Khachadourian Family Collection – Yerevan

Author: Armine Ter-Ghevondian, 20/05/25 (Last modified 20/05/25) - Translator: Simon Beugekian

The Khachadourian family was founded by a man named Khachadour in the early 19th century. His forename became his descendants’ surname. Khachadour was also called ghazanchi, which is Turkish for a craftsman who makes metal pans. The family originated from Ayntab (present-day Gaziantep), a city in Cilicia.

In Ayntab, Khachadour accumulated considerable wealth and assets. At the time, merchandise was transported on the back of donkeys, and a man’s wealth was measured, among other things, by the number of donkeys that he owned. Khachadour’s nickname was toghsan eshek, Turkish for “man with 90 donkeys.”

Khachadour’s exact birth and death dates are unknown, but presumably, he was born between 1800 and 1805 and died between 1850 and 1855. He had four sons: Haroutyun (1830-1885), Khachadour or Adour (1846-1908), Krikor, and Hovhannes; and three daughters: Hagout, Maryam, and Lucia. His sons’ marriages followed an interesting mathematical pattern – Krikor had only one wife, Haroutyun two, Hovhannes three, and Adour four. They never divorced or separated from their wives. Rather, their wives died, usually during childbirth, and the men remarried. It is said that during the funeral of Adour’s third wife, he noticed a young woman watching the procession from a window. The two smiled to each other, and just forty days later, she became his fourth wife.

The extant family history covers two centuries – which, in the history of the Armenian people, is a significant period. We have no written accounts of the family’s history and life – only oral testimonies. Some information presented in this article is based on historical research.

In the second half of the 19th century, Ayntab was one of the educational centers of Asia Minor. However, most of the education provided by schools was of a religious nature. The first elementary schools were opened in the 1850s. Consequently, Khachadour and his children did not have the opportunity to receive formal education. It was only the family’s third generation that received proper education. But this generation suffered greatly during the Armenian Genocide – even the survivors endured unspeakable suffering.

The sons of Khachadour’s second son, Adour Khachadourian, attended the Vartanian School of Ayntab (for more on this school, see our article Ayntab – Schools (Part B)), and were some of the school’s first graduates. Sarkis Khachadourian graduated from this school in 1890, Khachadour in 1899, Aram in 1903, and Haroutyun in 1905. In 1892, Sarkis was a member of a cooperative organization called “Personal Society,” whose goal was to provide financial assistance to the Vartanian School.

For more on Haroutyun and Aram, Hovhannes Khachadourian’s sons, see the second volume of History of the Armenians of Ayntab (Los Angeles, 1953). Both Haroutyun and Aram emigrated to America, where they had achieved great successes. Haroutyun served in the American army and was part of the American military mission in Armenia. Aram graduates from Harvard University as a chemist, and for many years served as a head chemist in the area of the Panama Canal.

Adour (Khachadour) Khachadourian, or “Adour Baba” as he was called by his family, was born in 1846 in Ayntab and died in 1908 in the same city.

Adour had contributed to the construction of the Holy Mother-of-God Cathedral in Ayntab as a donor. The church was designed by Sarkis Bey Balian, one of the renowned Armenian architects of Constantinople. The construction of the church ended in 1893.

Adour married four times. He had six sons and five daughters. He had two daughters with his first wife:

• Ovsanna (1863-1915), who married Sarkis Momdjian. She died in Deir ez-Zur with her four daughters.
• Khanoum (1860-1943), who married Artin Kurkdjian. Additional information on this branch is provided below.

With his second wife, Adour had one son:

• Hagop (1867-1913), who married Eliza Nazarian.

With his third wife, Adour had two sons and one daughter:

• Yeghia (1870-1916), who married Mary Nazarian. Additional information on this branch is provided below.
• Sarkis (1873-1933), who married Maroum Yaghsuzian. For more on Sarkis, see the second volume of the History of the Armenians of Ayntab. He was one of the first graduates of the Vartanian Institute and a classmate of Catholicos Papken, who later officiated Sarkis’ funeral service. In 1894, in Iskenderun, Sarkis founded the Khachadourian Brothers Trade House. He helped many intellectuals who fled the 1895-1986 massacres in Turkey. During the deportations of 1915, Sarkis settled down in Aleppo and worked as one of the supervisors of an imaletkhane (workshop). He helped thousands of Armenians find work. After the expulsion of Armenians from Cilicia, he settled down in Beirut. He served as the chairman of the economic council of Lebanon (1928). His son was architect, political party activist, and philanthropist Jirayr Khachadourian (1921-2008, Beirut). He was the chief engineer and contractor on numerous public works projects including: the widening of the Beirut seafront corniche and the construction of the Beirut airport main runway. Was a very active member of the Beirut City Council.
• Lucia (1875-1921), who married Krikor Vartivarian.

