Biography of the Eliseev brothers

Home »Era» Commerce of the merchants of the Eliseevs of the legendary merchants of the Eliseevs comes from picturesque places of the Yaroslavl province and, although they achieved stunning success in entrepreneurial activity, first conquering St. Petersburg, and then the whole country, the brothers never forgot their small homeland - the village of Yakovtsevo. There are two versions about the estate of Pyotr Eliseev, the founder of the case, and his ancestors: according to the most popular, they were fortress peasants Count Sheremetyev, who is known for their romantic love story, and later marriage to Praskovye pearl.

There is a beautiful legend, as Peter received free: supposedly he worked as a gardener and managed to get the graph of strawberries in winter, for which he deserved mercy. However, there are researchers who believe that this story is nothing more than a beautiful fairy tale due to the geographical neighborhood of the village of Yartsevo and the possessions of Count Sheremetyev. In their opinion, the Eliseevs were never serfs - they had freedom, they simply paid the quittance to the state.

Be that as it may, in the year at the age of 39, Peter and his wife and children were in the city on the Neva. At that time, many fellow countrymen lived in St. Petersburg, who deserve the glory of the hardworking people who have excellent abilities for crafts and trade. In the year, a law was issued, which allowed quite freely in any case, when compared with the fact that it was previously trade in the peasantry.

Previously, this was regulated very severely, such trade was taxed with large taxes - this was done so that the merchants did not feel infringed and not lose the monopoly. Some time after his arrival in St. Petersburg, Peter opened his first shop. The versions of the origin of its initial capital also vary: one at a time, he already had some accumulations before moving to the capital, according to the other, half -legendary, he allegedly began to trade in oranges, which was incredible exotic for the inhabitants of the Northern capital, and therefore the trade went with a bang, then he acquired the second tray for his wife, they helped the grown up sons, and after time they accumulated joint time with joint time efforts of money for a bench.

He hired premises for trade in the 1st Admiralty part of the city, on Nevsky Prospekt, in the house of the merchant Kotomin. In this, many institutions known at that time, for example, the famous cafe-confectionery wolf and berangea, rented the square. The Eliseev family lived in the same house. In the shop of the merchant, goods brought from behind the sea were sold: wine, coffee, tea, cheeses, spices, anchovies, etc.

Since the shopping was originally connected with imports, Eliseev rented a warehouse for storing brought goods in a year. In the newspapers of that time, you can find ads that the freshest jam or parmesan was delivered to the shop. In the year, Peter opened another shop at the Politkovsky house on the Exchange Line of the Vasilievsky Island, not far from the port.

So the future All-Russian Empire of the Eliseevs began to form, and there, in St. Petersburg, there was her heart. The three sons of Peter and Mary actually grew up in the shop: they received a minimum education, but their experience was colossal and more than covered the lack of academic knowledge. In the year, when Peter passed away, they were adults enough to take on the control of the shops, but then there was an almost unprecedented case: the leadership took over the widowed Mary, and did it as not every man could not only not surrendered his position, but several times he wore capital.

Maria entered the guild, first to the second, and then moved to the first at that moment there were three merchant guilds, the division occurred in the size of the capital, which the owner of the merchant, respectively, increased taxes. She passed away in the year, and the family business passed to the eldest son Sergey, who at that time turned 40 years old. In the year, shops passed to the older brother, merchant Sergei, but the younger brothers Grigory and Stepan became his right and left hand: the heirs did not share capital, continuing to conduct business together.

The Eliseevs traveled a lot, personally going to exotic countries to conclude trade transactions. At some point, the brothers realized that they did not have enough goods that bring hired ships. And then, in order to deliver its goods to Russia, the Eliseevskaya company in the year acquired three specially equipped sailing ships in Holland: “Archangel Mikhail”, “St.

Nicholas”, “Concordia”. Later, one of the best steamboats of that time was “Alexander II” became the property of the company. Thus, a business branch associated with the manufacture of wines has been huge. It is interesting that the brothers purchased not ready wines, but only wine semi -finished products, and they watched the quality of production very strictly. The Eliseevs had warehouses abroad, they bought crops of the best grapes that was entirely in Spain, Italy, France, Portugal.Special wine cellars were built in St.

Petersburg, where the wine was withstanded until cooked using special technology. It is easy to judge the quality of the manufactured product, knowing the fact that it was successfully sold not only throughout Russia, but also for export! The Eliseevs fought for a very long time in order to become winging suppliers of the tsarist court - the competition was extremely great.

In the year, Sergei Eliseev filed a petition for a transfer of a family into an estate of hereditary honorary citizens. The right to hereditary honorary citizenship was received by persons awarded the order. Merchants could be erected to this class after ten years in the 1st guild continuously or after a twenty-year-old “continuous stay in the guilds”. Hereditary honorary citizens were exempted from corporal punishments, recruitment service, and the per capita to submit for them was replaced by another form of taxation.

The Eliseevs submitted all the necessary documents, and the honorary title was received. In the city of Eliseevs, they received permission to establish the Eliseev Brothers trading house, at the head of which the older brother stood up. Such trading institutions were allowed from the year: it was assumed that the founders should be connected by close family ties and, accordingly, thus united capital.

I must say that the Eliseevs directed their income not only to an increase in personal well -being, but also to charity: in addition to the fact that they donated certain amounts to religious institutions and those in need every year, they created the Elizabeth almshouse. The reason for this was a tragic event - the sudden death of young Elizabeth, daughter of Grigory Eliseev. In memory of her, father and uncle decided to create a place named after her name, where they would help the unfortunate poor and sick.

