People of Settlement Ross
During the Russian era at Metini / Fort Ross (1812-1841) – Records were kept on people who lived, worked and / or made visits to Settlement Ross. Here are short biographies on some of these people, based on historic records.
Critical Thinking Question - You will notice that there is more information available for some people than others. Do you notice a pattern for which people have more information listed? Why might this be?
August Bernard Duhaut-Cilly – A Frenchman born in 1790. In 1824, as a French Naval Officer, he took command of Heroes, the 370 ton vessel which he sailed to the Pacific Ocean. The ship arrived in California in October of 1826. In June of 1827, he arrived at Bodega Bay and was greeted by the Russian American Company manager, Pavel Shelikhov. They proceeded by horse to Metini / Fort Ross, but found the Slavianka River (now known as the Russian River) to be too deep and had to cross with the use of baidarkas (Alaska Native kayaks). He wrote descriptions of Metini / Fort Ross that are useful today. He also drew pictures of the settlement and the surrounding area.
Eugene Duflot de Mofras – A French diplomat who came to the Ross Settlement to search out the coast. He was to see if a French post could be established. In May of 1840 he arrived in Monterey, California and visited General Vallejo in Sonoma. In September, with Alexander Rotchev the last manager of Ross, he traveled to Sutter’s Fort to visit with John Sutter. He continued his travels for several years, and when he returned to Paris he published a two-volume journal.
George Washington Ayres – A sea captain who sailed from Boston in 1802 on the ship Alexander, and again in 1806 on the ship Mercury. He contracted with the Russian American Company to hunt with the use of his ship and the labor of the Alaska Natives. In January 1812, Ayres brought cargo to the new Settlement Ross. Ayres brought several other cargo supplies to Ross until 1813, when his ship was seized by the Spaniards near Santa Barbara for illegal trading.
Vasilii Ivanovich Grudinin (Va-seel’ee Ee-van’o-vich Gru-deen’in) – Russian Carpenter and shipbuilder. He learned shipbuilding while employed as assistant to shipwright Lincoln who was in Sitka in 1805-1809. At the Ross settlement in 1816 he laid the keel for the Rumiantsev, which was launched in 1818. The Buldakov was launched in 1820. The brig Volga was launched in 1822. The brig Kiakhta was launched in 1824. The oak that Vasilli used was unseasoned or it may have been that the California oak was unsuitable. The vessels were soon deemed worthless. Shipbuilding was abandoned at Ross and in 1824 , Grudinin was sent back to Sitka on the Kiakhta. He received a raise to total 1,000 rubles a year plus 400 rubles food ration allowance. He continued repairing and working on ships. He was married while at Metini / Fort Ross to a woman whose name may have been Vera. They had a daughter, Agrafena, a son Mikhail, who died in August 1825, and a daughter Natalia.
Ludwig Choris (Artist) – German, born in 1795 in Germany. In 1814 he enrolled in the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. In 1815 he traveled on the round-the-world voyage of O.E. Kotzebue on the brig Rurik with Chamisso and Eschscholtz. He made hundreds of drawings and paintings depicting the life of indigenous peoples of America, Asia, Africa, and Polynesia. He returned to live in Paris and publish his works. In 1828 he was killed by bandits while on a trip to Mexico.
Leontii Ostrogin (Le-on’tee O-strog’in) – A person of mixed heritage who worked as a blacksmith for the RAC. In 1832 he was sent to the Ross settlement on the brig Polifem. He made fittings for rowboats and other vessels, wheels, tools and other items. He also made iron items ordered from the missions. He went back to Alaska, and married Anna Oskolkov. They had five children.
