The rise and fall of the Eliseev merchant family
The rise of an Empire under Peter and its collapse under Grigory. This is not about the Russian Empire, Peter the Great, or Grigory Rasputin. This is about the Eliseevs. The dynasty existed for a hundred years, and it has been gone for more than a hundred years. Yet Gastronom No. 1 in both capitals is still called Eliseev's. Who were these Eliseevs?
"The founder of the dynasty, Peter Eliseev, was a gardener for Count Sheremetev. And once in winter, he served strawberries grown in a small greenhouse to the guests. Sheremetev was so touched that he granted freedom to the serf and helped him with money." This is how the legend about the beginning of the famous merchant family of the Eliseevs goes. But it's just a legend. Peter did not serve Sheremetev. He was not a serf.
The truth sounds like this:
A state peasant, Peter Kasatkin son of Eliseev, thirty-seven years old, came to St. Petersburg from the Yaroslavl province in 1813. He arrived with his wife and three sons. They were sheltered by their fellow countryman Konan Kotomin, who by that time had his own business hub on Nevsky 18 — a large three-story house. The homeowner's family lived on the third floor, shops and warehouses were on the first floor, and on the second floor, merchants rented apartments. Peter Eliseev and his family also rented a corner there.
The truth sounds like this:
A state peasant, Peter Kasatkin son of Eliseev, thirty-seven years old, came to St. Petersburg from the Yaroslavl province in 1813. He arrived with his wife and three sons. They were sheltered by their fellow countryman Konan Kotomin, who by that time had his own business hub on Nevsky 18 — a large three-story house. The homeowner's family lived on the third floor, shops and warehouses were on the first floor, and on the second floor, merchants rented apartments. Peter Eliseev and his family also rented a corner there.
All of St. Petersburg's trade at that time was divided into zones. For example, the Arkhangelsk people traded fish. The Yaroslavl people traded other food supplies. The newly-arrived businessmen began trading in food products. And not with candies and cookies, but with exotic foreign fruits.
Pimply dates and other exotic foods
Peter, son of Eliseev, bought a tray of oranges at the port and went to Nevsky Prospect, where he offered these fruits to strolling people, but now one by one. Business was brisk, and the next day he took three trays — for his wife and sons. This is how the Eliseev trading dynasty began. Here is an advertisement that could be seen in a newspaper of that time: "At the Police Bridge, in merchant Kotomin's house, in shop No. 6, we sell recently received fresh Crimean pears and various Kiev jams, large pimply dates, Swiss dried pears, Parmesan cheese at 7 rubles per pound, salted Kola milk-caps, Dutch herring, Arkhangelsk smoked geese, etc."
The focus on exotic products was made correctly. By the end of 1818, Peter son of Eliseev had earned enough to acquire merchant status. True, it was only of the third guild, but a difficult beginning is half the battle. In memory of his father, Peter recorded his surname as Eliseev.
The focus on exotic products was made correctly. By the end of 1818, Peter son of Eliseev had earned enough to acquire merchant status. True, it was only of the third guild, but a difficult beginning is half the battle. In memory of his father, Peter recorded his surname as Eliseev.
Merchant guilds provided certain advantages as well as imposed obligations. Merchants of the 3rd guild had the right to engage in crafts, petty trade only within the city and district, and to maintain taverns and inns. Merchants of the 2nd guild, in addition, could have factories and plants, river vessels. Merchants of the 1st guild could trade abroad, have a maritime fleet, had the right to wear a sword, provincial uniform, and to come to the imperial court.
After 100 years of existence, a first-guild merchant was allowed to receive nobility — personal or hereditary. Merchants of the first and second guilds were exempt from recruit duty. The merchant himself, in good conscience, declared the size of his capital, and depending on this, received a rank and paid taxes. It was necessary to confirm guild status every year.
After 100 years of existence, a first-guild merchant was allowed to receive nobility — personal or hereditary. Merchants of the first and second guilds were exempt from recruit duty. The merchant himself, in good conscience, declared the size of his capital, and depending on this, received a rank and paid taxes. It was necessary to confirm guild status every year.
