Abstract
<jats:p>The article presents methods and ways for dating St. Theophan’s letters to members of the Kugushev family — to Princess N.I. Kugusheva, her daughters Alexandra and Anastasia, son Ilya and niece Sofia. Of the 500 surviving and published letters, only 149 are dated, which determines the relevance and uniqueness of the task. Two decades of the life of a large family are presented in St. Theophan’s letters. There are frequently recurring references to the same events and people, which helps determine the exact or approximate date. Numerous examples of absolute and relative dating established as a result of cross-analysis of letters to different addressees are considered; if more precise information is not available, extreme chronological limits are established: no earlier and no later than the date the letter was written. The indications are historical events, circumstances of the biography of correspondents, mentions of famous people as living or dead and correlation with other letters. Events that are important for the family become milestones and do not allow dating letters earlier or later than the date they indicate: the death of daughter Maria, the wedding of daughter Alexandra, the appearance of a newborn granddaughter in the house, etc. These key landmarks, identified during the study, help form a reliable chronological outline, in which, according to logic, undated letters are posted. The evidence system also uses letters from St. Theophan to other correspondents not related to the Kugushev family.</jats:p>