The 140th anniversary of the birth of Vasily Arsenyev, a scientist in the field of history, genealogy and archival affairs, one of the initiators of the creation and the first chairman of the Vitebsk Scientific Archival Commission, is celebrated on 26 March.
The future scientist was born in 1883 in Sofia. His father was a consul, then was in charge des affaires of Bulgaria. The boy was named after his grandfather Vasily, who at that time also held high positions, he was an official of the Government Senate and a full privy councilor. It was on the estate of his grandfather Krasnoe, Novosilsky Uyezd, Tula Province, that Vasily spent his childhood.
with sister Natalia, 1880
Vasily graduated from the gymnasium course of the Moscow and Imperial Lyceum in memory of Tsesarevich Nicholas (1901) and the law course of the same institution (1904). Even in the years of study, he have proved himself as a researcher, engaged in the study of his own kind. His book "Rod dvorian Arsenyevyh" (1903) was widely recognized by genealogists.
From 1904 he was in the civil service, and in 1908–1910 he served as an adviser to the Vitebsk Provincial Government. Vasily Arsenyev was the initiator of the creation and the first chairman of the Vitebsk Academic Archival Commission.
With his direct participation, the Proceedings of the “Vitebsk Scientific Archival Commission” (book No 1, 1910) were prepared and published. The scientist identified and investigated ancient monuments in Vitebsk, Polotsk, Vitebsk and Gorodok counties. During the period that Arsenyev headed the commission (1909–1910), he published 13 books and leaflets: "I.I. Lazhechnikov v Vitebske", "Mikhelsony", "Dokumenty o frantsuzkih voennoplennykh 1812–1813 v Vitebskoj gubernii", "Poezdka v Tadulin monastyr Vitebskogo uezda 6 avgusta 1910 g.", etc.
Arsenyev was sent to Tula in August 1910, where he created and headed the local scientific archival commission, whose activities also included publishing materials, collecting valuable museum and archival collections, and forming a library. He was the Pskov vice–governor in 1915–1917. Since 1919 he had worked in the scientific and statistical department of the Main Directorate of Archival Affairs in Moscow. He was a professor at the Moscow Institute of Archaeology in the departments of Genealogy and Heraldry from 1920 to 1922, and a professor at the Moscow State University from the mid 1920s.
In December 1933, he went abroad, and passed away in 1947.
A significant contribution of the historian to science is more than 150 scientific works on history, genealogy, and heraldry. He had a rich own library of 5,500 books on archeology, genealogy, heraldry, philosophy.
with wife Olga, 1910
Information about V.S. Arsenyev can be found in the electronic resources of the National Library of Belarus: the online encyclopedia "Belarus in Persons and Events", the national database of authoritative records. Bibliographic data on the scientist's publications and materials devoted to his life and activities are available in the library's electronic catalog.
The article was provided by the Bibliography Research Department.
