The Lunn Family
This is another story of a young man from England - Slaithwaite, Yorkshire, this time - who came to Russia in the early 19th century to make his fortune. There are several sources that can be used to trace his story, but on close examination it turns out that not all of them are very reliable. The following family tree is mostly based on St.Andrew's registers, partly on these half-reliable sources and partly on my guesses. All the names and dates come from the registers, as does the fact that Joseph Lunn and his wife Elizabeth had the four children that are listed below; Edwin Lunn and his wife Clara Anna, nee Webb, had 9 children listed below; as well as the children of Hannah and Elizabeth. Samuel was definitely Michael Lunn's son - this is what we learn from the tombstone on their graves. Maria was mentioned as Michael Lunn's second daughter in the vice-consulate marriage registers when she got married. Joseph and Edwin are most likely Michael Lunn's sons - this fact is mentioned in Russian sources as well as one English source. Hannah, Elizabeth, Jane Victoria and Louisa Ellen are probably Michael Lunn's daughters. This is entirely my guess which I based on their dates of birth and mentioning as baptism sponsors and marriage witnesses in the registers. It is interesting to note that Hannah and Elizabeth were married to the same person - Francis Ball. After Hannah died at the age of 35, her (probably) sister Elizabeth married the man.
Michael Lunn, from what I know as of now (September 2020), is the only 19th century British industrialist whose importance in the Russian history is officially acknowledged by the Russian authorities in the form of having a street named after him. It is a new street in a new district of a small town of Balashikha to the east of Moscow, where Michael Lunn lived and worked as a manager of a cotton mill. Michael Lunn could also boast of a most winding street ever - judging by the map it has the shape of a figure of eight:
Not only did the local authorities name a street after Michael Lunn, they have also preserved his grave and are taking good care of it.
According to a number of Russian sources, Michael Lunn was born on the 5 (17) of March 1820. He arrived at Balashikha in 1850 to install a new powerful Pratt steam engine at the local cotton spinning mill. Prior to that, he had been working for Mathers&Platt in England. The young engineer impressed the owners of the Balashikha spinning mill so much that they immediately offered him a position of the mill manager for 20 years. Eventually 20 years turned into 45 - the time Michael Lunn managed the mill first as an employee, and then - beginning with 1873 - as a partner. In addition to managing the mill, Lunn built a hospital for the workers (the building still exists and houses a local policlinic), a school for the children of workers which he also headed for a number of years, and new brick hostels for the workers. After his death in 1895, Michael Lunn's two sons, who had by that time received solid engineering education in England, continued managing the mill. Joseph - Osip Mikhailovich, as he was called in Russian - was the production manager; Edwin - Evgeny Mikhailovich - was the chief mechanic; while Michael's grandson, Joseph's son Robert - Roman Osipovich - was the chief energy expert. The last of the Lunns to work at the mill was Michael's grandson, Edwin's son Richard - Rodion Evgenievich - who was managing the mill until 1917. In addition to sending his own children and grandchildren to study in England, Michael Lunn sent to England the most talented of the workers' children as well - to become mechanics, accountants and spinning masters. This ensured the factory's survival after the revolution.