Mikhail Tikhanov (Mee-khai-el’ Teek- han-ov’) (Artist) – Russian, in 1806 at age 17 he received a scholarship to the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. He received a gold medal for the painting ‘The Shooting of Russian Patriots by the French in 1812.” Because he was a ‘serf’, he was not able to receive the medal. He finished schooling in 1815. In 1817 he traveled on the round-the-world voyage with Golovnin and the sloop Kamchatka. Forty-three paintings exist of this voyage in a museum in Russia, although there may be more. Five of these paintings are of California Native peoples. He did a full face and profile of each person. He was very careful in portraying the clothing, ornamentation, tools, and lifestyles of these people. Back in Sitka he became very sick. He lived another 40 years, although never painted again.
Vasilii Antipin (Va-seel’ee An-tee’pin) – Russian carpenter and plowman. He died at Ross in 1821. The Ross manager in 1822, Karl Schmidt is said to have “deeply regretted the sudden death last year of the best carpenter, Vasilii Antipin, as none of the other men had any shipbuilding skills except for Korenev, who wants to leave, and Permitin.” He has also been described as “the only Russian who knew how to farm.” He was married to a Coast Miwok, Katerina Ukkelya. They had two children: a son, Alexander, and a daughter, Matrena.
Vasilii Titov (Va-seel’ee Tee’tov) – A blacksmith of mixed heritage for the Company at Ross. He drowned in 1825.
Vasilii Vasilev (Va-seel’ee Va-seel’ev) Russian, he was originally from Tobol’sk in Russia. He arrived at Ross on the Il’men in July 1820 with his wife, Anna, and three of his five children from the Fox Islands. He is listed as a Promyshlennik and a carpenter receiving 100 rubles for his work building the Volga in 1822. He is reported to have lived in a dwelling upstream of the fort where it was pleasant and quiet, and also near the Russians named Grudinin, Permitin, and Zyrianov. He died May 13, 1826. He left his house and field valued at 925 rubles to his wife. The Company recommended writing off his debt of 869 rubles as a loss.
Mikhailo Rastorguev (Mee-khail’o Ra- stor’gu-ev) – Kodiak native or Aleutian Islander or mixed heritage person, he arrived at Ross on the Il’men in 1820. Mikhailo worked at Ross as a carpenter, turner, and block pulley maker. He was married to Aprosinya (from Kodiak Island) and had two children, Mariia and Nikolai. Another child was born, however the name is unknown. They owned a house valued at 500 rubles and a farm worth 200 rubles. He was given 100 rubles each as bonuses for his work on the Volga in 1822 and the Kiakhta in 1824. He received another raise in 1827. He died in 1829 owing the Company 766 rubles, 42 kopeks. His property was left to his wife and children upon his death.
Karl Flink – A Lutheran Finn who worked as a joiner at Ross. His wife Anna and son Stefan both came to Ross with him, all arriving in 1833. He built a threshing machine and was granted a bonus for doing so. He was 39 when he died at Ross.
Alexei Matveyevich Korenev (A-lex-say’ Maht-vey’e-vich Kor-en’ev) – A Russian who worked at Ross as a carpenter. His first wife, a Kashia Pomo woman named Ichemen Anis’ya, returned to her village. He later married a Kodiak woman, Paraskeve, in 1824. He had a house, a garden, a bull, and two cows. No children appear in the Company records, although he may have adopted two children during his time at Ross. He was paid 200 rubles for building the Volga in 1822 and 220 rubles by Schmidt in 1824 for a plot of land. He received several bonuses and raises. He died in debt in 1832.
Matvei (Maht-vey’) – A person from Kodiak Island who was an ax and saw worker at Ross from 1815 to about 1833. He was married to a Coast Miwok woman, Kytypaliva, and had a daughter, Ashana Alimpiada. He was also noted to be an archer or marksman.
