Kevork Guleserian - A Hero in a Desperate Time

L-R - Areknaz (daughter), Zmroukht (mother)
and Kevork Guleserian

Kevork Guleserian

In an interview with my mother on tape, my grandmother talked about her perils during the Armenian genocide.  One chapter I want to talk about is the family of Kevork Guleserian that saved my grandmother and helped her tremendously during that time.

Here is the excerpt of that interview:  (translated from Ottoman Turkish)

HRIPSEME:  We were in Damascus. Papa was in military. We heard that my father was in Damascus. He sent somebody to bring me. I had a child in my arms. The man came and told me everything and said, “I will bring you as part of my wife’s family.” He could not have sent me. He brought me a head covering. I was going to dress like a Turkish woman to be able to go. They were working on getting me a passport and when the travel arrangements were being made. The son of the ruler was there and asked them if there were any Armenians in the group and they said, “There is one.” So they got very upset and I couldn’t go. Then they took papa to military. I was left with my child in my arms. I had nobody there.

AZAD. To Turkish military?

HRIPSEME. There were Turks there too (Ottoman Empire, Syria was under Turkish rule).
AZAD. I thought that if you were in Damascus, the government was different.HRIPSEME. There are Christian Arabs too. But the Turks are there too. So I wrote to my father and explained the situation. My father sent another man to bring me to him. By that time I have heard that in Hama, Angel’s grandmother, and my sister-in-law and my father-in-law’s family. They are Guleserian. Angel, they are Baronyan. I heard that Kevork , were in Hama. There were men going to Hama and they said, “Let’s go together.” So I went with them and found them. Everybody got off when we were near Hama. I was the only one left. They gave me to a woman who had donkeys and this woman took me to Hama on a donkey. We had nothing. I had the child in my arms and the child’s necessities tied on my back. We came by a cemetery and the woman said, “I will not go in here.” She took me off of the donkey. She said, “I will be afraid to be in a cemetery. You do whatever you will.” I went by myself, I found a shop. I asked the man in the shop, “There is the Baronyan family living here, do you know them?” He said, “Yes, they went to Haleppo.”
AZAD. Oohh.
HRIPSEME.I said, “There is Kevork Guleserian here.” He said, “Yes, they are here but their place is very far.” Then they locked the door. The child wanted some water, I gave him some water and I went sat by the store. And it got dark, it was evening. Then I saw my father-in-laws (grand)son, he later said that he would never walk the way I was sitting at, he would always go the other way. I lifted my head and saw him, Kevork. I was looking for them. He got very surprised and asked what had happened and I told him everything. He took me, the child was in my arms, he took the load I was carrying and took me to their home.
AZAD. That’s good.
HRIPSEME. He knocked on the door, they opened the door, a month, or a month and a half. Papa’s brother’s wife was there.AZAD. She was Guleserian.
HRIPSEME. She was Guleserian as well. In about a month the child who was in my arms, died. I was devastated."

The Guleserian family in Syria.  

L-R sitting, Stepan Khidishahian (brother-in-law of Armen), Armen Guleserian, wife Hripseme Guleserian, Zmroukht Guleserian (wife of Kevork, Sr., who died falling on his knife when closing the gate against the enemy), Kevork, Jr. Guleserian.

Standing:  Arshavir, Areknaz Guleserian, Florenza (I believe she married Kevork, Jr.)

 Kevork and Florenza

Inscription on the back of the card wishing Mrs. Hripsema a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  Aleppo 1925

Kevork states here that he is sending both pictures as "a memory of our deportation"

If I ever find the family of Kevork, Jr., I want to thank them for saving my grandmother and giving aid to my family.

Fresno Remembers - 101 years unrecognized

The theme of the Sermon at First Armenian Presbyterian Church

I spent the last couple of days attending events here with the Armenian Community in Fresno remembering the Armenian Genocide.

 As someone so aptly put - how can 1.5 million people be starved, beaten, robbed, pillaged, burned, raped to death, their villages plundered and their wealth given over to their victors and then they call it an unsolved mystery? 

No, our ancestors knew the truth and they told us and this week we marched, we observed, we prayed, we laid down flowers at memorials and we sang.

 Because, we said, we will not forget.  We will not forget our grandmother's tears, our parents' anguish, our lost and missing relatives, our villages gone and destroyed.  We have been misplaced, we have been scattered, but we are strong and we will not forget.

Near East Relief Display

I cried my grandmother's tears when I listened to the speakers at Fresno State where the Armenian Studies program has placed a monument to the people who perished. 

At the church service, all members of the different clergy came together to perform a service in honor of our ancestors.

The Armenian school brought their students to present the Armenian and American flags and sing the national anthems of both countries.

In spite of hurts and betrayals, we are still fiercely loyal.

Armenian School and Homenetmen Scouts

 














An arm of the memorial that depicts the region my paternal ancestors came from.

Kharpert - Genocide Memorial, CSUF

A small clip of a moving song played beautifully by some of the students.  I love the wood flute, a Shvi

Another Attic Treasure

I found these among my mother's things after she passed away.  Apparently, my grandmother must have picked them up on a trip she took to then Communist Armenia in 1963:

Commemorative pins and key chains

On the bottom are vintage pins made in 1962 for celebrating the 1600th Anniversary of the Armenian Alphabet created by St. Mesrop Mashtots years 362-1962. 

In the middle is a vintage lapel pin with the map of Armenia and «ՀՍՍՀ» means Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic.

The key chains have the picture of "Vardan Mamikonian" and his sword on the back.  He is a national hero, it is in memory of "avarayri herosamart" which happened in 451 A.D. Vardan was a commander and a warrior who was killed in the battle but Armenians believe they won the battle because the king of Sassanid Persia wanted to make them change their religion and he failed doing that, the Persians were victorious in battlefield, the battle is proved to be a strategic victory for Armenia.  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Avarayr

My grandmother's visa to Communist Armenia 1963