The female influence in the Eliseev business
Everything was going well, but suddenly in 1825, Peter Eliseevich Eliseev died. The widow, Maria Gavrilovna, took the trading business into her hands. This is a rare example of female entrepreneurship at that time. But Maria Gavrilovna succeeded in everything. Soon she brought her family to the second, and then the first guild. After the death of their mother in 1841, sons Sergei, Stepan, and Grigory did not tear the business apart, but conducted it jointly.
In 1857, they established the Trading House "Eliseev Brothers." They continued to trade in "colonial goods." These included coffee, tea, Provençal and wooden oil, anchovies, East Indian sugar, truffles, cheeses, and spices. To transport goods, the brothers acquired a merchant fleet — three sailing ships and a steamship.
In 1857, they established the Trading House "Eliseev Brothers." They continued to trade in "colonial goods." These included coffee, tea, Provençal and wooden oil, anchovies, East Indian sugar, truffles, cheeses, and spices. To transport goods, the brothers acquired a merchant fleet — three sailing ships and a steamship.
Not a single grape left for the French, but plenty of wine brought to them
Soon, the Eliseevs began dealing in wine. But the brothers didn't simply resell finished products, no! They bought entire grape harvests from vineyards in Spain, Portugal, and France. There, they built the necessary production facilities for primary processing of raw materials. And on Vasilyevsky Island, they built wine cellars where products reached their proper condition. These cellars extended for about a kilometer. A separate room with its own temperature regime was allocated for each variety of wine.
The Eliseevs' branded Madeira and sherry were in great demand both in Russia and abroad. The brothers became wine suppliers to the Imperial Court.
Every product of the Eliseev Brothers Trading House was of the highest quality. They were permitted to use the state coat of arms on their products. This was not only the highest mark of quality but also protection against counterfeiting. After all, if a cunning merchant was punished only with a fine for a simple forgery, counterfeiting goods with the coat of arms meant a direct road to hard labor.
In 1859, Sergei died. Grigory and Stepan continued the business together. Turnover grew, as did profits. The Eliseevs bought plots on Vasilyevsky Island, and then throughout St. Petersburg. And they built, built, built apartment buildings. Solid and beautiful, they still adorn the streets of the city.
Banking also fell within the brothers' circle of interests. Without having an education, without studying either commerce or finance, they sensed its potential and became founders of the "Commercial Bank." Then the "Loan," "Discount," and other banks for merchant lending.
In 1879, brother Stepan died. His children left the business. Whether on their own or under pressure from their uncle, nevertheless, Grigory Petrovich headed the Eliseev empire along with his sons Alexander and Grigory Junior.
The Eliseevs' branded Madeira and sherry were in great demand both in Russia and abroad. The brothers became wine suppliers to the Imperial Court.
Every product of the Eliseev Brothers Trading House was of the highest quality. They were permitted to use the state coat of arms on their products. This was not only the highest mark of quality but also protection against counterfeiting. After all, if a cunning merchant was punished only with a fine for a simple forgery, counterfeiting goods with the coat of arms meant a direct road to hard labor.
In 1859, Sergei died. Grigory and Stepan continued the business together. Turnover grew, as did profits. The Eliseevs bought plots on Vasilyevsky Island, and then throughout St. Petersburg. And they built, built, built apartment buildings. Solid and beautiful, they still adorn the streets of the city.
Banking also fell within the brothers' circle of interests. Without having an education, without studying either commerce or finance, they sensed its potential and became founders of the "Commercial Bank." Then the "Loan," "Discount," and other banks for merchant lending.
In 1879, brother Stepan died. His children left the business. Whether on their own or under pressure from their uncle, nevertheless, Grigory Petrovich headed the Eliseev empire along with his sons Alexander and Grigory Junior.
After the death of Grigory Senior in 1892, his sons continued the family business. But soon the brothers' paths diverged. Alexander Grigorievich devoted himself to banking and stock exchange business, while Grigory Grigorievich continued the family business. Under him, the Empire reached its highest prosperity, and under him, it also collapsed.
