The Armenian Genealogy Conference will take place April 9-10 in Watertown. The conference, which grew out of the Armenian Genealogy
group on Facebook, will feature several speakers on various topics
regarding Armenian genealogy, history, geography, and presentations on
different organizations and initiatives.
George Aghjayan, a retired actuary and one of the conference
organizers, noted that the study of Armenian genealogy has grown
substantially over the last decade, and that organizing a conference was
a necessary step. “Advances in technology have allowed access to
information previously thought unattainable,” said Aghjayan, who hopes
that the conference can become an annual event.
Aghjayan has been working with Tracy Rivest Keeney and Mark Arslan to
organize the conference, which is co-sponsored by the National
Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), Project Save
Armenian Photograph Archives, Inc., Houshamadyan, the Armenian Museum of
America (AMA), and Hamazkayin Boston. During the weekend,
participants—both beginners and advanced—will learn how to carry out
genealogical research specific to Armenians, and will take part in
workshops, during which experienced volunteers will help answer
questions, teach how to get started, and how to go beyond existing
research.
“The recent proliferation and acceptance of social media has allowed a
level of collaboration on genealogical and historical research never
before possible,” Arslan told the Armenian Weekly. He also noted that
the Armenian Genealogy Facebook group has brought together people from
the Armenian Diaspora worldwide, as well as the Republic of
Armenia—individuals who share a passionate interest in learning more
about their Armenian families and heritage. “The collective knowledge of
our online community is amazing. Everyone brings their own special
talents to uncover genealogical treasures from the primary records
online and in archives, as well as shares their own family anecdotes,
memories, and experiences,” he said.
Arslan is one-fourth Armenian and has been avidly researching his
family history (Armenian, British, French, and German) since 1968,
specializing in the records of the U.S. and Canada. He founded the Armenian DNA Project in 2005, as well as the Armenian Immigration Project in 2011.
Tracy Keeney, a professional genealogist and the creator and
administrator of the Armenian Genealogy group on Facebook, said that
while Armenians long had a difficult time tracing their family roots,
today it has become much easier. “At some point in our lives, most
people feel a tug at the heart to reach into the past and connect with
those who came before us. For those of Armenian descent, that was a
seemingly hopeless quest for decades. But that is simply no longer the
case,” she told the Armenian Weekly.
Tracy began her research in 2013 with only the 4 names of her
maternal great-grandparents. By 2015, she had discovered and verified
537 other family members, going back 3 more generations to approximately
1820, and has had contact with 43 newly discovered relatives, with whom
she’s been able to exchange information, family stories, family trees,
and photographs.
“That’s the significance of this conference. Because of Mark’s work,
because of George’s work—who both do this research voluntarily, by the
way—because of Vahé Tachjian’s [of Houshamadyan] work, the walls are
coming down, fast and with a passion. Armenians around the world
are longing to find traces of their ancestors, to learn their stories,
the name of their ancestral village, etc. They feel a pull—like the
voices of their ancestors are calling from the dust. This conference
will help them answer that call,” said Keeney.
Historian Vahé Tachjian is one of the conference speakers, and will
give an overview on Armenian history and geography and of the
Houshamadyan Project—a project “to Reconstruct Ottoman Armenian Town and
Village Life.” Tachjian is currently the project director and chief
editor of houshamadyan.org, which was created in 2011 by the Berlin-based Houshamadyan not-for-profit Association, founded in 2010.
During the conference, Stephen Kurkjian, an acclaimed investigative
reporter, 40-year veteran of the Boston Globe, and founding member of
its investigative Spotlight Team, will join Janet Achoukian Andreopoulos
in highlighting the unlimited potential that DNA research can have for
Armenians exploring their individual roots when wedded with genealogical
research. Andreopoulos’s passion to expand her own family tree was
reignited at the onset of the internet, as she found herself searching
for any and all descendants from Evereg. Her research materials started
with books, pamphlets, and personal accounts from telephone calls all
around the world. This quickly expanded to include online resources such
as Ancestry.com
and Facebook. Her tree has now expanded into other regions and contains
more than 25,000 individuals. Andreopoulos is particularly interested
in using DNA testing to search for more connections and helping people
reunite with their long lost relatives.
The conference will take place at the Armenian Museum of America, at
65 Main St. in Watertown.A special dinner has also been planned for participants, featuring a
live band playing traditional Armenian music. The dinner will take place
Saturday evening at the Papken Suni Agoump in Watertown.
Participants will also be able to visit open houses at various locations
of Armenian interest on Sunday. The full schedule of the weekend’s
events can be found here.
Participants are asked to register no later than March 5. Registration is free and can be done at armeniangenealogyconference.com/registration/.
"The Armenian Weekly," 19 February 2016
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