Sergei Trukhmanov (Ser-gay’ Trukh- man’ov) – He is either from Kodiak Island or an Alaska Native of mixed heritage who worked at Ross as a woodcutter, saw and ax man. He received a bonus for being a distinguished woodcutter in 1822. In 1824, he received another bonus of 50 rubles on his blacksmith work on the ship Kiakhta, and in 1827 he received a raise for his long-term commitment to the Company. He was living with a woman who may have been Kashia. They had two children. They had a house worth 200 rubles and a field valued at 125 rubles. When he died he owed the Company 744 rubles, 44 kopeks. He had been at Ross nearly 12 years at this time. His property was given to the Kashia woman and their children. The Company was willing to write off his debt. Two boys, Nikolai Trukhmanov age 15 and Nikander Trukhmanov age 10, are listed in the 1836 confessional lists of Father Venianminov. They are most likely his sons.
Katerina Ukkelya – Coast Miwok, she was living with but not married to Vasilii Antipin, Russian promyshlennik, a carpenter who died at Ross in the end of 1821 or 1822. They had a son, Alexander and daughter, Matrena.
Anna Vasil’eva (Ahn’na Va-seel’ev-a) – A mixed heritage woman, she was married to Vasilii Vasil’ev. They had five children, three of which lived at Ross. She had a house, a field, a vegetable garden, and various livestock. When she died her dresses were given to her children. Her eldest daughter married, and other employees adopted the other minors.
Chaikku – A Coast Miwok, she was the wife of Chazhvahkak Nikita, a man from Razbitovskoe village on Kodiak Island. They had a daughter, Akki Arina.
Kunay – Coast Miwok
Dmitrii Fedorovich Chernov (Dmit’rii Fyo’dor-o-vich Chern-ov’) – A Russian ship commander with the Russian American Company from 1825 to the 30’s. He mapped several areas in Alaska for the Company, and sailed to several locations in Siberia, California, and Okhotsk.
Illarion Ivanovich Arkhimandritov (Il-lar-ee-on’ Ee-van’o-vich Arkh-ee-man’dree-tov) – A person of mixed heritage, who was employed as the skipper for the Russian American Company. He was assigned as a crewmember on the sloop Urup on a voyage to California. His other voyage to California was on the ship Naslednik Aleksandr in 1841.
Johann Joachim Bartram – A Scot who worked as an engineer / seafarer for the Russian American Company starting from 1839. In 1841 he sailed to Baja California to collect salt for the colonies in Alaska.
Kirill Timofeevich Khlebnikov (Kee-reel’ Tee-mo-fay’e-vich Khleb’nee-kov) – A Russian who was born March 18th, 1785 in Russia to a merchant family. In 1820, Kirill joined Company service. He worked several years in Okhotsk in Siberia. Once he was arrested for refusing to listen to an officer’s orders to change prices of goods. He was imprisoned for three months. He returned to Russia and remained in service. On September 15th, 1817, he arrived at the Ross settlement on the sloop Kutuzov. He visited the Ross settlement a total of twelve times. In 1818 he became office manager for the Company. On June 19th, 1820 he was on the brig Il’mena when they shipwrecked at Point Arena. As accountant for the Company, he detailed accounts of the Ross settlement regarding the employees and how much they’re paid, how much was paid for what goods at the Spanish ports, and detailed records of daily life of Settlement Ross. Today his works are some of the most valued documents on Settlement Ross. He died of a stroke in 1838 in St. Petersburg.
Zakharii Petrovich Chichenev (Za-khar’ee Pe-tro’vich Chi-chen’ev) (scribe) – This person of mixed heritage, born to a Russian Irkutsk townsman and a Tlingit mother, was sent to St. Petersburg for medical education at the expense of the Company in 1819. In 1829, he married Lukeria Petelin at Unalaska. In 1833, he arrived at the Ross settlement with his wife Lukeria and two sons Prokopii and Il’ia and a girl Katerina Kychkova on the brig Polifem. He was assigned the duty of scribe at 500 rubles a year. When Ross was sold he and his family returned to Sitka. He died February 1879.
