Note Type
Historical NoteNote
An academic article titled “The Effects of the Armenian Relocation on Population and Economy: The Case of Merzifon,” written by Abdurrahman Bozkurt and published in 2020 (see weblink) and offers a detailed analysis of the demographic and economic changes in the Merzifon district following the 1915 Armenian relocation, with particular emphasis on how the local economy was restructured and what became of Armenian properties and social status. Drawing on archival records, the author highlights the roles Armenians played in local industries and the administrative monitoring of Armenian families during this period.
The article identifies Hacı Bogos Kasparyan as a skilled fabric roller/polisher in the weaving industry. Born around 1862, he is noted as having likely converted to Islam, adopting the name Fuad, and residing in the Cami-i Atik neighborhood with his wife, Makruhi Khisarlian, and their three daughters, Lusaper, Nevart, and Vahanush. The document further records that his wife and daughters were registered under new Muslim names: Pakize, Latife, Nadire, and Vasfiye. Moreover, the article notes that individuals exempted from deportation (tehcir dışı bırakılan kişiler) were reported to the central government by name on 1 September 1915, indicating that his conversion and official confirmation had already taken place by the time Mustafa Efendi sought repayment of his sister’s debt.
Several members of the family emigrated from Merzifon to the United States in the early twentieth century. In 1921, Lusaper emigrated and was able to retain the surname Kasparyan. She later married Leon Luscinian, became known as Lucy Luscinian, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland. The couple had four children. Lucy applied for U.S. citizenship in 1925 and passed away on 26 March 1988. Vahanoush, born in 1905, later emigrated to the United States with her mother Makrouhi (born 1877), who adopted the name Maria after their arrival. Makrouhi entered the country as a widow, indicating that Boghos had died—most likely as a result of the Armenian Genocide. They arrived in the United States on 30 March 1927. Nevart, also a widow, emigrated under the surname Kechichian. She arrived with her two children, a son, Haig, and a daughter, Zabel.
Vahanoush Kasparian married a John J Yorganjian. Gave birth to John James Yorganjian Jr. in 1935, who lived in Philly. Her husband died in 1974, and she died in 1977, buried in Lake Worth.
