Garabedian (DerKazarian)/Antoian

Levon was born in January 1895 to Jouhar Haratoonian and Garabed DerKazarian in the village of Sorsere, province of Kharpert, in Western Armenia. As a young man, Levon sailed to the United States on the Niagara, arriving from Le Havre, France to New York in December 1912, just before his 18th birthday. On the ship’s registry, he noted he was leaving his brother Armenak behind in Kharpert and was joining his brother Artine who was living in Newton Upper Falls, MA. Some time after his arrival, he changed his last name to honor his father, and by 1917 he was living as Leon Garabedian in Whitinsville on Spring Street, working as a polisher at the Whitin Machine Works.

Agavni was born in Constantinople in 1904 to Hanama Gegdoian and Harutiun Antoian. Before reaching her 16th birthday, Agavni would embark on a journey to America in 1920 to marry Levon. Agavni was a “picture bride” – one of the thousands of Armenian young women who survived the massacres in the homeland and whose passage to the diaspora came in the form of an arranged marriage to an Armenian man she had not met. In Agavni’s case, her marriage was arranged by the sons of Vartan Terjanian, who were living in Whitinsville. One of these brothers had been married to one of Agavni’s sisters who had not survived the massacres. From stories told, Vartan felt responsible to save the other sister and arranged passage for Agavni to come as a “picture bride” and marry Levon. As Agavni’s transit to America was sponsored by the Terjanians, she arrived in America as the “sister” of these Terjanian brothers, naming Vartan Terjanian and his wife Hartonig Halajian as her “parents” on her marriage license. Her true parental information is on her death certificate.

Levon and Agavni were married in a home on Church Street in Whitinsville on January 16, 1921. Over the next nine years they had five children: Armenag (1922-1991), Rose (1923 – 2000), Harry (1925- 2005), Julia (1928 -2018), and George (1930 - 1984).

In 1923, Levon filed his first Declaration of Intent to become a naturalized citizen of the United States. At the time, he, Agavni, and their first two children were living on Border Street in the New Village section of Whitinsville. By 1930, the growing family was living on D Street, also in New Village. One of Agavni’s nieces, Meline, had also made the journey to America and would visit the family from time to time.

Less than 12 years after arriving in America, Agavni’s new life in her new country was tragically cut short. After a brief illness, Agavni passed away in July 1932, leaving Levon with five children under the age of 11. After a wake in the family home, she was buried at Pine Grove Cemetery.

In spite of the enormous pressure of raising 5 young children as a single parent, Levon kept the family together. When interviewed, none of the children had any memories of their mother. Agavni became known as the “Unknown Ancestor.” Growing up without their mother had a life changing impact on the family dynamics. Rose and Julie married, and the boys, Armen, Harry, and George joined the Navy.

Twelve years passed before Levon married for a second time in 1944. Lucy Pambookian Bedigian and her two daughters Susan and Mary moved to Whitinsville and joined Levon and his children to form a new blended family.

Levon lived the remainder of his life in Whitinsville, retiring after 50 years of service with the Whitin Machine Works. He passed away in January 1971 and is buried with Agavni at Pine Grove Cemetery.

Contributed by Cecelia Garabedian (Der Kazarian) Baloian, granddaughter, who researched Agavni’s ancestry to complete this family narrative