ARMENIAN HERITAGE PARK
A TRIBUTE TO OUR FOREFATHERS
WHO SEARCHED FOR FREEDOM
AND HUMAN DIGNITY
HERITAGE CULTURE
TRADITION
WHEREVER ARMENIAN IS SPOKEN OR WRITTEN
ARMENIA LIVES
DONATED TO CITY OF PROVIDENCE NOVEMBER 5, 1995
KAZAR AND NEVART ARAMIAN
IMMIGRANTS WHO SETTLED IN SMITH HILL
DEDICATED
to
AN UNBROKEN LINK BETWEEN GENERATIONS
KAZAR AND NEVART ARAMIAN
and
Sue, Martha, and Margo
and
Jocelyn and Paul
INTRODUCTION
Desperate times can create heroes out of desperate people. The inception
of the Turkish Genocide in 1915 scattered Armenian men and women, boys
and girls like bits of dust to the four winds. They were drawn like a magnet
to America, and settled, many of them, in Providence, RI.
As first generation Armenian-Americans, most of us are familiar with the
havoc the Genocide wrecked upon our parents' lives. We knew many of our
neighbors, relatives, and fellow parishioners to be survivors also; however,
our recollections saw them as people who danced at our church picnics,
baked delicacies at our "hantes", and celebrated at our holidays.
But their past sufferings remained abstract. What this collection
of testimonies does is to make their stories real to us. While it is sad
to know that Minas Poloian lost his family, it is overwhelming to know
that in losing his family, Minas lost his father, Baghdasar, his brothers,
Bedros, Hamparsoon, and Manoog, his sisters, Khatchatoon, Miriam, Vartouhi,
and Goulistan. When names fill in the blanks, the entire tragedy takes
on another dimension, and becomes more concrete, more horrific.
How many of us were aware of the numbers of Armenian men who toiled on
the railroads in the midwest, - strangers in a foreign land, struggling
with a foreign language? Or the numbers of people who worked at menial
jobs at Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing, the Biltmore Hotel, American
Screw Factory and other mills, and gave those jobs dignity and purpose?
The strength of the women comes through in these testimonies. They buried
their babies and lost their children literally in the upheaval of the Genocide.
Still, they became the "moms" of the Mom and Pop groceries, and struggled
side by side with their husbands to create a new life. The women cared
for their families, and helped to heal the community, emotionally as well
as physically.
The children of these immigrants have taken their places in the community
as business leaders, health care professionals, lawyers, accountants, teachers.
They have served this country with honor and distinction in time of war,
and have passed to their own children the traditions their parents treasured.
The Genocide destroyed many families, but it did not succeed in its ultimate
goal. When in 1938 Hitler was cautioned that world opinion would not tolerate
the atrocities of the Holocaust, he asked "Who remembers the Armenians?"
Who indeed. These testimonies prove the spirit of our parents, grandparents,
friends and neighbors did not allow the unspeakable heinousness of the
Genocide to triumph.
Desperate times did create these heroes, and we salute them at The Armenian
Heritage Park.
Kazar Aramian pointing out his name at Ellis Island on June 5,1993
Hagop and Agavne ALAHVERDIAN
and Family
George and Takouhi AMERICANIAN
Kazar and Nevart ARAMIAN
Nashan and Nivart ASADOORIAN
Dickron and Baidzar ATAMIAN
George and Surpouhi AZNAVOORIAN
Vahram and Beatrice AZNAVOURIAN
Hovhanes John and Hachadoor BARGAMIAN
Giragos and Zaroohi BASMAJIAN
Giragos and Guzel BEDROSIAN
Harry and Angelina
BEDROSIAN
Toros and Mariam BEDROSIAN
Mushek, Zartar, Zakar, Mariam and David BOGOIAN
Bogos and Aznev BOGOSIAN
Hachig and Haigoohi BOZIGIAN
Margos and Lucia DASDAGULIAN
Melkon and Sarkis Assadourian DEPOIAN
and Family
The Nazareth DERDERIAN
Family
Aram DER MANOUELIAN
Avedis and Arshalooys DER
MANOUELIAN
Hyrabed and Azadouhie DER
MANOUELIAN
Krikor and Zarman DOLBASHIAN
Karekin and Satenig Vartanian DONABEDIAN
Vartan and Haiganoush EKNOIAN
Manoog and Araxy ELMASIAN
Aharon and Tourvanda GARABEDIAN
Haroutuin and Arossiag GARABEDIAN
Rev. Yeghishe and Nekdar GASPARIAN
Family
Abraham and Vannina HAGOPIAN
Shabouh and Siranoush HAGOPIAN
Ervant and Serpouhie HAGOPIAN
Hagop and Siroon HAROOTUNIAN
Harry and Palig HAZARIAN
and son Garabed
John and Dickranhouie HAZIAN
Armenag and Margaret JANIGIAN
Sahag and Mariam JERANIAN
Ardashes and Lucy KASPARIAN
Sarkis and Aroushag KASPARIAN
Charles and Agnes KAZARIAN
The KLANIAN
and Arboian Families
Simon and Yakout KIBARIAN
Sarkis KOJABASHIAN
and Fundo Varadian-Mikoyan
Bagdasar and Martha LEYLEGIAN
Hagop and Arshalous MADOIAN
John and Katherine MAGARIAN
Krikor and Esgoohe MAKSIAN
and Family
George Kevork and Anna MALIAN
Babig and Vartoohe MARABIAN
Andrew and Lucy MARKARIAN
Bedros and Vartouhi MARKARIAN
