Der Torosian/Megerdichian

Margos Der Torosian was born in the village of Parchanj, province of Kharpert, in 1882 into a branch of the Kilarjian family, headed by Kevo Dada who was known as the village’s philosopher. Kevo Dada’s son (Margos’ father) was a carpenter and like his father was known as a wise man. He was eventually ordained an Armenian priest and was given the name Der Toros; Der Toros served with Der Manel at Soorp Purgich church in Parchanj. Margos’ family took the last name Der Torosian in honor of Margos’ father. Margos had a brother Giragos, whose son, Toros (later ordained Der Gomidas, who served as priest at Soorp Asdvadzadzin in Whitinsville from 1977 to 1988), and two daughters, eventually emigrated to America along with a brother Kirkor who also emigrated to Whitinsville.

As a young, unmarried man, Margos left his native Parchanj to earn money in America. He wasn’t the first in his family to find his way to Whitinsville. In 1887, his brother Giragos had gone to America and by 1900, Giragos was living in Whitinsville with other men from Kharpert, including fellow villager Yeghiazar Misakian. Margos also found his way to Whitinsville and worked a few years before returning home to Parchanj. Shortly after his return, Margos married Yeghsa Megerdichian, also from Parchanj; by that time, Margos was in his mid-30’s and Yeghsa was in her teens. Margos left again for America to earn money for his new family,arriving in Philadelphia in early 1913 to join his brother Kirkor who had arrived in Whitinsville in 1911. Also living on Church Street at that time was his brother-in-law, Ohannes Megerdichian, who had arrived in 1907 and opened a small market in Whitinsville. Margos never returned to his native Parchanj – once the 1915 massacres began, his effort was focused on locating his wife and oldest child, a daughter named Mary. Like his brother before him, Margos was living with men from his native Kharpert province; the 1920 census lists him as head of household on Willow Street with among others, the same Yeghiazar Misakian from Parchanj who had lived with his brother in Whitinsville in 1900.

While Margos worked in Whitinsville and searched for news of his wife and daughter, Yeghsa and her toddler daughter Mary were among thousands of Armenians forcibly expelled from their native villages and marched through the desserts toward Syria. American missionaries found Yeghsa and Mary and took them to one of the refugee shelters in Aleppo. Word eventually reached Margos that Yeghsa and Mary had survived, but now Margos had to secure immigration paperwork to be reunited with his wife and daughter. From the refugee shelter, Yeghsa and Mary were sent to Marseille to await their visas. Margos was working with Attorney Kizirbohosian from Whitinsville to secure immigration paperwork. Time passed; Margos moved to Cambridge, but had purchased a home on East Street in 1922 hoping to eventually reunite with his family and settle there. In France, Mary, now in her teens, left her mother and moved to Paris where she married Kirkor Haroyan. Once the immigration paperwork finally arrived in Marseille, Yeghsa sent word for Mary to return so they could leave for America together, but Mary refused, so Yeghsa travelled to America alone, with Mary left behind in Paris. Yeghsa joined her husband Margos, in Cambridge, in 1928; soon after Lucy was born and then Alice. Margos asked Misak Misakian, Yeghiazar’s oldest son who was also living in Cambridge to serve as godfather when both Lucy and Alice were baptized.

In the early 1930’s the family moved back to Whitinsville, into the home on East Street where Alice lives in 2021. It would take many years before the family would be able to reunite with Mary, who had two sons with her husband before he died fighting in Spanish civil war. Mary sent her older son, George, on to America, and some years later, Mary was finally able to secure an immigration visa for her and her younger son, Roger. After arriving, she remarried to Krikor Barsamian, and settled in Worcester, where they had a daughter Sarah, born in 1950. Mary’s older son George died in his 20’s in 1959, but Mary’s younger son came to live with the family in Whitinsville. Roger eventually rejoined his mother in Worcester, and married Eva Simonian in 1963. They had two children, Mary, born in 1965 and Nona born in 1967. Mary’s daughter Sarah married Paul Nadjarian in 1974 at Holy Trinity Church in Worcester, and for many years Paul served as a deacon and Sarah sang in the choir of the Whitinsville church. Mary died in 1975 and is buried in Worcester.

In 1956 daughter Lucy married Hagop (Jack) Bedrosian, born in Harpoot, Turkey, and they moved to New Britain, Connecticut where they lived for a few years before returning to the house on East Street. Lucy and Jack had two children, Suzanne, born in 1958 and Michael born in 1959. Suzanne moved away from Whitinsville after attending college and has one child: Mikoalis Kajen. Michael was tragically killed in a motor vehicle accident just before his daughter Michella was born, and was buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in 1984. Michella’s mother Carol lived with Lucy at that time, so Michella was raised on East Street in Whitinsville. Michella married Stephen Brudner in 2012 at the Whitinsville Armenian Church, and has two children: Bella Lucy born in 2014 and Zoe Rose born in 2017. Lucy died in 2012 and is buried at Pine Grove Cemetery.

Daughter Alice married Samuel Sagherian, and were the second couple married at Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church in Whitinsville in 1958, shortly after the church was consecrated in November 1957. Sam, who had emigrated from France, met Alice at a church fundraising dance at the Armenian club on Church Street through an introduction by Hagop Bedrosian, his future brother-in-law. They were both very active in the church, with Sam serving as deacon and Alice serving on parish council. They started their family in the East Street house, with Sandra Sosie born in 1959 and Mark in 1961.

Margos died in 1967 and is buried at Pine Grove Cemetery with his wife Yeghsa, who died in 1970.