Ilya Andreyevich Tolstoy was the paternal grandfather of the writer Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy. He studied in the Marine Corps, served as a Gardes-Marines in the Navy, then in the Life Guard of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. Having advantageously married a rich heiress, Ilya Tolstoy retired in the rank of Brigadier.
The couple owned estates of 1200 serfs in the Tula Governorate and lived in Polyany, where Ilya Tolstoy was elected by the nobility as one of the local judges. His wife Pelageya Nikolayevna, née Gorchakova, was a poorly educated, close-minded and self-indulgent woman; as a child, she was spoiled by her rich father, and then by her husband. The Tolstoys had three children: son Nikolai and two daughters — Alexandra and Pelageya. Alongside their children, they raised their distant relative, Tatiana Yergolskaya who was orphaned at an early age. She later became Leo Tolstoy’s caregiver and served as the prototype for the character of Sonya Rostova in the novel “War and Peace”.
Ilya Tolstoy was a gentle, cheerful, generous and trusting person. People exploited his generosity by borrowing large sums of money from him often without paying it back. Ilya Tolstoy had a passion for cards and was susceptible to being scammed and hoaxed. His house had a lively and joyous atmosphere. It hosted many splendid balls, and abundant feasts, for which even sterlet (a species of fish) from Astrakhan was ordered. One would find only the finest of French wines served in Bohemian crystal glasses at the table; guests played ombre (a card game) and whist; linen was sent to be washed in Holland.