Donig and Varvar MARKARIAN
and son Haig
Mousgk and Haiganoush MAZGERDIAN
Avedis and Sarah MELDONIAN
Stephen and Vartanoush MELKONIAN
Mesia and Hyganoush MICHAELIAN
Nishan and Eva MIKAELIAN
Kachadoor and Victoria MINASSIAN
Boghos and Nazene MOORADIAN
Kerop and Anna Paloulian MUGURDICHIAN
Krikor O. and Margaret NAJARIAN
Boghos and Aznif OULOOSIAN
Koogas OVAGIMIAN
Soukias and Khatoun OVAGIMIAN
Nishan and Yagsapet Shamlian PAKRADOUNIAN
Sahag and Victoria PALIAN
Marderos and Alice PAPAZIAN
Charles and Paris Tashjian PASHALIAN
Peter K. and Miriam POLADIAN
Minas and Hamasia POLOIAN
Melkon and Mariam RAFAELIAN
Krikor and Oghda SARKISIAN
Simon and Mary SARKISIAN
Merhan and Mariam SERABIAN
Soukias and Tourvanda SETIAN
Serop and Mary SIRABIAN
Rev. Vaghenag SISAGIAN
Misack and Mary SOHIGIAN
John and Yevkin STEPANIAN
Ohannes and Elizabeth TAVANIAN
Krikor and Sultan Mikaelian TOPALIAN
Hagop and Esquhie TOUMASIAN
Aristakis and Herupsuma VARTANIAN
Hamazasp and Vartouhi Aramian VARTIAN
Bogos and Zarhoui VARTIAN
Peter and Haves YEREMIAN
and sons Souren and Bagdasar
Reproduction of a telegram sent by Turkey's Talaat Pasha ordering massacres.
Translations of Documented Communiqués
of the Turkish Government Order for
Armenian Massacres of 1915-1918
Dated September 16, 1915 -
"It was first communicated to you that the Government, by order of the
Jemiet (Committee of Union and Progress, J.M.) had decided to destroy completely
all the Armenians living in Turkey. Those who oppose this order and decision
cannot remain on the official staff of the Empire. An end must be put to
their existence, however criminal the measures taken may be, and no regard
must be paid to either age or sex nor to conscientious scruples."
Signed - Minister of
Interior Talaat
Dated September 21, 1915 -
"There is no need for an orphanage. It is not the time to give way to sentiment
and feed the orphans. Send them away to the desert and inform us"
Signed - Minister of
Interior Talaat
A cipher-telegram from the War Office sent to all the commanding officers
of the Army.
Dated February 27, 1916 -
"In view of present circumstances, the Imperial Government has issued an
order for the extermination of the whole Armenian race. The following operations
are to be made with regard to them:
(1) All the Armenians in the country who are Ottoman subjects, from
five years of age upwards, are to be taken out of towns and slaughtered.
(2) All the Armenians serving in the Imperial Armies are to be separated
from their divisions without making any disturbance; they are to be taken
in to solitary places away from the public eye, and shot.
(3) Armenian officers in the army are to be imprisoned in the barracks
belonging to their regiments until further orders. Forty-eight hours after
these three orders are communicated to the commanders of each regiment,
a special order will be issued for their execution. You are not to undertake
any operations except those indispensable for the execution of these orders."
Signed - Representative of the High Command, and Minister of War
Enver
Bibliography
Missakian, Jerair- A Searchlight On The Armenian
Question
(1878 - 1950) pp. 50-52.
Hairenik Publishing Co., Boston, MA. 1950.
Mesrob Mashdotz and the
Invention of the Alphabet
That Mesrob's
vision and the invention of the alphabet have taken place in Palou, is
known also to Vartan "Badmitch" (the historian) who has written: When Mesrob
devoted himself to ceaseless prayers, God answered to his request and gave
him fourteen characters inscribed with his divine Hand; as He gave to the
Great Moses the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai, same way to Mesrob He gave
the Armenian letters on Mt. Palou which still bears the sacred signs on
the wall of the cave, and which became a shrine to all Christians as well
as Moslems.
"Pnashkharhig" Dictionary 1 vol. page 356
Professor H. Adjarian, the reputable historian says: "Renewing his
fasting and praying periods, Mesrob was moving along the Euphrates river,
and wandering from cave to cave in a quest of a shelter he reached the
fortress of Palou and there, in a small subterranean cave, he decided to
isolate himself." According to Prof. Adjarian, it was on his way back from
Samousad to Vagharshapat that Mesrob rested at the fortress of Palou.
If
only
you knew what a wonderful Wife, Mother and Nana you were,
If only
you knew how many people's lives you touched,
If only
we could touch you again,
If only
you knew just how beautiful you were,
If only
we could say "I Love You" one more time,
If only... If only...
Submitted by:
Irene Asossiag Mikitanian
General
Murad Khrimian (1878-1918)
of Sivas, Sepastia
Will forever be remembered for his humanitarian deeds by exchanging one
gold piece for one Armenian child.