Pavel Akliaiuk (Pah’vel (Oglayuk) (Language Interpreter) – A person of mixed heritage who worked as an interpreter for the Russian American Company. He was raised at Fort Ross. We do not have his date of birth or know if he was born at Fort Ross. We do not have any information about him during his time at the Ross Settlement other than he served as an interpreter. He left Metini / Fort Ross when it was sold in 1841 and died in 1851.
Fedor Svin’in (Fyo’dor Sveen’in) (Accountant) – A Russian who started working for the Russian American Company in 1802. He arrived at Kodiak Island and then was assigned to Settlement Ross. About 1814, he worked keeping the books (also known as a prikazchik) for the Company. His salary was set at 400 rubles a year. In 1823 his salary was raised to 600 rubles. In 1831 he was to be removed from the Ross office because of shortages in the books. It was noted he owed the Company 6,000 rubles. He died at Ross on December 30, 1832. His wife, a woman of mixed heritage named Anis’ia, was given the house, agricultural field, and animals including one bull, two cows, and one horse. They had two sons, Alexander and Mikhail.
Andre Frantsovich Delivron (clerk) – A Russian who entered the naval service in 1803 and in 1812 he became a midshipman. In 1817, he was promoted to lieutenant. As a passenger on the sloop Kamchatka with Captain Golovnin, he sailed around the world to the Kamchatka region. He then joined Russian American Company service. In 1819, Delivron took the brig Il’mena to Settlement Ross where he then took command of the brig Rumiantsev, just built at Ross. He returned to Sitka and went to other areas of the Company colonies, including Okhotsk. In 1840, he was promoted to Captain of 1st Rank. In 1842, he retired from Company service.
Pavel Afanas’evich Dokhuturov (clerk) – A Russian, in 1787, he entered the naval cadet corps. In 1804, he became a midshipman. For several years he sailed in the Baltic and Finnish waters, with several trips to England. September 1820, he left Kronshtadt in command of the RAC vessel Kutuzov, bound for Sitka, around the Cape Horn. On June 27, 1821, he arrived at Rumiantsev Bay (Bodega Bay), in California. He sold some cargo and bought provisions then sailed on to Sitka. In January 1822, he left Sitka to return to Russia with furs worth 1,100,000 paper rubles. In 1824, he attempted another voyage like his first, but his ship ran into heavy storms and he returned to Russia.
Olga (Ol’ga) – A woman from Kodiak Island - Wife of Naneshkun Avvakum (a man from Kodiak Island) died August 1820. It is not known how she died.
Ayumin Mar’ya – A Kashia Pomo woman - She had a daughter, Maria, with the Russian Promyshlennik named Rodion Koroliov. He died December 9, 1820 of “some disease.” Ayumin and Maria returned to Ayumin’s native village near Ross after his death.
Ukayla – A Coast Miwok woman – Living with Kili Fedor, from Kodiak Island.
Mit’ya (Meet’ya) – A Kashia Pomo woman – Married to Aniehta Nikolai, from Kodiak island. They had one son, Chanian Vissarion.
Kobbeya – A Southern Pomo woman – she had lived along the Russian River. She married Agchyaesikok Roman, from Kodiak Island. They may have lived in the Alaskan neighborhood out on the front terrace. They had a son, Kiochan Mitrofah. Kobbeya returned to her home and people along the Russian River in 1820. The father raised the young boy, until the father drowned. Alexey Chaniguchi, from Kodiak island, was said to have raised the boy.
Vaimpo – Coast Miwok – He worked at Ross in 1820 to pay off obligations to the Company.
Chichamik – Coast Miwok – He worked at Ross in 1820 to pay off obligations to the Company.
Kapisha – Coast Miwok – He worked on the Farallones to pay off obligations to the Company.
Iik – A Kashia Pomo man – He worked of his own free will in the kitchen.
