The Ulyanovsk Museum of Local History houses a portrait of Nikolay Tregubov — Ivan Goncharov’s guardian and godfather. This oil painting was created by an unknown painter in the first half of the 19th century. For a long time, it was in the possession of the writer’s nephew Viktor Kirmalov. In 1912, Kirmalov’s widow donated the portrait to the museum.
Nikolay Tregubov came from an old Simbirsk noble family. He studied at the Engineers Corps in Saint Petersburg, then he was allocated to Sevastopol as a michman (Russian rank for a midshipman). There, Rear Admiral Fyodor Ushakov appointed Tregubov as part of the Preobrazheniye ship’s crew.
Tregubov participated in the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792, including its biggest battles, such as the Battle of Cape Kaliakra, where the Turkish fleet was defeated. After the war, Tregubov was redeployed to the Mikhail ship, which witnessed the Siege of Corfu (a military operation against the French rule in the Ionian islands) and the siege of the Italian city Ancona. According to archives, Tregubov “had the greatest honor of receiving the Highest Grace [from the Russian emperor] for participating in capturing the islands and fortresses, and this year of 1803, the generosity of Emperor Alexander I extended to him for his previous achievements in battles against the enemy in the form of 500 rubles.”
On December 5, 1799, Nikolay Tregubov retired as a captain-lieutenant and returned to his native town of Simbirsk. From 1802 to 1819, he worked as a lay accessor at the criminal court and then was promoted to a judge.
Apparently, from 1802, Tregubov rented a guest cottage adjacent to the Goncharovs’ house. He would later become the godfather of the Goncharov children — Nikolay, Ivan, Alexandra, and Anna. Soon after the head of the family, Alexander Goncharov died, Nikolay Tregubov moved into the main house. He helped widowed Avdotya Goncharova to bring up the sons, while the daughters were raised by Avdotya only. Later, Ivan Goncharov reminisced,
Nikolay Tregubov came from an old Simbirsk noble family. He studied at the Engineers Corps in Saint Petersburg, then he was allocated to Sevastopol as a michman (Russian rank for a midshipman). There, Rear Admiral Fyodor Ushakov appointed Tregubov as part of the Preobrazheniye ship’s crew.
Tregubov participated in the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792, including its biggest battles, such as the Battle of Cape Kaliakra, where the Turkish fleet was defeated. After the war, Tregubov was redeployed to the Mikhail ship, which witnessed the Siege of Corfu (a military operation against the French rule in the Ionian islands) and the siege of the Italian city Ancona. According to archives, Tregubov “had the greatest honor of receiving the Highest Grace [from the Russian emperor] for participating in capturing the islands and fortresses, and this year of 1803, the generosity of Emperor Alexander I extended to him for his previous achievements in battles against the enemy in the form of 500 rubles.”
On December 5, 1799, Nikolay Tregubov retired as a captain-lieutenant and returned to his native town of Simbirsk. From 1802 to 1819, he worked as a lay accessor at the criminal court and then was promoted to a judge.
Apparently, from 1802, Tregubov rented a guest cottage adjacent to the Goncharovs’ house. He would later become the godfather of the Goncharov children — Nikolay, Ivan, Alexandra, and Anna. Soon after the head of the family, Alexander Goncharov died, Nikolay Tregubov moved into the main house. He helped widowed Avdotya Goncharova to bring up the sons, while the daughters were raised by Avdotya only. Later, Ivan Goncharov reminisced,
