Aunt Beth

From the Fresno Bee Republican
15 May 1935

Elizabeth Terese ParsonsApril 24, 1911 - December 15, 2008 (97). Wife of the late Charles Andrus Parsons; mother of Charles "Cap"/"Shali" Parsons (deceased) and Lois Parsons Fragomeni; Grandmother of Justin Parsons, Angela Fragomeni, and Annette Fragomeni; sister of Claire Steele, Mildred Lloyd, Loretta Noel, Louis Levenberg, Francis "Bud" Levenberg all entered eternity before their sister; many nieces and nephews and extended family. Beth was a member of St. Emydius Church her entire life, St. Vincent de Paul, Legion of Mary and the San Franciscans. Beth was a native San Franciscan who ventured to China in 1935 to marry her sweetheart. She lived overseas until 1938 traveling between China, Hong Kong, Korea and the Philippines. She had to pack up a household 5 times to go cross country after her naval officer husband was reassigned. Beth's love for traveling didn't stop there, she traveled the globe into her mid 80's. Beth loved to play bridge and was a master player competing in tournaments here and in Hawaii. Although her hobbies and love for travel took her all over the world, she loved San Francisco best. Friends are invited to attend the Vigil: Thursday, December 18, 2008 at 5 pm at St. Emydius Church and the Funeral Mass: Friday, December 19, 2008 at 10 am at St. Emydius Church with burial at the San Francisco National Cemetery, Presidio SF, CA In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society West Bay Region 235 Montgomery St. SF, CA 94104

What I know about Mariam Keshishian

In order find more information about my great-great-great grandmother, I needed to put together what I know so far.

I started with the 4 generation family photo dated 10 May 1920. This tells us she was alive in 1920 and in California.
1900 US Census
The earliest census record I can find of the family is in 1900. They are living at 6 Prescott Ave., Chelsea Ward 5, Suffolk, Massachusetts on 14 June 1900. Here are the details of the census record:

Head of household: Jacob Keshishian, born in Turkey Sept 1864, age 35, married 13 years, arrived 1887, occupation: weaver
Catherine, wife, born in Massachusetts Oct 1868, age 31, married 13 years, bore 2 children (2 living)
Charles, son, born in Massachusetts March 1898, age 2
Ester, daughter, born in Massachusetts May 1900, age 1 month
Peter, brother of head of household, born Aug 1874 in Turkey, age 25, married 2 years, arrived 1898, occupation: weaver.
Mary, sister-in-law to head of household, born Dec 1883 in Turkey, age 16, married 2 years, 0 children
Mary, mother to head of household, widow, born Nov 1844 in Turkey, age 55, bore 8 children (7 living), arrived 1898

Mariam’s other children in 1900: Khatoun arrived at Ellis Island 7 Nov 1899 with her husband and 2 sons. In 1900 they were living on Main St., Paterson Ward 8, Passaic, New Jersey. Gadar crossed into the US from Montreal, Quebec, Canada in Mar 1907 with her children. Paul and Susie are living on Chestnut St., in Franklin, Norfolk, Massachusetts with Nish, Maron, and Yesneak, having arrived in 1894. I have no records for Arschalous.

1910 US Census (and other records)
I have no record for Mariam in the 1910 census. In 1910, Khatoun is living in Sanger, CA with her family. Jacob leaves Liverpool, England on 1 June 1900 with son Charles and arrives in Philadelphia with a final destination of 57 Central St., Milford, Massachusetts. where Paul is living (last name is now Kershaw). Gadar is living with husband and son at 139 Spruce St., Chelsea, Ward 4, Suffolk, Massachusetts. Susie and her sons are living in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts. A 7 Sept 1910 naturalization record for Peter has him living at 4 Prescott Ave., Chelsea, Massachusetts with wife Mary. (His WWI draft registration card dated 12 Sept 1918 has him living at 230 Chestnut St., and his wife is Anoush (Peltigian) Both the 1910 and 1918 records have his birth date as 26 March 1874.)