Egor Leontievich Chernykh (Ye-gor’ Le-on’ti-ev-ich Cher-nikh’) – Born in Kamchatka about 1813, he was the son of a Russian priest and a native Kamchadl woman. He was sent to Moscow to enroll in the agricultural school that just opened by the Imperial Moscow Agriculture Society. He graduated in 1827. On August 18, 1835 he arrived on board the brig Sitka and landed in Monterey. From there he traveled overland and in January 1836 arrived at Settlement Ross. He developed agriculture at Fort Ross. His salary was 3,500 rubles per year. He built and worked at Rancho Chernykh located somewhere between Occidental and Graton. He wrote several articles for Russian journals while at Settlement Ross. When the settlement was sold in 1841, Chernykh returned to Sitka and was given a raise to 5,000 rubles a year. His wife, Ekaterina, gave birth to their son, Nikolai, in 1842. In 1843 Chernykh died of “nerve fever.”
Feofilat Druzhinin (Fe-o-fi’lat Druzh-een’in) – A person of mixed heritage - living in Sitka, he became an assistant to Il’ia G. Voznesenskii. Voznesenskii noted that “with his natural talent, was enterprising, stayed with me, and with Etholen’s approval accompanied me on all my journeys through the colonies.” Druzhinin came to Ross with Voznesenskii in 1841. He continued to work in the colonies after Ross was sold, and in 1853 was married to Iroida Kelgren on Kodiak Island. They had three sons. He died in 1862.
Vasilii Khlebnikov (Vah-seel’ee Khleb’nee-kov) – Russian – nephew of K.T. Khlebnikov. Vasilii was manager of one of the three Company ranchos near the Ross Settlement. This ranch helped to supply the Ross Settlement and Sitka with agricultural products. In 1841 he returned to Sitka along with the other Company personnel.
Alexei Shukshin (A-lex-say’ Shuk’shin) – Russian – worked at Settlement Ross. A falling tree killed him during work in the forest on July 27, 1820.
Vasilii Starkovskii (Vah-seel’ee Star-kov’skee) – Russian - he died at Ross March 11, 1827. He left no will, so his cash estate of 843 rubles and 56 kopeks was placed in the Company’s charitable fund in Sitka. He was at Ross to keep accounts at the store and to help Schmidt with the paperwork. His signature is on several documents regarding the settlement of Ross. He was also responsible for the sowing of crops on both Company land and his own private land.
Ilia Gavrilovich Voznesenskii (Il-ya’ Gav-ril’o-vich Voz-ne-syen’skee) – A Russian – Born June 19, 1816 in St. Petersburg. At the age of five he started as a typesetter. He started studying with the Zoological Museum and the Academy of Sciences. He showed such skill and diligence that they recommended he be given a salary. In 1834 he was made an assistant and paid 400 rubles per year. In 1839 he was appointed to travel to Russian America for a five-year period. Voznesenskii worked in the colonies in Alaska until ordered to go to Settlement Ross in 1840. While in California he made several trips around the San Francisco area, the Russian River area, climbed Mt. St. Helena, and explored clear to Sacramento where John Sutter hosted him. He gathered plant and animal specimens. He continued his work with the Company in Alaska for a total of ten years. Upon his return to St. Petersburg he cataloged and studied his specimens and other collections that arrived at the museum.
Johann Friedrich Eschscholtz – German - Born November 1, 1793 in Dorpat, Germany. He showed talent in natural history at a very young age. He received a degree as a doctor of medicine. He sailed on the round-the-world voyage on the ship Rurik, under Otto von Kotzebue. He worked with Adelbert V. Chamisso, a naturalist. Eschscholtz focused on insects and sea animals. He was the first to discover and record prehistoric bones in Alaska. When they were in California, Chamisso named the California Poppy, our state wildflower, after Eschscholtz, which has the Latin binomial Eschscholtzia Californica. In 1819 he became a professor of medicine of the zoological cabinet at the University of Dorpat. In 1823 he accepted an invitation by Kotzebue to sail again on an extensive voyage. In 1829 he died of “nerve fever.”
