Russian Orphans in Semirechye at the Turn of the XIX - XX Centuries

The article is devoted to the adaptation of the children of Russian immigrants to unusual conditions in Turkestan. As an example, the author examines the history of an orphanage in the town of Verny in the Semirechensk region of the Turkestan General Governorate, established on October 28, 1879. This territory was one of the first to be populated by Russian settlers, so a stable community of the Russian-speaking people was formed here. For children who had lost their parents, they tried to create all the conditions similar to those that existed in the central provinces of the Russian Empire. In 1888, the orphanage was transferred to the jurisdiction of the department of Empress Maria, which was supervised by the Semirechensk guardianship of orphanages. It worked in full compliance with the requirements that were imposed on all institutions of this kind in the Russian Empire. Over time, the question arose about creating additional orphanages in the Semirechensk region, but they were never created before the revolution; instead, the guardianships were established in six counties of the region. They were responsible not only for collecting donations for the benefit of the orphans of the Vernensky orphanage, but also for the maintenance of children sent to the orphanage from the counties. As a result, a new community of Russian people was formed in Turkestan, born and living there, who absorbed the traditions of the local population, but remained adherents of Russian culture.