MYKHAILO TARNOVSKYI — THE FIRST RESEARCHER OF HISTORY OF TARNOVSKYI FAMILY

Abstract

The article hightlights Mykhailo Tarnovskyi (1865–1943) biography and science activity in the spheres of genealogy, biographic, historical, Shevchenko studies, ethnography. He belonged to the old noble Tarnovskyi family, was born in 1865 in the Kachanivka estate — the famous Ukrainian historical culture centre. His uncle, the Kachanivka estate owner — Volodymyr Tarnovskyi, was the founder of the Museum of Ukrainian Antiquity and well-known philanthropist. Mykhailo Tarnovskyi graduated Kyiv Real School in 1884, he was awarded a diploma in higher education in Switzerland. At the beginning of the 20th century he was a governmental official in Kyiv. In the Soviet Ukraine he worked as a photographer. For many years he researched genealogy and history of the Tarnovskyi family. He was the author of the first article about the Kachanivka estate in 1915 and described the Tarnovskyi family tree. He searched for the materials about members of the Tarnovskyi family and Taras Shevchenko in the Ukrainian museums and archives, recorded the memoirs of his relatives. He wrote the researches down, but his manuscripts were printed by his daughter Iryna Tarnovska only in 1997. We should admit, that it happened to be important publication in use for modern historians. There are still unpublished Mykhailo Tarnovskyi’s manuscripts and photographic works. The author is going to conduct investigation of Mykhailo Tarnovskyi life and science heritage.