1920 US Census
15 Jan 1920. Mary Keshishian lives on K St. in Sanger, CA. Her age is listed as 85. Khatoun and Paul live in Sanger. I cannot locate a 1920 record for Jacob, he might have died by this time, but I haven’t located a death record either. Jacob’s children Charles (Kershaw) and Lucy (is this Ester from 1900??) are both in the Sanger area. I cannot locate either Gadar or Susie in the 1920 Census, but their children are in Fresno County by this time. Peter, his wife Anoush, and children Ann and Mike are living in Massachusetts with Peter’s in-laws.

Death Records
The only death record I have been able to locate that is a close match is of Marry Kishisian, who died 18 July 1925, in Sanger, CA On the death certificate, her birth is listed as 16 June 1845. Amazingly, her parents’ names are listed, but the name of the informant is not. Her parents are recorded as Garabed Kiaetlian and Toma Ouchlookian. It says she has lived in California for 11 years (since 1914), and in the US for 17 years (since 1908). I don’t know if that is correct, because of the 1900 census record I have (I find it hard to believe that record isn’t of this family, too many coincidences). The 1920 Census has an arrival date that looks like 189_ (it is a bit blurry). Place of burial is Bethel Cemetery. This matches up with the cemetery records at the Sanger district office, which manages the Bethel Cemetery. They have records for a M. Keshishian and a Mary Keshishian, seeming to indicate that there are 2 plots with Keshishians. At the cemetery, there is only one headstone, and it reads, “Manoosh Keshishian, 1844-1925”. Here is the entry on that subject, with pictures.

Have anything to add? Let me know!

52 Paloutzians

I've updated the information in this photo.
Paloutzian Family Photo, c. 1918
Peter Thompson’s Ranch, Selma, CA


Front Row (children, seated, left to right):
1.male
2. Haig Thompson (son of Peter)
3.male
4. Peter Thompson, Jr. (son of Peter)
5. Clara Thompson (daughter of Peter)
6. Dickranouhi Paloutzian (daughter of Toumas)
7. Zarouhi Paloutzian (daughter of Toumas)
8. male
9. male
10. Louise Paloutzian (daughter of Hovhannes)
11. Virginia Paloutzian (daughter of Kachadoor)
12 Leo Paloutzian  (son of Kachadoor)
13. Jack Paloutzian (son of Kachadoor)
14. Art Paloutzian (son of Kachadoor)


Middle Section (left to right):

1. Ogda (Yughaper) Barton (wife of Charles Barton, Ogda was a cousin or half-sibling to Manoug, Hovhannes, Peter and Kachadoor))
2. Aroot (Harry) Paloutzian (2nd cousin to Manoug, Hovhannes, Peter and Kachadoor)
3. Peter Thompson (Bedros Paloutzian)
4. Mabel (Hnazant) Thompson (wife of Peter)
5. Helen Thompson (daughter of Peter)
6. Martha Paloutzian (wife of Toumas)
7. Toumas (Thomas) Paloutzian
8. Manoug Paloutzian 

9. Oscar Paloutzian (son of Manoug)
10. Mary Parvanian Paloutzian (wife of Manoug)
11. Andy Paloutzian (son of Hovhannes)
12. Hovhannes (John) Paloutzian
13. John Paloutzian, b. Apr 1915 (son of Hovhannes)
14. Jean Paloutzian (daughter of Kachadoor)
15. Kachadoor Paloutzian
16. Audrey Paloutzian (daughter of Kachadoor)
17. Ernie Paloutzian (behind Roy) (son of Tatevous)
18. Roy Paloutzian (front) (son of Tatevous)
19. Tatevous Paloutzian (son of Manoug)
20. Vern Paloutzian, b. Dec 1915 (son of Tatevous)
21. Frank Paloutzian (son of Tatevous)


Back Row (left to right):

