Dear Sir or Madam,
My name is Gohar Harutunyan, 39 years old. I live about 16 years in Holland.
I am searching any information of my grandfather’s only survived brother with knowing this small bit. My grandfather was Hrach (Zarzand) Harutunyan. He was born in Erzrum (Turkey) in 1909. His mother’s name was Pepron en his fathers name was Minas. As far as I know my grandfather has 5 brothers en 1 sister. His parents with 4 children (Grigor, Hrach, Anoushavan en their daughter) managed to come to Armenia sometime between 1915-1917 escaping from the terrible events of the Genocide. They had temporarily found refuge in Abovian (Armenia) where my grandfather’s youngest brother has born. When his parents en his youngest brother en sister died from Kholera, my grandfather en his younger brother Anoushavan were placed in an American orphanage in Alexanrapol (now Gyumri, Armenia). His oldest brother Grigor, who was about 13 year old, was placed in another orphanage were he died a year later. My grandfather told me that his teachers in orphanage were Americans. I think they were from The American Near East Relief.
Somewhere in 1919 a group of orphans from the orphanage or hospital were sent to America (USA). My grandfather’s brother Anoushavan (born between 1912 and 1914) was among those children. He was between 4 and 6 years old. My grandfather told me that Anoushavan was sent to a hospital in Alexandrapol to cure his eyes (he had some kind of infection) and then from the hospital he was sent to USA. My grandfather had lost any contact with him after that. My grandfather died in 1989. Many years tried my grandfather to find his lost brother in America, but he didn’t manage to find any information about those children who sent to USA. He didn’t know were in USA those children were sent. My grandfather was the only survivor of the genocide and terrible events afterwards. I wonder if it is possible to trace the roots with this limited information and find some information of this lost relative. Any help would be most appreciated. I have no idea where and how I have to start with my research…May be you can help me to find some information about those Armenian orphans (and particularly about Anoushavan) who were sent in 1919 to USA. The spelling of his first name and surname can be a little bit different, because I don't know exactly how he was registered in the orphanage. You can write it down for example as Anushavan Harutunian or Haroutunyan et cetera. Thank you beforehand for your assistance.
I have already tried to search through www.ellisislind.org and www.genforum.genealogy.com, but without any success. I have also tried to find some information via Red Cross USA and the site of The Near East Relief.... I need to find the archives of the American Near East Relief.
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- Armenian Genocide April 24, 1915
