The desire to find out where his last name “came from” forced B. Arefiev to turn to archival sources. The result of a long search was the story of the author’s great-grandfather, soldier of the Russian Imperial Army Ivan Arefiev. This story cannot be called purely family or private. The author managed to restore a piece of Russia's past during the difficult period of the Caucasian War. Based on archival materials, B. Arefiev tells the reader how Ivan was recruited into the army, how he served, remaining faithful to the oath, the Tsar and the Fatherland.