Ivan SmirnovMy great-great-great grandfather (on my father's side) was known to our family as Chevalier Jean de Smirnoff (French being the language used in Diplomatic circles in Petersburg and elsewhere). He was born in 1767, in the Ukraine, as Ivan Linitsky, the son of a village priest of the same name. He had three brothers: Yakov, the eldest, who became Chaplain to the Imperial Russian Embassy in London; Ioann, who also became a priest and who was later granted patents of nobility in Kharkov; and Stepan, who received his patents at Voronezh in 1788 and was attached to the Caucasian Fiscal Board. Both Yakov and Ivan changed their surnames to Smirnov, upon advice that certain officials in the Russian Civil Service were prejudiced against Ukrainians. Ivan joined his brother at the embassy in London as a translator and later, after rising through the Civil Service ranks, was appointed Russian Envoy to the Court of Holland. This was an important position: he was in charge of "victuals" and other logistical supplies to be used by the Russian army after it had pursued Napoleon across the winter snow and out of the country.
Smirnov took his family with him - his wife Maria (born Maria Mason, daughter of Robert Mason, of Cirencester Place, St Marylebone, Middlesex), his eldest daughter Maria, Stephen, John, Helena, Louisa and Anette. The family hadn't long been in the Netherlands when tragedy struck. According to the police report, dated July 14th 1815, "yesterday, the thirteenth of the month, at the hotel called The Bathhouse, at approximately half past six in the evening (the Director of Police) found the Consul-General of Russia, Mr Smirnoff, residing at Amsterdam, and who, owing to a heavy loss of blood and through inflicted wounds, was not in a state to give any information as to the causes...
...it has come to light that in the afternoon of yesterday a certain Basily Mironnof called, describing himself as a Major in the Eighth Class, in Russian Service, serving with the Administration of Foodstuffs sent from St. Petersburg to Rotterdam; that the above mentioned Consul-General, found him there writing, and complained to him that others assumed a hand in affairs which were in his charge; that... he got into a rage and drawing his sword, gave him a slash over the head, and that, whilst the said Consul-General attempted to get away from his attack, he followed him again and punished him by the infliction of several wounds until he fell down powerless."
The assailant was put under arrest and imprisoned in Rotterdam. He was transported to the Russian Headquarters on the 29th August 1815, where a court martial sentenced him to be shot. This judgment was executed near Melun, France.
In our family records, obtained from the archives of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow, are other interesting documents, not the least of which are reports from eye-witnesses, including one deposition taken from George Law, a 28 year old visitor from the United States.
Deposition, George Law, BaltimoreOne of the reports obtained recently from Moscow.This one gives an eye-witness account from Baltimore lawyer George Law, who was passing by, looked in the window and saw a murder taking place
The story ends with this report in the Rotterdamsche Courante of Saturday 5th August, l815.
ROTTERDAM AUG 4 The remains of Chevalier Jean de Smirnoff, Consul-General of His Majesty the Czar of all the Russians...were buried here to-day...The funeral was one of the most impressive and striking that can be remembered as ever having been seen in this town. All those who followed the body were touched by the sad fate which had torn such a worthy man and so faithful a servant of his Emperor and Fatherland untimely from his honourable career, and from the arms of his tender loving spouse and six young children, and from the midst of his admiring friends.
The order of procession was as follows:
The drums and band of the Musketeers and the two flanking companies of the 1st Battalion.
Four Mutes.
The Arms-bearers, bearing the Coat of Arms of the deceased.
Six Russian soldiers with wax candles, who chanted in turn with the Armenian Priest, clad entirely in black, and another carrying in front of him, a picture of St. Nicholas.
Several Russian Officers, three of whom bore the insignia of his Order of Chivalry on a black cushion, together with his sword.
The hearse was drawn by four black horses, draped with Coats of Arms, and led by four liveried servants; six Russian Officers acted as Pall bearers.
Surrounding these, were non-commissioned officers of the Musketeers and of the Russian Troops stationed here, carrying Russian flags....
Thus, having arrived at The Groote Kerk (Great or St Lawrence Church) the body was borne by Officers to the graveside in the choir, and, after some religious ceremonies, lowered into the tomb to the sound of three volleys from the Musketeers standing outside the Church...The church bells tolled for several hours.