The almshouse was located on the Vasilievsky Island and lasted up to a year. Initially, it was calculated for 15 men and 25 women, then expanded repeatedly. On the second floor of the building was a house church. Sergei passed away in the year, leaving a will, according to which a huge amount went to charity, the rest of the capital remained in the family, divided between brothers, children and nieces.

Enterprise management passed to the middle brother of Gregory, who led the trading house with a firm hand for even greater success and prosperity. Both Brothers of the Eliseevs enjoyed well -deserved respect in society and had an impeccable reputation. This may be evidenced by the fact that in the year Grigory Eliseev was awarded the title of commerce on the occasion of the flight since the founding of the trade business, and the younger brother, Sergey Eliseev, was awarded the same honor in the year.

The turnover of the trading house both inside the empire and in the foreign market reached four and a half million rubles by this time. The company's products were exhibited at international exhibitions, receiving the highest awards. The brothers were allowed to place the state emblem on goods as a sign of the highest quality. With the help of the marriages of their children and nephews, they were related to other influential merchant families in St.

Petersburg. They did not forget about charitable activities, giving astronomical amounts every year. So, for example, they fully financed the construction of the Orthodox Church in the city of Merdobol and then paid for its maintenance annually. Gregory had two sons, Alexander and Grigory, the first for several years managed the bank, the second later inherited the store.

Eliseevs, having strengthened their position in the commercial sphere as much as possible, began to invest their funds in real estate, primarily profitable houses, which guaranteed high profit. The population of St. Petersburg, especially after the abolition of serfdom, was rapidly growing, the need for housing of various levels of amenities and costs increased all the time. They rented purchased housing also various shops and commercial organizations.

In the year, Stepan’s younger brother passed away, his son Peter worked for some time in family business under the leadership of Uncle Gregory. Gregory died, and his son, Grigory Grigoryevich Eliseev, was led by the case, the last of the dynasty of brilliant pre -revolutionary businessmen. Grigory Grigoryevich Eliseev, the last entrepreneur in the family of Eliseevs, none of their descendants living in Europe is engaged in commerce - he was strictly different from his ancestors not only externally, but also of a way of thinking.

He was always dazed and smoothly shaved, and possessed a warehouse of mind completely innovative. However, he certainly retained the family economic instinct, and his talents gave the Eliseev to the Eliseev’s trading house of two decades of such brilliance and glory, which was hardly experiencing some other store. His brother Alexander Grigoryevich completely focused on financial affairs and charity, completely moving away from commerce.

Gregory, who had previously worked in a family company and knew it from the inside, decided to completely reorganize the system.Together with his wife, Maria Andreevna, who came from the famous family of the Durdins, he established the Joint -Stock Partnership of the Eliseeva Trading Partnership with the main capital of 3 million. The founders and invited persons were included on the lines, capital increased to 64 million rubles in the first year.

In the year, Grigory was awarded the Order of the French Honorary Legion at the World Exhibition in Paris, where he outside the competition represented his collection of stamped wines. The main idea of ​​Grigory Eliseev - the youngest was the opening of large trading houses in all the capital's cities of the Russian Empire. He began with the reconstruction of the old store in St.

Petersburg, then opened another one on Nevsky. In his premises there was a theater, a bank and commercial courses, also established by Eliseev. Following this, Eliseev opened several stores in Kyiv. But his main dream was Moscow. And in the year an event took place, about which newspapers wrote for several days: the largest, most luxurious, most exquisite store, which the townspeople had only been to see, was opened on Tverskaya.

It is located in a chic building of the 18th century, updated and reconstructed: a fashionable sign, huge mirror windows, tall ceilings, stucco moldings, crystal chandeliers. The store was located in three halls, where there were five departments: colonial-gastronomic goods, grocery, confectionery, fruit and wine. After the grand opening, a banquet was held, which was present the whole color of Moscow society.

Newspapers could not find words to describe an abundance that shocked the imagination of the public. There were many in total: the products rushed with mountains, and at the same time everything was the latest, the highest grade. People generally met many delicacies here for the first time: for example, such a usual olive oil in Russia was in a novelty. Surprising the warning, quickness of sellers: service took place in the highest category, the employees tried to remember the tastes of each client.

From the first day, this store, as well as all the rest, flourished. They had the world's largest wine cellars, two confectionery factories, a sausage factory, chocolate, vinegar and oil workshops, a liquor factory, as well as 17 multi -storey rental houses in the capital.

The centenary of the company was celebrated with a grandiose scope: the celebrations took place in two capitals, they were attended by all the business partners of Eliseev and, of course, four of his sons - he was sure that they would continue his business. He probably planned to expand east, because the eldest son knew several eastern languages ​​and studied for several years in Tokyo.

But luck, accompanying the family for a hundred years, suddenly decided that the exponent of the Eliseevs had so much happiness - Gregory was not destined to come true. He, who lived for so many years in accordance with his wife, suddenly fell in love, and this love became fatal to him. His chosen one was Vera Pavlovna, the wife of the jeweler. Eliseev’s wife, who learned about treason, begged him to break the shameful connection, but he did not listen to anyone.

Then she went to the waters in Germany, and, returning, found out that her husband was already openly living with her mistress in a rented apartment. He asked his wife to divorce. She refused, and after a short time she committed suicide. Children, without forgiving betrayal, renounced their father’s inheritance. When Eliseev married faith, they renounced from his father. They began to live separately, only the youngest daughter, the fifteen -year -old Masha, remained with their father.