With his fourth wife, Osanna, Adour had three sons and one daughter:

• Khachadour.
• Aram (1886-1970), who married Efronia Nazarian. Their son was Hrand Khachadourian (born in 1930, Beirut), later honorary professor of psychology and human biology at Stanford University in the United States. He was the author of many books, including a textbook on human sexuality.He was also the author of The Way It Turned Out: A Memoir, in which he retells his life in Turkey, Lebanon, Finland, and the United States. Moreover, with his wife, Stina Lindfors-Khachadourian, he transcribed, translated, and published the memoirs of his mother, Efronia Nazarian-Khachadourian, titled Efronia: An Armenian Love Story.
• Haroutyun (1890-1955), who married Beatrice Khachadourian. Additional information on this branch is provided below.
• Meria, who married Melkiset Melkisetian. She died in Deir ez-Zur in 1915 with her two sons.
• Hripsime, who married Toros Basmadjian. Their son was the poet Souren Basmadjian (1923, Iskenderun/Alexandrette, Syria-1994, USA), who used the pen name Aram Arman. Their daughter, Araksi (1921, Aleppo-1995, Aleppo), married Antranig Attarian (1909, Kilis-2002, Aleppo) in Aleppo. The couple had four sons: Krikor, Berdj, Vahe, and Hrand; and one daughter, Houri. This was the only branch of the family that remained in Aleppo, and its descendants still live there today.

Yeghia, Adour’s son, was engaged in commerce like his brothers Hagop, Sarkis, and Aram. In 1903, in Ayntab, he married Mary Nazarian (1884, Ayntab-1973, Beirut). Their oldest daughter, Armine (1903, Ayntab-1982, Yerevan) was born in that same year. In the next year, 1904, the family moved to Alexandrette, where many years earlier, Yeghia had purchased some land and a small house. After their move, the family renovated the house, adding a second story, a courtyard, and a garden.

In 1907, the couple had a son, Khachadour (1907, Alexandrette-1982, USA); and in 1908, another daughter, Alice (1910, Alexandrette-1994, USA). In 1914, their second son, Hagop, was born, but he died at the age of a few years.

In the summer of 1915, the family traveled from Alexandrette to Ayntab for the holidays. But in August, the deportations began, and they did not want to return to Alexandrette. Instead, they rented a cart and escaped to Aleppo. Their home, with its large amount of furniture; as well as the large amount of money they had, was left to the government and to looters. Yeghia Khachadourian died on 1 January 1916, after contracting typhoid fever from Armenian refugees whom he had helped. The rest of the family stayed in Aleppo until 1920, then returned to Alexandrette, as it had become part of the French Mandate of Syria.

In 1938, Mary Khachadourian and her son, Khachig (Khachadour), moved from Alexandrette (which was still part of French-mandate Syria, and would be handed over to Turkey a few years later) to Beirut. For about 40 years, Khachadour worked as an accountant at Yervant Demirdjian’s firm in Beirut, which was later renamed DEMCO. Mary spent the rest of her life in Beirut, where she died in 1973. Mary was one of those Armenian women for whom embroidery and knitting were an inextricable part of life. Thanks to her daughter, Armine, samples of her embroidery were moved from Beirut to Armenia, where they are now kept in her great-granddaughter’s home. This page presents only a few examples of her work.

Yeghia and Mary’s second daughter, Alice, a warm and generous woman, married Hovhannes Baghdasarian in Beirut. The latter founded the well-known “Karoun” dairy factory in Beirut. The couple had one daughter, Ani, and two sons, Antranig and Ara, who now live in the United States with their families. The sons, both in Lebanon and the USA, followed in their father’s footsteps and continued producing dairy products under the “Karoun” brand.