Owners of factories, ships, though not newspapers — that's about the Eliseevs
Grigory Grigorievich was born in 1864. He was a late child (his father was 60), but not spoiled. He received an excellent home education and studied winemaking abroad. After becoming the head of the Trading House, he reorganized it into a joint-stock company. The Eliseev Empire grew. One hundred and seventeen apartment buildings in St. Petersburg, a horse farm in the Oryol and Mogilev regions, automobile, fish and winemaking factories, their own flotilla, vineyards in Crimea, shops and warehouses in Russia, Portugal, and France. By 1913, the partnership's income amounted to 300 million rubles. Whatever the Eliseevs undertook — everything was successful, everything brought profit.
Cheeses of all ages — both Chester and Swiss, and liquid Brie, and granite Parmesan... These are lines from V. Gilyarovsky's ode to the Eliseev store.
The Eliseevs had many stores both in Russia and abroad. But Grigory Grigorievich decided to create something grandiose. And he succeeded. Stores in Moscow, Kiev, and then in St. Petersburg amazed in every way. Starting from the exterior appearance, ending with the interior arrangement.
St. Petersburg residents initially received the building on Nevsky with skepticism. It didn't fit into the aristocratic Nevsky Prospect. For a long time, the building was considered a sign of architectural ugliness. However, this did not affect its attendance at all. The public came not only to buy food but also to gawk. At the golden stucco on the ceiling, lamps on the walls, beautifully designed showcases. The general arrangement of the store was unusual for that time as well. On the first floor were the trading halls, on the second — a theater, on the third — a restaurant. Such stores had never existed in Russia before. The opening of these trading giants was a landmark event in the Eliseev syndicate.
St. Petersburg residents initially received the building on Nevsky with skepticism. It didn't fit into the aristocratic Nevsky Prospect. For a long time, the building was considered a sign of architectural ugliness. However, this did not affect its attendance at all. The public came not only to buy food but also to gawk. At the golden stucco on the ceiling, lamps on the walls, beautifully designed showcases. The general arrangement of the store was unusual for that time as well. On the first floor were the trading halls, on the second — a theater, on the third — a restaurant. Such stores had never existed in Russia before. The opening of these trading giants was a landmark event in the Eliseev syndicate.
Unsold for the day — eat in the evening!
The Eliseevs strictly monitored the quality of goods and could not allow even slightly spoiled products to be on the shelves of their stores.
There was a custom of "evening eating." At the end of the workday, fruits that had lost some of their appearance had to be eaten by the store workers. Taking them home was forbidden, taking them to the dump was forbidden. No one should even have the thought that the Eliseevs could have anything of poor quality. Clearly spoiled goods were destroyed right there, in the basement of the store.
In 1910, Grigory Grigorievich received hereditary nobility, and the family received its own coat of arms.
What's more reliable: love or calculation? Although, they say, a good thing wouldn't be called marriage
Grigory Grigorievich had a good, strong family. His wife, Maria Andreevna, also came from a merchant family, the Durdins — owners of the "Bavaria" brewery. This was a union of capitals, strong and reliable. There was no love, but a respectful and warm attitude toward each other was a guarantee of a long family life. They lived together for 30 years and had eight children. True, two died in infancy, but five sons — Grigory, Sergei, Nikolai, Alexander, Peter — and daughter Mashenka were the pride of their parents.
Truth be told, none of the children wanted to continue the family merchant business. The father became angry and deprived them of money. But mother had her own savings and she helped the children. The eldest son, Grigory, graduated from the Military Medical Academy specializing as a surgeon. Sergei studied languages, mastering English, French, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese perfectly. The middle son, Nikolai, became a famous stock market journalist. The younger ones, Alexander and Peter, trained as engineers.
In 1913, the Eliseev Empire celebrated its centenary, but a year later everything collapsed!
In 1913, the Eliseev Empire celebrated its centenary, but a year later everything collapsed!
