RECONSTRUCTING THE FAMILY TREE OF IVAN A. KUSKOV, FOUNDER OF FORT ROSS IN CALIFORNIA: NEW ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTS, 17 - FIRST HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY

The article explores the family tree of Ivan A. Kuskov, founder of Fort Ross in California. While the activities of Kuskov in America are relatively well-known, there's almost no information on his family tree. The authors aim to investigate the family tree of Kuskov drawing on archival documents from regional archives (mainly, the State Archive of the Vologda Region). These documents have not been used before. The article is based on the data from the metrics and customs books, as well as on rare articles and other publications. The article uses methodology developed by the research group on the history of Russian America at the Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences (headed by Alexander Yu. Petrov). The family name of Kuskov can be found in documents concerning everyday life in Totma starting from the 17th century. Recently found data has substantially extended the knowledge of the family tree of Ivan A. Kuskov, as well as of the family occupations, way of life, and social status. Research to be continued.