Illustrated manuscript

Arpi Hovaguimian

Dear Arthur, I decided to write a book (for the family) about its history. This means that I will be writing stories about the people who have come before me and of course include pictures. This will take time. Like all of us, I am the descendant of many of the Jerusalem families so it will be about more than the Hovaguimians and the Babigians (female lines will be included as much as possible). I will keep you informed of my progress as this might be pertinent to others from Jerusalem. Unfortunately, I have not started work on the project as I got distracted by work obligations, but I know I will do it because I think it is important to preserve the history in writing. How I wish I had something from those who came before me. Fortunately, my father is a good story teller so I have many stories and I also know the family tree well going back four generations on both sides. More importantly, I noticed that the new generation is interested in knowing their history which fuels my motivation to put it all down in writing. I am away on a business trip. When I return home, I will look through my photos and send you at least some pictures with names. Your email gives me the push to get started. Thank you for that. All Best Wishes, Arpi Hovaguimian (November 08, 2014)   Donna Binberg Greetings, I just learned of your interesting kaghakatsi Armenian Family Tree Project from Dick Eastman's online genealogy blog http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2008/07/armenian-patria.html Being an amateur genealogist with one-half of my ancestry being Jewish, I was interested in seeing what names might be in the Jerusalem kaghakatsi tree. Additionally, one of my friends is of Armenian descent; and I had hoped to be able to do a quick search on his surname so I could let him know if I found something. I was dismayed to see that only those involved in the project or those having a name in the database may view the database. I understand your concerns about privacy and security for your community. The Jewish community has the same problem, as you know. However, there may be genealogists, working on behalf of Armenian clients, who will not be able to perform this part of their investigation with these restrictions in place. I would like to make a suggestion that may get around this impasse. You could adopt the same mechanisms that Jewishgen.org has implemented. Simplistically, the major names databases in JewishGen have been made searchable online, but one must register in order to search. The databases are not "grabbable" by those who may wish to peel off names and other information for undesirable purposes. If your database were to be offered online in this way, rather than as a download-able PDF document listing all names and related information wholesale, the database might be of more use to many more people than it is currently. You might go to JewishGen.org and register (no fee is involved) to see how their main databases, such as the JewishGen Family Finder, work. I have been part of the JewishGen community for about 14 years, and I have never heard of a problem in presentation of data in this way. My suggestion is offered simply to advance and encourage genealogical research. I am not a professional researcher profiting from genealogical research. I am a professional systems librarian with 34 years experience who is also an experienced genealogical researcher. I occasionally help people with varying ancestries find information about their family origins, and so I have a broad interest in the genealogy of all ethnic groups. I also want to compliment you on the opening Flash presentation to your website. It is most attractive! I usually skip those types of intros, but your was lovely and I stayed to watch. Additionally, I see much information about this particular Jerusalem community, and I plan to return to your website to read and learn more. Thank you. Regards, Donna Dinberg Ottawa, Ontario, Canada While we appreciate the interest generated over our website, we remain bound by the dictates of our charter: the kaghakatsi Family Tree Project is an effort to preserve the history and culture of this community, not to publish family details of community members. The family tree database belongs to the kaghakatsis - and until such time as they decide to make it accessible, it must, regrettably, remain private. Editor      Dear Arthur,      First let me congratulate you on a job well done. I am delighted with the idea and also the execution.      I myself was born in Jerusalem and my family lived there from 1927-1990's.      We lived in the Convent and my grandfather was a Brother of the St. James Brotherhood (his name was the same as mine, Hovhannes Yergainharsian).      I understand that the Patriarchate is also recording family trees on CD and was wondering why these and the kaghakatsi records are not combined? Are we not the same community i.e. Armenians in Jerusalem? Furthermore, why aren't the Patriarchate records on the net? Why just CD's?      I really would like to see my own family tree records updated and also trace long lost friends and relations. This kind of website would be of immense help.      Congratulations again and well done. If I can be of any help please do not hesitate to contact me.      Kind Regards      Ohan Yergainharsian      Sona Nutrition Ltd.      www.Sona.ie We are thinking of devoting a section to our Jerusalem Vanketzi cousins, inviting comments, photographs, archives, reminiscences, but there really is no scope at the kaghakatsi Family Tree project for a Vanketzi family tree database. Those families are not inter-related - each family would have to have its own personal tree. All we can do in such a case is to provide technical advice and assistance. Please note Patriarchate records are private and confidential and can not be published on the net. Also, no CD's are disseminated. Editor        Joyce Bivin     Greetings, Just found your very interesting site and am looking forward to really studying it. I have two great grandparents who made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and am wondering if it is possible to find the records of having been here. I can give correct names and possible dates of their journeys. I am working on the history of our family tree which goes way back in Russia and Turkey.      