Date of birth: 2nd June 1870
Date of death: 17th July 1918
Location of death: Yekaterinburg, Russia
Cause of death: Murder, by the Bolsheviks
Titles: Head Cook
Father: Unknown
Mother: Unknown
Spouse: Wife (name unknown)
Children: Daughter (name unknown)
Personality traits: Friendly, loyal, creative, self sacrificing, private
During the revolution: Little is known about Ivan Kharitonov, especially before the revolution. What we do know of this man is that he was a lifelong friend of Nicholas II, and only left his side to study the culinary arts in France. When he returned home, he became the Head Chef to the Tsar, and over the years he shared his knowledge with the Tsar's children, teaching them how to cook bread and other small, simple meals.
For most of his time with the Romanovs, Ivan had his own wife and daughter living with him. Even during the revolution and captivity in Tobolsk, Ivan's own family stayed close.
However, when it became clear that the family would be moved to Ekaterinburg, Ivan, like the other servants, understood that this would not end well. He would not leave his close friend to die at the hands of his enemies alone.
But he would not risk his wife and child suffering the same fate.
As the Tsar, Tsarina, Grand Duchess Maria, and the other servants all prepared their things to be moved to Ekaterinburg, Ivan turned to his wife and daughter. The exact words he chose to say goodbye are unknown, but we do know he strove to maintain a strong, brave face in light of a dark situation. He wanted to give them a happy last memory of him to look back on – a smiling face, a warm embrace, anything that could bring some comfort to them.
And that was the last that his wife and daughter ever saw of him.
In 1998, after the remains had been discovered in the woods and claimed to belong to the Romanovs and their servants, a funeral was held. There, Ivan's grandson, paid his respects to his lost grandfather.
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The Suspicious Deaths of the Romanovs
Non-FictionThis work is an investigation into the brutal murders of the Russian royal family, the Romanovs. Officially, the Tsar, Tsarina, and their five children were brutally murdered, executed in the basement of their prison in the city of Yekaterinburg. Un...
