of the 3rd guild.
  • Andrey Evlampyevich Zaytsev (1824–1889) — a merchant of the 1st guild, mayor of Gorbatov, and member of the Nizhny Novgorod City Duma (1871).
  • Mikhail Andreyevich Zaytsev (1851 — ?) — a merchant of the 1st guild, steamship owner, and public figure.
  • Aleksandr Andreyevich Zaytsev (1867 — ?) — a merchant of the 1st guild and chairman of the council of the Minin Brotherhood (1894–1918).
  • Sergey Vasilyevich Zaytsev — the last pre-revolutionary director of the Zaytsevs' Kasimov factory.
[3]

Sources

  1. V gorode N — The merchant Zaytsev's mansion has been restored in Nizhny Novgorod (archive)
  2. gallery.ddt-chkalov.ru — The Past in the Present of the Home — the Estate of M.A. Zaytsev — Internet project "WE ARE TOGETHER"
  3. visacon.ru — The Zaytsevs (merchants)
Materials from the following articles were used (1)

Zaytsev Estate