I will appreciate your comments.      Joyce Bivin Because our particular charter, we are confined to researching and preserving only records of the kaghakatsi Armenian community of Jerusalem and their descendants. If your grandparents have any kaghakatsi connections, we would love to hear more about them. Editor      Hello,      I am Dutch, married to a girl from Indonesia. Her family name is Isaaks, and there is a family story that their family has Armenian roots. We once found a jeweler in Rhodos with the same family name and he said he was Armenian!  Maybe others of that name also travelled to Jerusalem!   So, if you find anything about that name, please inform me.      Kind regards     Leo van der Plas The kaghakatsi Family Tree project is concerned only with preserving the records of the kaghakatsi Armenian community of Jerusalem. If your wife's family has any connection to this community, we would love to hear from her. Editor   Noel Montgomery Elliot     Greetings!     I have just seen your kaghakatsi.org website and I applaud this wonderful effort.      However, when I clicked to register and obtain a "key", the page was empty - completely blank.     I am Director of Research for The Genealogical Research Library in Canada. I would like to be able to contribute some work towards your website, and of course also have a "key" to browse through your database.      We have records spanning several countries in Europe (Poland, Hungary, and Russia) as well as Canada. We could, for example, prepare a database to contribute details of some Armenians in these and many other countries, if we had a list of Armenian surnames. Could you provide us with such a list?      Please advise in some way that we could contribute, and share in this great effort. We would be open to any kind of exchange as well, if desired.     Thank you!      Noel Montgomery Elliot,    Director of Research     The Genealogical Research Library     www.grl.com Thank you for your encouragement and for your interest in our project. We would value your contribution. However, please note our field is confined to the kaghakatsi Armenian community of Jerusalem. While the website is accessible to all, genealogical records of community members can be viewed only by them.  Unfortunately, at the moment, we cannot share our database with any other genealogical library. If you have any information regarding the kaghakatsi Armenians of Jerusalem, or their descendants, we would appreciate hearing from you again. Editor   Jirair Tutunjian     Vanketzis should start their own photo library. I would love to see one site, one collection, one archive, combining our one community [kaghakatsis and Vanketzis]. Besides, it's impossible to have separate archives since we loved cheek by jowl, intermarried, went to school together and are in the same group photographs. And yes, we are both Jerusalemite Armenians.      We could all email our pictures to someone who would undertake - as the kaghakatsis have thankfully done - to download and to organize them. A project like this can get financial support from the political parties, churches, people like Kirkorian, the Gulbenkian Foundation, AGBU, even the Republic of Armenia. If these photos are not collected and classified, they will disappear (I am sure many already have) within a generation or two. That would a disgrace and vast loss.      The question is this: Who will come forward to take over this precious project?      Jirair Tutunjian Ararat Foundation As You may know, Armen Ayvazyan, doctor of political science and history and director of “ Ararat “ Center for Strategic Research in Yerevan is in Los Angeles to speak in a series of public lectures on “ The Fundamentals of Armenian Identity or Who Is An Armenian? “ and present in detail information on daily operation and activities of “Ararat” Center. Dr. Ayvazyan , during this visit, has also appeared on numerous television programs in Los Angeles and spoke on Armenian strategic thought, foreign media coverage of Armenian issues, internal situation in Armenia, Azerbaijani & Turkish media propaganda, Armenian issues, Armenian military history and the Armenian identity. We hope that you will find these television video clip interviews interesting. The interviews are in Armenian language. Video #1 : Armenian strategic thought, foreign media coverage of Armenian issues and internal situation in Armenia. Video #2: Activities of “Ararat” Center for Strategic Research, Azerbaijani & Turkish media propaganda and Armenian issues. Video #3: Armenian military history and the Armenian identity. Ararat Foundation We are thinking of devoting a section to our Jerusalem Vanketsi cousins, inviting comments, photographs, archives, reminiscences, but there really is no scope at the kaghakatsi Family Tree project for a Vanketsi family tree database. Few of these families are inter-related - each family would have to have its own personal tree. All we can do in such a case is to provide technical advice and assistance. Editor   Dear Sir,      For the accuracy of the article "kaghakatsi conscripts in Ottoman army" under the section of "Tales and anecdotes - delightful episodes from the colorful saga of the kaghakatsis," I would like to correct certain inputs in this article:      1- the context: "Among the escapees was Hovagim Sahagian (Abu Ishaq), who sought refuge in an old mill at the Wad el Quilt resort near Jericho." The real name is not Hovagim Sahagian but Hovagim Koukeian.      2- The context: "During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, he suffered an irreparable loss with the death of his son Ishaq and his daughter-in-law" is not fully correct. Ishaq is actually his stepson, the son of his wife Nour who was previously married to a Sahagian and hence the surname of the son, Sahagian, therefore Nevart is not his granddaughter but the granddaughter of Hovagim's wife Nour.      Hope to see the correction next time I read this article.      Regards,      Vartouhi Koukeian      (Aug 26, 2008) Thank you, Vartouhi, for pointing these out to us. The corrections have been made. As we get closely identical material from different sources, it is possible that sometimes the information varies. It is thanks to good people like you who alert us to inconsistencies that we can set things right. Editor