What was the first name of Mendeleev’s mother, Mendeleeva? Her first name was Maria.
Maria Dmitrievna Mendeleeva was born Maria Kornilieva and came from a prominent merchant family in Tobolsk, Siberia. Her relatives helped establish the first Siberian printing house, giving the family an unusually strong connection to education, books and commerce.
After her husband became blind and died in 1847, Maria managed a glass factory that supported the family. The factory later burned down, but she continued working to secure an education for her youngest child, Dmitri. In 1849, she travelled with him across Russia seeking a university place.
That journey eventually brought Dmitri to Saint Petersburg, where he entered the Main Pedagogical Institute. Maria died in 1850, shortly after his enrollment. Her persistence and encouragement are frequently connected with his scientific education; she urged her children to read and to search patiently for truth. Feozva, by contrast, was the first name of Dmitri’s first wife, not his mother.