A different fate awaited Armine Khachadourian. In 1931, she began teaching at the Armenian school of the Kurug-Khan district of Alexandrette. There, she met her future husband, principal Hrand Devedjian. A short time after their meeting, Armine moved to Lebanon after receiving an invitation from Levon Shant to teach at the new Armenian Djemaran (Lyceum), founded by Levon Shant (principal) and Nigol Aghpalian. Letters from Levon Shant and Nigol Aghpalian to Armine and Hrand have been kept by the family, and copies have been provided on this page. Presumably, she worked at the Armenian Djemaran for a year and a half to two years (from late 1931 to 1932), then returned to Aleppo. On 29 July 1934, Armine married renowned political and social activist Hrand Devedjian. In 1938, the couple moved to Beirut, where Hrand founded the Aravod newspaper and served as its editor. In 1946, he was appointed as the head of the Armenian repatriation committee of Syria and Lebanon. In July 1947, alongside his family, he repatriated to Armenia. Two years later, on 30 July 1949, he was killed at his home in Yerevan. Armine Khachadourian, left alone in the alien environment of Yerevan, thanks to her balanced and sensible nature, was able to recover and raised three children: two daughters, Seda (1936, Aleppo-2024, Yerevan) and Anna (1943, Beirut-2009, Yerevan); and one son, Hakob (1945, Beirut-2020, Yerevan).

Hakob Devedjian was a biologist, and the deputy director of the institute of hydroponic issues at the Academy of Science of the Republic of Armenia. Seda Devedjian -Ter-Ghevondian was a celebrated archaeologist, who excavated the Lori Berd archaeological site and published several books on her astonishing discoveries. Seda was married to renowned orientalist and medieval expert Aram Ter-Ghevondian, who had repatriated from Egypt. Interestingly, the latter’s grandfather, Ter (Father) Ghevond, the head priest of Marash, wrote in his memoirs that in 1887, while he was in Ayntab, he made the acquaintance of a Sarkis Khachadourian (“An honest youth, also very well-mannered”). We are certain that this quote refers to Sarkis, Adour Khachadourian’s son. Evidently, Ter Ghevond’s grandson and Sarkis Khachadourian’s brother’s grandson met in Yerevan many years later, in 1960, and married. Their son is the Armenologist-orientalist and doctor of historical studies Vahan Ter-Ghevondian, who served as an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia and as director of the Mesrop Mashtots Matenadaran from 2018 to 2023. Their daughter, Armine Ter-Ghevondian, worked for 30 years at the United Nations office in Armenia, as a coordinator of educational programs. She is also the author of books in the genre of documentary fiction.

Thus, Armine Khachadourian-Devedjian’s (Yeghia Khachadourian’s granddaughter) branch remained in Armenia. Her great-grandchildren currently live in Yerevan.

Khanoum Khachadourian (Hadji Khanoum) married Artin Kurkdjian in Ayntab, in 1912. The couple had eight daughters (we only know the names of Arousyag, Roza, Gladys, and Beatrice) and one son, Levon (1900, Ayntab-1966, Beirut). Levon was married to Araksi Bedrosian (1923, Aleppo-2006, Beirut), and the couple had one daughter, Lena Kurkdjian-Kasbarian, who was an opera singer and received her musical education in Vienna. Lena is currently a jewelry designer, and lives in the city of Bern in Switzerland.

One of the couple’s eight daughters, whose name we do not know, was abducted by Kurds. We do not know the date of this event, but the family’s oral history implies that it occurred before the Genocide. An eyewitness later told her parents that their daughter was married to a Kurdish prince and had two children. The parents reasoned that even if they could, by some miracle, rescue their daughter, they would cause her renewed pain by separating her from her children. They never saw this daughter again.

Khanoum and Artin’s daughter Beatrice married Armenag Arslanian. They had three children: Melankton (1913, Ayntab-1986, Antwerp), Haig (1927, Aleppo-2011, Antwerp), and Violet (1922, Ayntab-2014, Antwerp). The family’s descendants recount that when the Turks began the mass collection and murder of Armenian men, every morning for four years, Beatrice would help Armenag descend into a well and hide there until nightfall. It was thanks to Beatrice’s efforts that Armenag survived until the whole family was able to flee to Aleppo.

In the 1940s, Melankton and Haig founded an embroidery factory, which successfully operated during the years of the Second World War. In 1949, the family moved from Aleppo to Beirut. In 1947, Melankton Arslanian married Violet Oghlian. The couple had three children: Ara, Raffi, and Milvi. In 1958, Haig married Shake Tompourian. The couple had four children: Armen, Shahe, Viken, and Sandra.

