New materials on the biography of the historian of the Kuban and Terran cossacks, I.D. Popko

Every region of Russia has its own historical figures who made significant contributions to various fields of knowledge. One of these figures for the North Caucasus is Ivan Diomidovich Popko, a lieutenant general in the Kuban Cossack Host, historian, ethnographer, educator, and bibliophile. Most of the materials related to and dedicated to him recount already known facts about his life. Consequently, some seemingly insignificant details escape the attention of researchers. Yet, it is precisely from these details that a true portrait of the man emerges. This article, drawing on archival documents, attempts to examine some unknown facts about the general's biography. His childhood and youth remain one of the most understudied periods of his life. Where did the historian's ancestors come from in the Black Sea region, who they were, and where they lived? In fact, his year of birth has not been fully established. The authors attempt to answer these questions in this article, drawing on personal and official documents stored in the state archives of Kuban, Stavropol, and Moscow.