Ustryalov's father was a peasant, and his grand nephew Nikolay Vasilyevich Ustryalov was a notable politician. His major contributions to Russian historiography include the publication of several key sources on the Russian Tsardom such as Jacques Margeret's memoir (1830), the collection of reminiscences about False Demetrius I (1831), and Andrey Kurbsky's complete writings (1833).
