THE MARTAKI CENTURY: GENEALOGY AND LEGACY OF THE MERCHANT DYNASTY IN NOVOMYRHOROD REGION (1823–1923)

Abstract

The article is the first systematic study of the history of the Martaki family of Greek origin from Nizhyn, whose members held leading positions in the economic, cultural and public life of the Yelysavethrad region from the second half of the 19th to the early 20th centuries. Based on a wide range of documents from Ukrainian archives (parish and confessional registers, as well as revision lists), the article traces the appearance of the oldest known representative of the family, Ivan Yuriiovych Martaki, in the territory of modern Kropyvnytskyi region in the 1820s. The family composition has been established, and key events in the family history over several generations have been highlighted. Through the analysis of tax lists, notarial acts and other documents, the process of the family’s acquisition of real estate in Novomyrhorod and the gradual strengthening of its material position has been reconstructed in chronological order. The property status and sphere of Mykhailo Martaki’s economic activities are outlined, and biographical information about his daughter, the well‑known patroness Hanna Dmytrian, is clarified. The exact place and date of her birth have been established, and reliable information about her marriage to Afanasii Dmytrian has been found. The procedure for the distribution of Mykhailo Martaki’s inheritance between his widow Kseniia, his eldest son Feodosii, and his younger children is examined in detail. Due to the analysis of information about godparents and witnesses at weddings, an attempt has been made to outline the circle of Martaki’s family and social ties, which allows the social context of their lives to be recreated. The results obtained can be useful for the further development of historical and regional studies of Kropyvnytskyi region, the study of local socio‑economic history and genealogy. A promising direction for future studies is to expand the chronological and geographical boundaries of the research by involving new archival materials, as well as the source potential of headstones, which will make it possible to trace the fate of Martaki’s descendants both within the territory of the studied region and beyond its borders.