1. Mary Barton (daughter of Charles Barton)
2. Soren Thompson (son of Peter)
3. Agnes Thompson (daughter of Peter)
4. Queenie Thompson (daughter of Peter)
5. Ernie Thompson (son of Peter)
6. Haigouhi Paloutzian (daughter of Toumas)
7. Armenouhi Paloutzian (daughter of Toumas)
8. Armen Paloutzian (son of Toumas)
9. Harold Paloutzian Paulson (son of Manoug)
10. Harry Paloutzian Thompson (son of Manoug)
11. Effrosini Paloutzian (wife of Hovhannes)
12. Queenie Paloutzian, b. Dec 1916 (held by Effrosini, daughter of Hovhannes)
13. Beatrice Paloutzian (wife of Kachadoor)
14. Lucille Paloutzian (daughter of Manoug)
15. Pearl Paloutzian (daughter of Manoug)
16. Juvar Paloutzian (wife of Tatevous)
17. Edward Paloutzian (son of Tatevous)


Manoug Paloutzian (b.1861), Hovhannes Paloutzian (b. 1862), Peter Thompson (b. 1874), and Kachadoor Paloutzian (b. 1877) are brothers. Tatevous Paloutzian is Manoug’s oldest child, and from his first marriage to an unknown woman. Toumas Paloutzian is a first cousin to Manoug, Hovhannes, Peter and Kachadoor.
Ogda (Hagopian) Barton’s mother’s maiden name was Paloutzian.

Charles Barton's name was Garabed Der Arisdagesian)
Three of the unnamed boys are George, Socrates and Peter Paloutzian, Hovhannes' sons.
Here I've added the names to the picture:

 Just saw that I made a mistake in this photo.  Dickranouhi and Zarouhi in the front row are not Thompsons.  They are Toumas' daughters.

Exciting Steele Family Discovery

I am so excited!!
I posted on the San Joaquin Genealogical Society's message board on Ancestry, and after exchanging a few e-mails with Sandra Hoskins, she was able to locate the following information:

George Turra - Rosa Rossi
Married 10-24-1886, Stockton, San Joaquin County, California
Volume 5 Page 195


John Still - Rosa Tura
Married 11-12-1889, Stockton, San Joaquin County, California
Volume 5 Page 533

More to come as I add this information into the family tree!

Karabians Donate Scrapbooks

I read this article awhile back:
_____________________
Hye Sharzhoom
March 2006 • Vol. 27, No. 3 (93)

Karabians Donate Scrapbooks of Clippings on Armenians from Fresno Bee
SARAH SOGHOMONIAN-STAFF WRITER
Scrapbooking has become a popular hobby in recent years.
People make wedding scrapbooks and scrapbooks of their child’s school years. I made a scrapbook filled with my high school memories.
Satenig Karabian began her scrapbook way before it became trendy. In 1930 she began clipping every article out of the Fresno Bee that featured Armenians: marriages, deaths and news stories, Karabian collected them all. Every time she clipped an article out the paper and placed it in her scrapbook, Karabian was recording history.
Karabian, who was born in Bitlis, Armenia, in 1903, came to America with her family in 1906. They settled in Fresno, where other family members already resided, and began their new life. Satenig married her first cousin Benjamin Karabian in 1930. They had no children. This allowed Karabian to become very close to her nieces and nephews.
Karabian, who kept her scrapbook current until her death in 1983, passed the three volumes on to her niece Elaine Karabian Garo and nephew Walter Karabian.
“I have preserved these pages and inserted the originals in plastic covers because I know how valuable they are,” said Walter Karabian, a former State Assemblyman from Los Angeles. “For our Karabian family, every time we turn these pages and show the pages to others, it becomes a wonderful journey down memory lane. Our aunt Satenig always remains in our hearts.”
Now the Karabian family is donating the beloved scrapbooks to the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State so they can be scanned and archived.
“I trust Dr. Dickran Kouymjian and Barlow Der Mugrdechian to put them in the right environment so that they have the greatest access to anyone who is studying 20th century Armenian life in Fresno,” Karabian said. “I would like to have them available to Armenian scholars and the Armenian Library Museum of America in Boston so that Armenian scholars can access them.”
One thing that Karabian said is noticeable about the scrapbooks is that the farther back in time you go, the less coverage Armenians received by the Fresno Bee. “This shows that in the first half of the twentieth century the community was less accepting of Armenians,” Karabian said. As time went on the newspaper began covering Armenians more frequently, which reflected their growing acceptance in the community.
Satenig Karabian’s scrapbooks are one of a kind. Her love for Fresno’s Armenian community is evident when one looks at the meticulous care used to create the books. Fresno State is lucky to have such a rich piece of history.
_______________________