As they say, cherchez la femme, or gray in the beard means the devil in the ribs
Fifty-year-old Grigory Grigorievich fell in love. With another man's wife, the young beauty (or perhaps not a beauty, as no portraits of her have survived) Vera Fedorovna. The lovers initiated divorce proceedings with their spouses. And while Vera's husband agreed to part with her, Maria Andreevna absolutely refused to divorce her husband, even threatening suicide. The sons took their mother's side. Grigory Grigorievich also stood firm and continued to secretly (well, not so secretly) cohabit in sin with his new passion. Maria Andreevna could not bear such betrayal and after two unsuccessful attempts, she did commit suicide. On October 1, 1914, she hanged herself. In the bedroom. Right above the marriage bed, using her own braid. Grigory Grigorievich did not attend the funeral, and less than a month later married his young lover. The sons renounced their father, gave up their nobility, and moved out. Only fourteen-year-old Maria remained with her father. The brothers arranged for their sister's escape, during which she publicly, from the balcony of the house, declared that she did not want to live with her father and blamed him for her mother's death. Grigory Grigorievich sued his sons, but to no avail; his daughter was not returned to him.
From here, opinions diverge. According to some accounts, Grigory Grigorievich fell into depression, began drinking, neglected his business, and then the revolution broke out, and he and his wife fled through Crimea to France. According to other information, immediately after the wedding, without waiting for the revolution, the couple went to Paris. Fortunately, they had a house there, and capital had long been deposited in foreign banks. So they lived in prosperity, and perhaps even happily, but they did not die on the same day. Vera Fedorovna died first in 1946, and in 1949, at the age of 84, Grigory Grigorievich passed away.
From here, opinions diverge. According to some accounts, Grigory Grigorievich fell into depression, began drinking, neglected his business, and then the revolution broke out, and he and his wife fled through Crimea to France. According to other information, immediately after the wedding, without waiting for the revolution, the couple went to Paris. Fortunately, they had a house there, and capital had long been deposited in foreign banks. So they lived in prosperity, and perhaps even happily, but they did not die on the same day. Vera Fedorovna died first in 1946, and in 1949, at the age of 84, Grigory Grigorievich passed away.
After his death, a considerable inheritance remained, but there were also many relatives. His will mentioned a granddaughter, Anastasia (daughter of his eldest son, Grigory). She lived in Leningrad and was an operetta actress. During the war, she performed in front-line brigades and received awards "For the Defense of Leningrad" and "For Labor Valor." She was not happy about the windfall of several million francs, did not know what to do with the foreign currency, so she wrote a refusal of the inheritance. The Soviet state took on the paperwork troubles, and the francs successfully flowed into the state treasury. Anastasia was granted 16,000 rubles and the right to buy a "Pobeda" car without waiting in line, which she did not fail to use.
One was shot, another in America: how the Eliseevs were scattered around the world
The fates of the sons of the last head of the Eliseev empire unfolded differently. Grigory fought in World War I. Afterward, he returned to Petrograd and worked as a surgeon at the Uritsky Hospital. In 1934, he and his brother Peter were arrested and exiled to Ufa. Grigory continued to practice medicine and teach at the university. In 1937, he was arrested again, accused of counter-revolutionary activities, and in January 1938, he was executed. Peter disappeared somewhere in the camps.
Nikolai moved to Paris, worked at the stock exchange, and was a lawyer. Alexander worked as an engineer in Leningrad all his life and died in the early 1950s.
Sergei was a well-known orientalist. In the winter of 1920, he and his family moved to Finland, and then to America. He taught at Harvard University and, upon retirement, moved to France. He died in 1979 and is buried next to his father at the Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois cemetery.
Nikolai moved to Paris, worked at the stock exchange, and was a lawyer. Alexander worked as an engineer in Leningrad all his life and died in the early 1950s.
Sergei was a well-known orientalist. In the winter of 1920, he and his family moved to Finland, and then to America. He taught at Harvard University and, upon retirement, moved to France. He died in 1979 and is buried next to his father at the Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois cemetery.
