Baptism Records ‘Renewed our Life’

The Armenian Weekly has published the baptism records of Sourp Krikor Lusavorich Church in Gesaria (Kayseri) 1914-1914 in full on its website. To access the records, click here. Below is a letter we received from a reader who learned details of her family history through these records.

Dear Editor:

I would like to thank George Aghjayan for his article, which was accompanied by the baptism records from the Armenian Church in Gesaria (Kayseri).

You have no idea how you renewed our life. My father passed three years ago never knowing his birth date or much about his childhood. All we knew is that he was born in Gesaria, Turkey, around sometime in 1915. The Turks had cut his grandfather’s tongue because he spoke Armenian and conducted village business and government matters in Armenian. That is why our last name became Dilsizian from Deukmejian: The “one who has their tongue cut by the Turks” was on everyone’s mind.

From the 1914-15 baptism records of Gesaria that you published, I found my father’s name, Hagop Delsezian, baptized on May 10, 1914. This was such a great revelation for me and my 89-year-old mother.

My family wants to thank you all and I wish my father had known his baptism date at least before he passed. He was so emotional when the immigration officers wanted to know his birthday and he didn’t know how to answer. He said in Armenian, “I’ll give my wedding date, I was born again that day.”

It was incredible after all these years to find out that my father Hagop Dilsizian was baptized in the beautiful Armenian Church in Gesaria on May 10, 1914.

Thank You!

Vicky Dilsizian Kherlopian

Belmont, Mass.

Guest Contributor

Guest Contributor

Guest contributions to the Armenian Weekly are informative articles or press releases written and submitted by members of the community.

7 Comments

  1. The story about the tongue being cut out is one all too familiar with thousands of Armenians. Using that imagery, it’s odd that having gone through hells on earth like the Genocide we as a people still can’t find common language with each other. We’re a divided people who despite like experiences can’t unify. We can’t put our differences aside even though we have tongues and the language to use as a tool to get us to exemplify to the world that we’re unified. May we learn one day. While we wait for that day to arrive, we should ponder what our ancestors went through. That is they lost their tongues as they spoke Armenian. We must find a way to use our tongues to speak in one voice to the world.f

  2. After reading this article, I found the same name Hagop Dilsizian in the
    Houshamadian Djibeïli Amerigian Vorpanotzi 1920 – 1925/ page 23.
    May be it’s the same Hagop . and he was an orphan.

  3. I also found out my sister-in-law’s mother’s name in that list of Babtisms. Her name was Pakradouhi Geobekjian, they had moved to Cyprus just before the Genocide, and she grew up in Cyprus. She was a distant cousin of my mother’s. My mom, Zarouhie Geobekjian, was older than her.

  4. Dear Vicky,
    I am so happy you have unlocked one link to your ancestral heritage. You mentioned the meaning of your last name to me when we were in the Tekeyan Dance Group many years ago and that always stuck with me.
    May your heart be open to other mysteries coming your way… Sister Dora Kalajian Tevan, Rockport

    , Rockport

  5. Its so wonderful to hear of the many who have been able to trace their history. My grandmother, Rose Zakarian was born in the city of Van. She has passed on but didnt even know her birthdate. She took my birthday as hers. I cry when I think of what she went through. The story I was told is that the turks came to kill her mother and father and that her brother Moonuge (sp) rescued her from the back of their home. She was 3 years old and took her to Catholic nuns who raised her. She was taught to be a tailor and came to this country through an arranged marriage to Moses Muradian by her brother Monouge. She thought she was about 22 years old at the time. Prior to that she said she lived with her cousins in Istanbul Turkey. All of the people from her generation are gone. I remember an elderly woman who lived with her daughter and their family in Romulus Michigan on a farm. Cant recall their last name, however, as a young girl I remember asking my Grandmother why this older lady had such a pockmarked face. She told her what I said to my dismay but the lady anwered that she was 11 years old when her family was in the forced march to the sea by the turks and she developed small pox and if it hadnt been that her mother was strong enough to carry her she would have been left on the side of the road to die. I will never, never forget that story. GOD bless the Armenian people.

  6. I read with great interest the letter of Vicky Dilsizian Kherlopian who identified as her father Hagop Delsezian, baptized in Gesaria on May 10, 1914, as it is possible the godfather listed as Azhadour Takesian may be my grandfather. He was also listed as godfather for Annig Ejidian, baptized in Gesaria on March 30, 1914.

    I should very much like to contact Ms. Kherlopian.

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