Benjamin and Satenig were my grandmother's cousins on her mother's side, and Walter Karabian is a second cousin to my father through my grandmother's father's side.
I have just received word from Barlow Der Mugrdechian of the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State that the scrapbooks have been scanned, and that he will send me the images!! I can't wait!
Happy Birthday to my sister Jeanne!

Found this yesterday. Published in The Independent Record, Helena, Montana, Thursday July 21, 1949.

John P. Murphy (1878-1950)

John P. Murphy was the older brother of my great-grandmother Anna (Murphy) Golden. This obituary was published in the Montana Standard on November 24, 1950.

Here is the text of the above article: John P. Murphy Dies Suddenly. John P. Murphy, 71, operator in the electrical department of the Anaconda Copper Mining company in Great Falls, died suddenly Thursday afternoon while at work. Cause of his death was attributed to a heart attack. Mr. Murphy was a former resident of Anaconda. Surviving relatives include four brothers, Henry, Tom and Con Murphy of Anaconda and Will Murphy of Seattle, Wash; two daughters, Mrs. John Bogdden of Great Falls and Mrs. Ray Campbell of Anaconda; three sisters, Mrs. John Golden and Miss Margaret Murphy of Butte, and Mrs. Mary Weist of Anaconda, and nine grandchildren. Funeral services and burial will be Monday in Great Falls.

Now you can read it!

Here is the text of the article in the previous post:

Published in the Anaconda Standard, Sunday morning, April 6, 1902.

RECEIVES FATAL INJURY

MICHAEL BONES CRUSHED AT THE
WASHOE SMELTER

CORONER TO HOLD INQUEST

Caught Between Engine and Iron Post – Still Alive When Removed From Terrible Position.
Dies at the Hospital.

While endeavoring to get out of the way of the small compressed air locomotives at the new Washoe smelter yesterday afternoon Michael Bones was caught between the engine and an iron post and was fatally crushed.
When extricated from his terrible position Bones was still alive. He was taken to St. Ann’s hospital, and though everything possible was done to prolong his life, he died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Bones was employed at the works as a smelterman. He had been in Anaconda for about a year. He resided at No. 804 East Third Street. He was 23 years of age. John Golden and Mrs. F. B. Dolan of this city were his cousins and a sister, Mrs. J. F. O’Donnell, resides in Helena.
Soon after Bones’ death Coroner Hughes was notified and took possession of the body. An inquest will be held today. Coroner Hughes has investigated the matter, and eye witnesses of the affair will testify at the inquest today.
The accident is said to have occurred just as Bones was about to leave one of the smelter buildings. It is thought that in his haste to get out of the way of the approaching engine Bones did not see where he was stepping until it was too late to move. His injuries were internal.
Despite his short residence in Anaconda Mr. Bones had a wide circle of friends here, and the news of his sudden death was a great shock to them. He was known as a young man of industrious habits. It is probable that no arrangements for the funeral will be made until after the coroner’s inquest.

Ever heard of Michael Bones?