Ludovick Charles Adelaid Chamisso – French – Born in 1781 in Champaign, France, to a noble family. His family moved to Germany during the French Revolution. He became a page to the royal court in Berlin in 1796. In 1801 he entered the Prussian Army, did not like military life and started writing. In 1810 he studied science and languages in Paris. He then went back to Berlin to study medicine, botany, and zoology. He was a poet and naturalist. In 1815 he was invited to serve as a naturalist on the round-the-world voyage on the ship Rurik. He researched languages, ethnography, geology, botany, zoology, and climate on his trip. He ported here at Settlement Ross on this voyage for just a short time. Chamisso named the California Poppy, our state wildflower, after Johann Eschscholtz, his friend and colleague, while on this trip, possibly while here at Fort Ross. He died in 1838.
Paraskov’ia Kulika – A woman of mixed heritage – She was employed as a cowherd for the Company at Ross. She was married to the scribe, Kulilalov, who died in 1820. She died in 1827 leaving no property. She owed the Company 51 rubles and 59 kopeks. The Company wrote this off as a loss.
Kunuchami – Kashia – She had a son, Izhuaok Peter, with a Koniag man named Tlyualik Trofim.
Unitma – Coast Miwok – She married a Chugach man named Sipak Ishkhatskiy. She died in September of 1821 for unknown reasons. They had two daughters, Anusha Maria and Aglal’ya.
Tolilukayu– A Coast Miwok
Iakov Dorofeevich Dorofeev (Ee-yahk’ov Dor-o-fey’e-vich Dor-o-fey’ev) – A Russian, in 1802 he joined the RAC. In 1822 or 1823 he accompanied Karl Schmidt, the new manager of Settlement Ross, and a party of Alaska Natives on a journey by baidaras up the Slavianka River (Russian River, and called Shabakai by the Pomo). In 1824 (with an agreement made in 1823 with Don Luis Arguello, the governor of California), Dorofeev led a hunting party along the shores of San Francisco Bay. Later in the1820’s, Dorofeev returned to Alaska and became manager of the Unalaska office in 1829. He held the post until September 1832, when he died.
Agchyaesikok Roman (Ro-man’) – A man from Kodiak island, possibly a hunter for the Company. He drowned in March 1821. He was married to Kobbeya, a Southern Pomo. When he died Kobbeya returned to her home village. They had a son, Kiochan Mitrofan, who was left to be cared for by Alexey Chaniguchi for upbringing.
Matvei (Maht-vay’) – A man from Kodiak Island - Toion for the Company, meaning a hunting leader. He drowned in 1824. Kirill Khlebnikov reported, “Earlier this month, the [Alaska Natives] returned here with the body of…Toion Matvei. They said that he had been at Bodega Bay and had separated from the others in a two-hatch baidarka. After waiting for him to return for a long time, they had found him dead on the shore with the baidarka. As his body did not show any suspicious signs, they concluded that the Toion had grown weak from rowing and with hunger and had died. The Alaskans than buried him. Matvei was the elder Toion here…”
Talizhuk Kosma (Tal-i-zhuk’ Kos-ma’) – A Kodiak native, worked at Ross between 1820 – 1836, possibly as a hunter. His first wife was a Kashia Pomo woman, Yayumen. He and his second wife, Pelagiia, had two sons. Their names are Nikifor and Vasilii. He died between 1836 and 1838.
Taneikak Apianak Ivan – A Kodiak native, his first wife was a Kashia Pomo woman, PIzhichimiy. They had a daughter, Olga, and son Chunyuun. His second wife, Pelagiia Mukaia, had three sons Il’ia, Marko, and Simeon. He died sometime between 1834 and 1838.
Osip Shaia (O’seep) – Alaska Native - he lived at Ross for quite a long time. He was a leader or foreman of Alaska Natives. His first wife was possibly a Kashia Pomo woman, Myssalaya. His second wife, Alexandra, and son, Sazon, lived for years at Ross. It is possible that his first wife left with him to Alaska and returned with a Russified name, Alexandra. He was about 38 years old when he died from drowning.
