The given name of Mendeleev’s first wife, Leshcheva, was Feozva. She was Feozva Nikitichna Leshcheva, whom Mendeleev married in 1862.
Feozva came from Tobolsk and was the stepdaughter of the writer and educator Pyotr Yershov, best known for the fairy-tale poem The Little Humpbacked Horse. Her marriage to Mendeleev produced three children: daughter Maria, son Vladimir, and daughter Olga, although Maria died in infancy.
Mendeleev’s first marriage ended in separation, and the couple later divorced. He subsequently married Anna Popova, who became the mother of several more of his children. The name can appear in different transliterations, including Feozva, Feozva Nikitichna, or Leshcheva, but those forms refer to the same first wife. She is often confused with Anna Popova because Anna was Mendeleev’s second wife.