No? Me neither. At least not until this evening. I was looking through old Montana newspaper images and discovered this article about our cousin Michael. It was published in the Anaconda Standard on April 6, 1902. You can read about his accidental death in the Washoe smelter at age 23. He resided at 804 E. 3rd St., Anaconda. Sound familiar? John Golden and Mrs. F. B. Dolan (Winnie) are listed as his cousins. He also had a sister, Mrs. J. F. O'Donnell of Helena.
Now, if you have heard of Michael Bones, I'd like to hear from you!

Recent Random Records

I've started to send for records that aren't available on line. Here are a few I've received recently for people in my mom's family:
This is a death notice for Ewen Davidson (Mammy's father) from the San Francisco Morning Call.

This is Rosa Steele's (Chickie's mother) death certificate. You can click on it to see it up close. It says she was born in Genoa, Italy, and that her father's name was Mathew Rossi.

Here is Ann Doherty's (Mammy's grandmother) death certificate. It doesn't tell us much that we (I) didn't already know, but it verifies her date of death, 14 Oct. 1919, and that she is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery (Colma, CA).

Motherlode! A treasure trove of newspaper articles.

I came across a post on the Ancestry.com message boards from The Genealogy Genie , Jeannie Miyama, a wonderful person who volunteers her time at the California Archives and has access to many old newspapers. In one morning she was able to find and copy 38 articles (mostly obituaries and death notices) for members of my family! I am so thankful! Here are a few:

Levenberg Obituary

The Library of Congress has a collection of historical newspapers which are available to view on-line. I found this:

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1901.

LEVENBERG—In this city, December 25,
1901. Lillie, dearly beloved wife of Lewis
Levenberg, mother of Loretta and Mildred
Levenberg, daughter of Anne Doherty, and
sister of William and Thomas Doherty, Mrs.
E. L. Coxe and Mrs. E. Davidson, a native
of San Francisco, aged 27 years 1 month and
6 days.
Friends and acquaintances are respectfully
invited to attend the funeral to-day
(Friday), at 1 o'clock, from her late residence,
45 Harriet Street, thence to St. Patrick's
Church for services at 1:30 o'clock.
Internment Holy Cross Cemetery.

OFFICERS and members of Minerva Parlor
No. 2, N. D. G. W.—You are notified to attend
the funeral of our late sister, Lillie
Levenberg:, to-day (Friday), from her late
residence, 45 Harriet Street.
MARY CREIGH. President.
ANNIE L. DONALDSON. Secretary.---------------------------------------
N.D.G.W. is the Native Daughters of the Golden West
You can view the actual newspaper page here.
You can do your own searches at http://www.loc.gov/chroniclingamerica/home.html

Curiouser and curiouser...

I went to Holy Cross Cemetery in Fresno on my way back to Merced on Mother's Day to find Bert and Mary Church's plots. Success!

But something was off...

Maybe I misheard when I called the cemetery office, but her headstone says Mary died in 1958, not 1968 as I had posted previously. Funny thing is, she is in plot 68, and 68 years old when she died. Funny. Then, I thought maybe having the wrong year is the reason why I haven't been able to find her death record, but, no, I still cannot locate it.

Find Bert, Find Mary

In February I wrote about finally finding Bert Church's death record. You can read about that here. Bert was the husband of Mary, the sister of my great grandfather, Andrew "Chickie" Steele. Bert and Mary didn't have any children of their own; Bert had a son from his previous marriage. I hadn't been able to find a death record for Mary, nor did I have her birthdate, and I have just been so curious about what happened to her.
So one day several weeks ago I got the bright idea to call up the cemetery. I was home from work early, and now I had Bert's full name and birth and death dates. I just made an educated guess and called the Holy Cross cemetery office in Fresno. They actually have access to the records for all three Catholic cemeteries. And, yes, Bert Church is buried at Holy Cross, in section D, plot 68, #7. So I asked about Mary, and yes, she is buried "next door" in #8! I asked for her death date; she died 24 Aug 1968, 4 days after her brother Andrew. I still can't find her California death record, so maybe she didn't die in California.

