From rags to riches, from riches to rags.

This saying is often used to describe the life path of Peter the Great's associate Alexander Menshikov. However, the fate of the first Russian merchant Ksenofont Anfilatov, who opened trade with the USA across the Atlantic Ocean, was no less vivid and tragic. He was born in 1761 in a poor village in the Slobodsky district of the Vyatka province, now Kirov region. His parents were serf peasants.

The path to life for the future businessman was opened by his uncle Luka. With his support, in January 1778, Ksenofont Anfilatov was issued a passport for travel to Russian Little Russian and Siberian cities for trade purposes. It was then that he began organizing trade caravans. Business went well, and by the age of 30, Anfilatov had accumulated a significant fortune. He invested money in the purchase of a two-masted brigantine that was docked in the port of Arkhangelsk. Together with Uncle Luka, they transported wine, grain, flour, and other goods, mastering the northern seas. Everything was going well, but in 1797, his beloved uncle Luka fell seriously ill and died, leaving the entire business on Ksenofont's shoulders. Moreover, due to the Napoleonic wars, maritime trade with European countries became less profitable. Then, in 1805, Anfilatov had the idea to establish trade relations with the USA across the Atlantic Ocean.

With this idea, he approached the government. Alexander I supported him and ordered the dispatch of three ships to America tax-free. However, funds were lacking. Anfilatov was granted a loan of 200,000. Soon, two vessels set sail from Russian shores: the "Johannes Caprist" from Arkhangelsk to New York and the "Erz-Engel Michael" from St. Petersburg to Boston. It was a risky venture, and the company could have failed, but upon returning to Russia, the profit amounted to over a million. Since then, the trade route to the USA was established. However, due to the constantly changing diplomatic relations between the countries, business began to decline. Soon, Anfilatov was declared bankrupt.

The company had to close, and he returned to his homeland in Vyatka as a petty burgher. To this sorrow was added another grief: a couple of years later, his son Irakli drowned. Thus, the merchant was left with nothing.