Violet Arslanian married Kevork Kalemkerian. They had one daughter, Houri Kalemkerian-Terzian. In 1961, the family moved for business reasons to the city of Antwerp in Belgium, where they were successfully engaged in the diamond trade.

The Arslanians were renowned philanthropists who helped the Armenian communities of Lebanon and Belgium. They made donations to numerous organizations. Among these donations was one for the construction of the new building of the Armenian Djemaran (Lyceum) in Mzher, a northern suburb of Beirut. The school is now called “Melankton and Haig Arslanian Djemaran.” This is the same institution (or its successor) where Adour Khachadourian’s granddaughter, Armine Khachadourian (Yeghia’s daughter), taught in 1932. Back then, Djemaran had just been founded, and as the copies of the letters provided on this page demonstrate, was incapable of even paying its teachers’ wages. Half a century later, Melankton and Haig Arslanian, the great-grandsons of Khanoum, Adour Khachadourian’s daughter, made a significant contribution to the efforts to greatly expand Djemaran, which was then named in their honor (previously, in May 1950, the Armenian Djemaran had been renamed after Nshan Palandjian).

The descendants of Khanoum Khachadourian-Kurkdjian and Artin Kurkdjian now live in Armenia, Belgium, and the United States.

Haroutyun (1890, Ayntab-1955, Beirut), the son of Adour Khachadourian and his fourth wife, Osanna, was the grandson of Khachadour, the founder of the family dynasty. Haroutyun married Beatrice, the granddaughter of his uncle Haroutyun Khachadourian, Senior (1830 (?)-1881 (?)) and his wife, Sasouk.

Haroutyun Khachadourian, Junior, settled down in Alexandrette, where he met his future wife, Beatrice Khachadourian. In this city, the couple had three sons: Antranig, Puzant, and Zaven. When the French surrendered the region of Alexandrette to Turkey, the family was forced to flee to Aleppo in 1939, then relocated to Beirut. In the 1960s, Antranig settled down in Baghdad and married an Iraqi Armenian, Markarid. After the Second World War, Puzant moved to France and married Gadar Der-Minasian. The couple had two children, Haroutyun (born in 1956) and Mary-Beatrice (born in 1959). Gadar was the daughter of a family from Sivrihisar that had fled the Ottoman Empire during the years of the Genocide. As for Zaven, he serendipitously met Nirva – daughter of Khanoum, herself the daughter of one of Adour Khachadourian’s granddaughters – in Beirut. They married and had three children: Seyran, Shahe, and Ara. Shahe Khachadourian became wealthy thanks to his involvement in the trade of African diamonds, while Ara Khachadourian was known as an expert of extreme sports. Zaven and Nirva were forced to leave Lebanon with their family in 1975, due to the civil war, and settled down in France.

Members of the family of Haroutyun Khachadourian, son of Yeghia Khachadourian’s grandson Puzant and Gadar Der-Minasian, moved to Armenia in 2015-2016. Their children and grandchildren now live in Yerevan.

The information we have provided on the first two generation of the family was collected by Hrand, son of Aram Khachadourian and Efronia Nazarian; and Jirayr, son of Sarkis Khachadourian and Meroum Yaghsuzian. They gathered whatever information they could by interviewing their elders, especially their parents, as well as Hripsime Khachadourian-Basmadjian and Beatrice Kurkdjian-Arslanian. The two men also created the Khachadourian family tree.

For general information on Ayntab, we relied on Kevork Sarafian’s Badmoutyun Ayntabi Hayots [History of the Armenians of Ayntab], volumes 1 and 2, Los Angeles, 1953.

Yeghia Khachadourian and Mary Nazarian’s great-granddaughter, Armine Ter-Ghevondian, was able to obtain more information from her mother, Seda Devedjian-Ter-Ghevondian; the latter’s cousin, Ani Baghdasarian-Chalian; and more distant relatives with whom she was able to establish contact. Using Jirayr’s and Hrand’s work, and complementing it with the additional information she had, Armine was able to write the whole history of the Khachadourian family, with an appendix that includes an updated family tree, letters, official documents, photographs, and examples of embroidery. She provided this complete family history to Houshamadyan.