511 Cherry St., Anaconda, MT

This is a picture of 511 Cherry St., Anaconda, MT. The 1896 Anaconda City Directory tells us that Frank Dolan (and, I assume, his wife Winnie and daughters) lived here, as well as John Henry Golden. Several boarders are listed as living in the rear at this address. Frank's occupation is bricklayer with the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. John Henry's occupation is clerk for Joseph Peters. The Joseph Peters entry in the directory reads: clothing, boots, shoes, gents' furnished goods, hats, caps, gloves, underwear, etc. 24 Main .

804 E. 3rd St., Anaconda, MT

Hi, Michelle:

When I saw your latest update on our Grandfather’s address in Anaconda, I sent it to a co-worker who lives in Anaconda. Turns out she lives a couple of blocks away! She took these pics today and sent me some information. She is going to do some investigating on the house. She and her husband own a few houses in Anaconda and she is very familiar with the history. They have friends who have bought some of these old houses and renovated them to the original state.

This is the house where Grandpa Golden lived with his older sister Winifred, her husband, their two kids and his younger sister, Margaret, in 1900.
Pretty cool!

From my co-worker, who lives in Anaconda – just a couple of blocks away.
Here is a shot of your family’s house. It is a smaller house, w/a "smelterman's" cabin in the back - it was really common to rent those out to the men that worked at the Anaconda Smelter. There have been some additions to the house, but it definitely is in character with the houses in the area and the architecture of the neighborhood. A number of the homes in the area had a nice glassed or open sitting porch on the front, and I think your house did as well. Many were boarded up – like yours – where the front door is. There is a big open lot next to the house. Not sure if it was owned by the same family or not. I include a picture of that as well. If you face the house, the lot is on the left. I believe you can see the smelterman’s cabin from the vacant lot – way to the right in the photo of the lot, behind the main house at 804 E 3RD St and the garage is on the other side of it.

Love to all,
Margie

A Golden Discovery

I've got this piece of paper with information about the family of my great grandfather, John Henry Golden. It was in a packet of information that was put together when Sharon Bullene was doing a school project. But, I don't know who typed up this page or where the information came from. This is what it looks like:

I started with tracing John Henry and Bridget in the U.S. Census records and was surprised to discover that Winnie and Margaret had also come to the United States.

The 1900 census record shows Winnie and husband Frank (Francis P.) Dolan and their 3 daughters, Mary, Winnifred and Margaret living in Anaconda, Montana at 804 E. Third St. John Henry and Margaret are living with them. Bridget and Frank O'Connell lived in Helena, Montana for the 1900, 1910 and 1920 censuses. In 1930, the family had moved to Portland, Oregon. Bee and Frank had 8 children. I cannot find any records of Margaret, or of Winnie and her family after the 1900 census.

I hadn't found any arrival records for the Goldens, or anyone in my mother's family. The problem is that the older arrival records have less information, which makes it harder to identify a specific person. But, Margaret Golden, sister of John Henry, arrived last of all her siblings, and I found her arrival record!

She arrived in New York on September 21, 1899 aboard The S.S. Majestic, which had sailed from Queenstown (Cobh), Ireland 7 days earlier. She was travelling with a cousin, John H. Finn, (age 20), and she is 20 years old at the time. It lists their last residence as Ballymote, Ireland, which is in County Galway, sort of halfway between Ballaghadereen (the Goldens' birthplace) and the city of Galway. (Hooray for Google Maps!) Other passengers on the ship have Ballaghdereen listed as their last residence. Their final destination is Anaconda, Montana, to join brother and cousin J.H. Golden, living at 804 E. Third St. !!

Here is the 1900 census record:

If you know anything else to add to this story, let me know!

1898 Great Register of Voters

I sent for and received a copy of the 1898 Great Register of Voters for the Sommersville Precinct of Contra Costa County, CA. Line number 90 reads:
Still, John
occupation: miner
age: 49
height: 5' 4"
complexion: dark
eyes: gray
hair: dark
marks or scars: top little finger right hand off
country of nativity: Austria
residence: Somersville
naturalized: May 23, 1896, Contra Costa County Superior Court

It isn't until the 1910 US census that his name is written as John Steele. John is the father of Andrew Steele (Chickie), and the grandfather of Betty Golden (my grandmother). That makes him my great-great grandfather.