Kasents – Tlingit - his work at Settlement Ross is unknown.
Balthazar – Possibly Coast Miwok - this young man was painted by the Russian artist Mikhail Tikhanov (see the drawing below). Balthazar was painted with a front view and with a side view. He was baptized at Mission San Rafael along with his Miwok parents, Catcat and Bohomen. He may have been about 15 years old when the paintings were done. We believe they lived in the Bodega Bay region.
Chumamin – A Kashia Pomo woman who lived with Mikhail Siyazov, a Russian. When he returned to Sitka in September 1820, she returned to her native place.
Pokomin – A Kashia Pomo woman married to Filip Apangu, a Kodiak native. They may have lived on the front terrace in the Alaskan neighborhood. When he returned to Sitka, she returned to her own people.
Mishishiya – A Kashia Pomo woman married to Tupulihkak Sava, a Kodiak native. They also lived on the Farallon Islands.
El’bus’shika – A Coast Miwok from the Bodega region. She was married to Avenge Ivan, a Kodiak native from Pasko village. They had a daughter, Anis yak Maria, and a son, Atunnuki.
Kelyaymin – Pomo, from the vicinity of Metini / Fort Ross, she was married to the Kodiak toyon (chief) Vasiliy Nanehkun. They had two daughters, Papinchin Akulina and Pipichupik Agrafena.
Mikhail Karlovich Kiukhelbeker (Mik-hai-el’ Karl’o-vich Kiukh’el-bek-er) – A Russian naval officer.
Otto Evstafevich Kotzebue (Ot’to Yev-staf’e- vich Kotz’e-bue) – A Russian naval officer.
Efim Petrovich Petrov (E-feem’ Pe-tro’vich Pe-trov’) – A Russian navigator.
Anikievich Podushkin (An-i-kee’e-vich Po- dush’kin) – Russian – A naval officer who went to Monterey to negotiate release of several Alaska Natives from prison.
Stepan Vasilevich Voevodskii (Ste-pahn’ Va-seel’e-vich Vo-yev-od’skii) – Russian - Born in 1805. In 1818 he entered the naval cadet corps. Naval Officer for the RAC in 1834. Commander of several sloops for the RAC between 1835 and 1841. In 1840 he left Sitka with a cargo of furs. Metini / Fort Ross was one of his stops as they traveled on to Kronshtadt. He carried on with RAC service becoming an officer of 1st Rank. From 1854 to 1859 he was Chief Manager in Alaska. He was in military service until at least 1880. He made Admiral. He died in September 1884.
Vasilii Stepanovich Zavoiko (Vah-seel’ee Ste-pahn’o-vich Zah-voi’ko) – A Russian Born in 1809 of a noble family. Educated in the naval cadet corps. He sailed to the Russian American colonies after several years in service with the navy. In 1835 he arrived at Bodega and traveled by horseback to the Ross settlement. They stayed the night at the Kostromitinov ranch with Efim Munin in charge. They only stayed at Ross for two nights.
Engineer – Technologist Peter Andreevich Andreev (Pyo’ter An- drey’ye-vich An-drey’yev) – A person of mixed heritage, born at Fort Ross. He was sent to Russia for education at the St. Petersburg Technological Institute. When he completed his studies in 1860 he was sent to Sitka to work. While in his position there he traveled to San Francisco to examine factories and shops for future trade relations.
Medical Assistant or Fel’dsher Vasilii Kalugin (Vah-seel’ee Ka-lug’een) – Russian - He sailed on the ship Urup from Okhotsk in September 1831. He was then sent to the Ross settlement on the ship Chichagov. He was to treat the sick and gather plants, herbs, and other natural specimens for use in Sitka. He was put under arrest while at Ross. The reason for the arrest is not known. However, in 1835 he was still listed as the chief fel’dsher (medical professional) at Ross.
