Ivan Sergeyevich Bashkirtev was one of the wealthiest merchants in Voronezh in the first half of the 19th century. He owned stores and a wool factory. He was related to the famous poet Alexey Koltsov, as Ivan Sergeyevich was married to his sister Maria.

Ivan's father was engaged in grain trading and owned many barges, which he used to transport grain along the Don River, allowing him to amass a significant fortune. He successfully married off his daughters and then withdrew from business, preferring to wear a robe and a peasant haircut. At ceremonial dinners, he sat next to the governor and tapped a wooden spoon on a tin plate.

For a long time, Ivan was considered a failure, but marrying Maria Koltsova changed him. He became a successful entrepreneur, introducing technical innovations in his factory, building a cadet corps building, and significantly expanding his father's grain trade. His practical ingenuity was combined with artistry. Ivan Sergeyevich assembled his own orchestra, had a choir, loved flowers, and was proud and independent.

Ivan Sergeyevich adored his wife Maria, thanks to whom the Koltsov family entered the Voronezh elite. Their home was frequented by both noble landowners and spiritual and administrative leaders of the province.

In 1831, the Bashkirtev and Koltsov families experienced great sorrow: the cholera epidemic that struck Voronezh took Maria's life. Ivan Sergeyevich was in despair and even demanded to open the coffin, insisting that Maria had been buried alive. He never remarried. Their children, Pyotr and Vera, remained close to the Koltsov family. Ivan Sergeyevich always supported his wife's brother, which was rare.

In a letter to V. G. Belinsky and V. P. Botkin in May 1842, A. V. Koltsov described Ivan Sergeyevich as a man who was always ready to help, caring for him more than anyone else after his mother.

After the departure from the dacha, A. Koltsov passed away, marking the end of his life and creativity, and for Ivan Sergeyevich, the end of a long friendship. Soon, Ivan Sergeyevich himself also died.