Ivan Pavlov - Married Life and Family Problems

Married Life and Family Problems

Ivan Pavlov married Seraphima Vasilievna Karchevskaya on May 1, 1881. They met in 1878 or 1879 when Seraphima went to St. Petersburg to study at the Pedagogical Institute. Seraphima, called Sara for short, was born in 1855. In her later years, she suffered from ill health and died in 1947. Love touched Ivan far before it touched Sara. It was not until three years after their first meeting that Sara really began to fall in love with Ivan.

The first nine years of their marriage were made miserable by financial problems. Pavlov and his wife often had to stay with others in order to have a home. For a while they even had to live apart so they could find hospitality. Although their general lack of money caused despair, material welfare was a secondary consideration. Spiritual well-being was of a primary consideration.

Sara’s first pregnancy unfortunately ended in a miscarriage. When Sara became pregnant for the second time, however, the couple took great care and the baby arrived safely. Their first child, a son, was named Mirchik. Sara adored Mirchik and became very depressed after his early passing. Sara and Mirchik were staying in a country home when he died, most likely as a result of some children’s summer disease. Ivan and Sara eventually had three more children: Vsevolod, Vladimir, and Vera. Their youngest son, Vsevolod, died of pancreatic cancer in 1935. Only one year before Pavlov’s own death.