Managers of Settlement Ross –
Ivan Aleksandrovich Kuskov – A Russian born in Tot’ma in 1765. In 1790 in Irkutsk he joined the first fur company, the Shelikov-Golikov company, which later became the Russian American Company. He worked with Baranov in Alaska establishing redoubts (forts) and settlements. He also led hunting parties. In 1808, Baranov sent Kuskov to California with two vessels. In December of that year he arrived in Bodega Bay. They hunted the sea otters with a “good catch”. They returned to Sitka in August of 1809. In 1811, on the ship Chirikov, Kuskov made his third trip to California. He brought with him 25 Russian artisans and 80 Alaska Natives with 40 baidarkas for sea otter hunting. He remained at Settlement Ross until 1821. He established trade relations with the Spanish, the British, and the American merchants. He established ranches and promoted sea otter hunting along the California coast. In 1822 he left Company service after 31 years total. He returned to Tot’ma with his new wife, where a few months later he died. They had no children.
Karl Ivanovich Schmidt – Born in Finland June 2nd, 1799. In 1817 at 18 years of age, he traveled to Russian America (Alaska) as a passenger on the brig Kamchatka, with Golovnin. He arrived in 1818. He was hired by the Russian American Company to look after the artillery, the arsenal, and the library for 1,000 rubles above normal salary. In 1819 he sailed with the Company to the Sandwich Islands on company business. In 1820 Schmidt was appointed as manager of the Ross settlement at 3,000 rubles a year. He sailed on the brig Il’mena to Alta California, his new post. He knew the Spanish language and assisted Khlebnikov in trade relations with the Spanish. He managed Ross from 1821 to 1825. He started shipbuilding, expanded agriculture, and did some exploring up the Slavianka River (Russian River). However, Schmidt was careless with the Company records and books. He returned to Sitka as arsenal and port officer. In 1826 he was sent to Russia. He served for another 30 years or so and then retired from the service in 1861 as Captain 2nd Rank.
Pavel Shelikov – A Russian who in 1821 worked in the Moscow office for the Russian American Company. He violated Company trust, so as rehabilitation at his own request, he was sent to the colonies in Alaska. He arrived in January 1823 and worked under Murav’ev. In 1825 he was to replace Karl Schmidt. He arrived at Settlement Ross on the brig Elena. He continued the efforts in seal hunting, agriculture, making of cheese and butter, and the sale of redwood planks. He left the Ross settlement in 1830 for Sitka.
Peter Stepanovich Kostromitinov – A Russian who was the eldest of three brothers, all in Company service. He worked in the Alaskan colonies in 1827. In 1829 he was sent to the Ross settlement where he took over as manager in 1830. He served as the Ross manager until 1836, when Rotchev took over. He returned to Sitka. In the summer of 1851 he sailed to San Francisco on the Kniaz Menshikov where he became RAC commissioner. And in 1852 became Russian Vice Consul. He left this position in 1862 and returned to Russia with his wife and six children.
Aleksander Gavrilovich Rotchev – A Russian writer, poet, and linguist. He went to the University of Moscow for training and there he married Princess Elena Pavlovna Gagarina in 1828. He joined Company service in 1835. In 1836 he left Sitka on the brig Sitka for Bodega Bay, Monterey, and San Francisco. He returned to Sitka. In 1838 he then sailed to California with Elena and possibly three children. He met John Sutter, who eventually bought the buildings, cattle, horses, and all other improvements belonging to the RAC.
Elena Pavlovna Gagarina Rotcheva (Ye-lain’a Pahv’lov-na Ga-gar’in-a Rot’chyev-a) – A Russian woman married to Aleksander Gavrilovich Rotchev, the last manager of Ross. She brought with her to Ross her fine belongings, her piano, and library. They were known by visitors for their great hospitality, their cuisine, the Princess’ skill at the piano, and the creation of an atmosphere of gentility and refinement in this remote outpost.