Sergei Eliseev became the first European to receive an education at Tokyo University. In 1912, at the graduation ceremony, Emperor Meiji inquired who this student was. He was very surprised that he was Russian, as the Russo-Japanese War had recently ended. Sergei was not presented with his diploma. Only at the end of the year, when Meiji died, could Eliseev receive his document. The gold watch he was entitled to as the best graduate was replaced with a silver one.
"Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse" Proverbs 28:27
During their hundred years of existence, the Eliseevs performed many good deeds. The family's list of charitable addresses contains about 25 objects. Hospitals, schools, churches, almshouses. Some were built and maintained entirely with their money, somewhere they were trustees, somewhere they were donors.
The first charitable project was the Elisavetinsky almshouse. In 1849, a sad event occurred in Grigory Petrovich's family — his daughter Elizaveta died. She was only twenty years old and had just gotten married. The inconsolable father and his brothers, in memory of the girl, bought a two-story stone house with a garden on the 3rd line of Vasilyevsky Island and converted it into an almshouse — a shelter for the elderly and maimed citizens. On the second floor, they established the Church of Saints Righteous Zacharias and Elizabeth. Until 1917, the Eliseevs remained the trustees of the institution, allocating considerable money for its maintenance. Now, this building houses the St. Petersburg College of Telecommunications.
Here are some other charitable objects:
▪︎ The Church in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God near the Bolsheokhtinsky Cemetery. However, it did not survive to our days; it was blown up in 1929. The almshouse at the Bolsheokhtinsky Cemetery. It provided shelter to elderly Orthodox people of both sexes of all classes who were unable to work. The almshouse had its own garden, pond, power plant, and water supply. It had a school for children of Okhta and an outpatient clinic. Now the Hydrometeorological Institute (2nd building) stands on this site.
▪︎ The A.G. Eliseev Women's Handicraft and Household School on the 4th line of Vasilyevsky Island. The school met all the latest requirements for construction and hygiene: large windows, wide corridors, comfortable classrooms. In addition, it had a gym, library, and workshops. The school accepted girls aged 12-15, mostly orphans. They studied general education subjects, needlework, and singing. There was a boarding school. Pupils living there were on full board, and day students were fed and provided with clothing. Now Gymnasium No. 24 named after I.A. Krylov is located in this building.
▪︎ The Church in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God near the Bolsheokhtinsky Cemetery. However, it did not survive to our days; it was blown up in 1929. The almshouse at the Bolsheokhtinsky Cemetery. It provided shelter to elderly Orthodox people of both sexes of all classes who were unable to work. The almshouse had its own garden, pond, power plant, and water supply. It had a school for children of Okhta and an outpatient clinic. Now the Hydrometeorological Institute (2nd building) stands on this site.
▪︎ The A.G. Eliseev Women's Handicraft and Household School on the 4th line of Vasilyevsky Island. The school met all the latest requirements for construction and hygiene: large windows, wide corridors, comfortable classrooms. In addition, it had a gym, library, and workshops. The school accepted girls aged 12-15, mostly orphans. They studied general education subjects, needlework, and singing. There was a boarding school. Pupils living there were on full board, and day students were fed and provided with clothing. Now Gymnasium No. 24 named after I.A. Krylov is located in this building.
▪︎ The Stock Exchange Merchant Hospital in memory of Alexander II. Not all of it was built with Eliseev money, but they contributed a significant amount. Grigory Petrovich was an associate trustee of this hospital. Today it is the Vasileostrovsky Children's Infectious Disease Hospital.
▪︎ "The Eleninsky Free Hospital of A.G. and E.I. Eliseevs for poor women suffering from oncological diseases" at 32 Polytechnicheskaya Street. The building has survived; now it houses a branch of the Research Institute of Phthisiopulmonology.
▪︎ "The Eleninsky Free Hospital of A.G. and E.I. Eliseevs for poor women suffering from oncological diseases" at 32 Polytechnicheskaya Street. The building has survived; now it houses a branch of the Research Institute of Phthisiopulmonology.
That's what they were like, the Eliseev merchants, entrepreneurs by the grace of God.