Garegin Srvadztiants
My name is Ronald Sahatjian from Watertown, MA. Many of you know me and my family as typical Armenian-Americans. World War I and the Armenian Genocide was a catastrophic time in the history of Armenia. This is the story of my family during that time; the Srvantzian-Sahatjians are direct descendants of Bishop Garekin Srvantzian and General Hamazasp Srvantzian, the 3rd highest ranking commander of the Armenian Volunteer Armies that defended Yerevan.
I learned that I had a famous family from discussions and original photos and musical never displayed before, and shown here for the first time—some of which, many believe were suppressed by the Soviets.
Our story began in Armenia in the early 1900s. This presentation was created from a series of pictures that my grandmother brought with her from Armenia and were shown to me by my father. It is about intrigue, betrayal, assassination, and the heroism of my grandmother Prapion, her sister Peprone, and her brother Vagharshag Srvantzian.
In 1922, my grandmother Prapion Srvantzian Sahatjian, niece of Bishop Garekin, fled persecution from the Bolsheviks, by coming to America with my father Vartan and brother Levon. Hamazasp had been assassinated by the Bolsheviks, and Prapion’s sister, Peprone, fled to Tabriz on foot. Her husband Victor Sahatjian died in Erzurum, and his nephews Haigh and Sarkis Sahatjian are well known in Fresno, CA.
Prapion and family moved to Arlington, MA, and my uncle Levon went to Juliard Musical school, while my father went to work to support the family after getting only an 8th grade education. Later, Prapion’s brother Vagharshag came to live with them after studying with Komitas Vartabed. Vagharshag was a famous composer and lived in Fresno later in life, and his musical compositions are shown in this presentation.
My mother Roxy Abrahamian and my father sacrificed much so that my sister Elizabeth, my brother Ed, and I could receive a good education. Because of them, my brother received an MS in Psychology, I received a Ph.D. in Chemistry, and my sister received a JD and became a lawyer.
This is our story.