Happy Birthday to my cousin Karen Golden!

I found Bert Church!

Awhile back I wrote about finding the Steele family plot at the cemetery, but not knowing much about Bert and Mary (Steele) Church. Ancestry.com recently posted California voter registrations from 1900-1968 for various cities and counties. I was able to find registrations for Bert and Mary for several years between 1930 and 1944. The records list their addresses (they moved a lot!), and occupations, and were very helpful because they gave me the correct spelling of Bert's name, which led me to finding his death record and census records showing his family, plus a WWI draft registration record. Bert died 29 Oct 1971, 3 days before I was born. I must be missing some key piece of information about Mary, because I can't locate her death record.

Also in the voter registrations I found a record for Yonovera "Mame" Towey in San Francisco in 1935.

Another Arrival

I recently found the immigration record of my great-grandmother Mary Badigian Basmajian. She arrived at age 22 with her 52-year-old mother, Markarid (which means pearl) and her brother Vartan, who was 12, aboard the SS Laurent. They sailed from Le Havre, France on December 15, 1906 and arrived in New York on December 28. Also sailing with them was Markarid's nephew, Hovsep Karabian and his wife, sister and 3 small children. The whole group had their passage paid by Markarid's brother, Krikor Karabian, who was living in Fresno.
So, now I have found arrival records for all 4 of my father's grandparents, who each arrived separately with their families!

They came by boat

I do a lot of my research on Ancestry.com. The site has a huge store of records available and they are always adding more. Since new records are showing up on a regular basis, it is possible that records I haven't been able to locate just haven't been made available yet. Here is an instance of a record I have been searching for finally showing up! What a surprise to find an immigration record for Altoon, Goohar, and Aghavni Tatoian! You can see the record above. They arrived at the port of St. John, New Brunswick, Canada on the S.S. Lake Manitoba on 20 December 1903. Based on the record source, they likely crossed into the U.S. soon after through Calais, Maine. Here is a map of the area.
Interesting tidbit: Altoon means gold or money, Goohar means diamond or precious stone, and Aghavni means dove or pigeon.

Who is buried in Bethel Cemetery?

Ce Happy New Year!

Over my Christmas vacation, my mom, Joy and I tried to dig deeper and find some more obscure information. No, we didn't take shovels to the cemetery, only a camera. I called up the Sanger District Cemetery and asked about Mariam Keshishian, my great-great-great grandmother. They had records for a Mary Keshishian and an M. Keshishian buried next to eachother, so we went to check it out. Bethel Cemetery is in Fresno County out between Sanger and Del Rey. It is on Bethel Ave., between Indianola and Central Avenues. Here is a map.

The map in the Cemetery office shows there is an M. Keshishian buried next to Mary Keshishian. Out at the cemetery we found Manoosh Keshishian (1844-1925) in the M. Keshishian plot, and where Mary Keshishian is shown on the map, there isn't a headstone. I have never seen the name Manoosh in any records I have found so far. Now, Manoosh is a female name, and the dates are close to what I've found for Mariam, so there could be some confusion in the cemetery records (which are not original records). I have 2 birth years for Mariam from the 2 census records I found for her. In 1900, her birth year is 1845, and in 1920, her birth year is 1835. Her daughter Khautoun was born in 1856, so a 1835 to 1840 birth year is the most likely. Hopefully, there is some more information out there somewhere.

The picture above is from the same cemetery and is the headstone for Kervork (George) Basmajian (1848-1911), my great-great grandfather, husband of Khautoun. Even though the headstone says 1912, we know he died Oct. 10, 1911 because Grandpa Basmajian wrote it in his Bible. Thanks Grandpa!