Any Questions?

Hey All related to the Herond Nishan Sheranian Family,

I just wanted to let you know that if they have any questions or want any other genealogical information that I might have, you are more than welcome to contact me! Although I don't want to put my address or phone number on a website because it would become available to everyone who has internet access, you may email me!

ksheranian@gmail.com


This is me:












And this is my family:
(click on it for a larger view)
L to R: ValGene Ogles, me, Sarah, Marie, Liz, Craig, and Bryan in the front.

RECIPE - Packlova

Another recipe in the Personal Record & Autobiography of Arick Kezerian (daughter of Nishan Krikor Sherinian).

"How to make Packlova, or that sweet, diamond-shaped cut holiday treat

2 cups chopped walnuts
1 tbsp of butter
1 1/2 cups flour, lightly browned with butter on slow heat; when done mix with walnuts

To make the dough, take 4 cups more of flour, sifted, with a tbsp of baking power, 1 level tsp of salt; put enough shortening in, as you would for a pie crust; mix 2 eggs and a little water with flour which has been mixed with shortening. Cut the dough in sizes like an egg. Rub the bottom of the pan of whatever container you will bake them in with a little butter. Then with a rolling pin (this rolling stick is about a yard long and 3/4 inch thick) roll the dough about the thickness of 3 sheets of paper; spread in the bottom of the pan. Now sprinkle some melted butter over it and spread it all over with a little brush or back of a spoon; then put another layer over it, only little thinner. Begin sprinkling the mixture of nuts and browned flour. Now make the next dough as thin as possible. Then put layer after layer with the nut mixture until 1 1/2 inches thick. Then for the middle make a little thicker and spread a little melted butter and another layer as thick; and begin with the thin layers, always sprinkled with the nut mixture, until its about 3 inches thick or less; then put over that a little thicker layer, and sprinkle with butter; then another layer (the last one) on top. Then cut into diamond shapes. Heat 2 tbsp of hot butter as hot as possible and sprinkle it over the whole thing. Then bake it in the over at 375 degrees, or until it is light brown for about 3/4 of an hour.

For the syrup it all depends on how small or large the pan is, but by guess:

3 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of water

Boil this and test it in a glass of cold water by putting a few drops in the glass, to see if it is curdling as it drops in the cold water; then pout it over the Packlova after the syrup has stood for a few minutes, off the stove. It should stay for a few minutes, or maybe five minutes, before you pout it on the Packlova. Then leave it for a few hours before beginning to eat. This is kind of hard to make, but it is a very delicious treat for holidays. Anyone who makes this must make it a few times to learn how it is done. The rolled must be very smooth; this can be done with sandpaper."

RECIPE - Meat pies

Another recipe from the Personal Record & Autobiography of Arick Kezerian (daughter of Nishan Krikor Sherinian).

"Meat Pies, or Salmagon, the old country style

Make a biscuit dough with a little shortening, salt, little baking powder. Cut them the size of an egg; there might be a dozen or a dozen and a half.

Now mix:

1 pound of ground beef
2 large onions, chopped
1 quart of tomatoes or less
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper, black
2 tsp of parsley, if dry; if fresh, use 4 tbsp

Garlic always is good with this if desired; the garlic has to be ground fine or chopped fine.

Take each dough, flatten it with a rolling pin to about the size of a pie plate, the bottom part. Now take a tbsp of the mixture, spread it over the dough, which is already place in the pie plate. You may bake 3 or 4 of these at a time; it all depends on the size of the oven. 375 or 400 degrees. They should be done in 1/2 hr, or when brown. This is always good with a cup of postum [coffee substitute] or fruit."

RECIPE - Dolma

This is a recipe listed in the Personal Record & Autobiography of Arick Kezerian (daughter of Nishan Krikor Sherinian).

"Dolma (Cabbage rolls)

1 head of cabbage, depending on the size
1 pound of hamburger or ground beef; can be more or less than a pound
3 heads of onions, chopped
1 level tablespoon of salt
1/4 tsp of black pepper
1 good tablespoonful of garden sage
1 cup of rice

Limber the cabbage in hot water; it is done quicker by cutting the center of the cabbage, the hard part. When the cabbage leaves are limbered up or softened up, put in cold water, wash well and then put in pan, read to make cabbage rolls.

Now mix the rice, meat, salt, chopped onions, sage and pepper; mix them well with a spoon. Then put about a tbsp of this mixture in each cabbage lieaf and roll them. Put them in a kettle; but first put in the bottom of the kettle some broken dishes, so that the rolls will not touch the bottom of the kettle; then over the broken dishes put one or two green cabbage leaves. Then put your cabbage rolls in row by row, until all the meat mixture and cabbage leaves are used up. Then take 11 tbsp-fuls of salt in a cup of cold or warm water; stir up the salt; then pour it over the rolls; and cook them slowly. It should be done in about an hour and half, or until it is done."

Utah Digital Newspapers

I thought this was cool! Murray was constantly being updated on the European travels of my great-grandfather, Herond Nishan Sheranian during the Depression.

Enjoy the following newspaper clippings here:

Murray Eagle 1933-01-19 "Dr. H.N. Sheranian Will Study in Europe"

Murray Eagle 1933-02-16 "Dr. Sheranian in Vienna"

Murray Eagle 1933-06-18 "Dr. Sheranian Writes of European Conditions"

Armenian Census

This information is straight from wiki.familysearch.org:

In 1867 the Turkish Council of State assumed jurisdiction over all population matters in Turkey (Armenian people currently under their rule).

In 1874 the Council introduced a law regarding census taking and the establishment of an accurate, permanent registration system covering men, women, and children. This new system merged the headcounts and population registration into a single system. The new system was based on three types of registers; the basic register [esas defter ] listing all males with a second column listing the family members; the summary [icmal ] listing the total number of people living in each town village or town quarter based on data from the town registers; and the daily events register [yevmiye vukuat ] which was to include records of births, marriages, deaths, and migrations into or out of each district.

Various political problems delayed the execution of this system although Turkey published estimated population figures for 1876/1878. Regulations of 1881 and 1878 and the law of 1874 were finally implemented in a census which started in 1881 and was completed in 1883.

The 1881/1883 census used several ethnic-religious categories for the Christian population, but all the Muslims continued to be counted as one homogeneous group despite the ethnic and linguistic differences among them.

Possible Films Available (listed in the FHLC)

All films are listed in the Armenian language (frustrating for me). The title details include the available civil registration years as between 1865 and 1930. However, when clicking on “View Film Notes,” everything is listed in Armenian. Title: "Անձնական հաշվառման քարտեր կենսագրական տվյալներով," and I can’t make out which of the 45 possible films would be the correct ones pertaining to the time that our family was living in Zara, Sivas, Armenia/Turkey.

But if the film notes are the correct ones, these are the ones available:

-VAULT INTL Film 2289757-2289763 All Item 1
-VAULT INTL Film 2291078-2291084
-VAULT INTL Film 2291089
-VAULT INTL Film 2286824-2286825

What is frustrating for me, is that even if I finally located these films, the fact that they are in Armenian is a HUGE obstacle for me--because not only do I not know the Armenian language/characters, but I don't even know what the names "Sheranian/Sherinian" or "Sivas" look like in Armenian script.

Other information that can be used to find birth/death records (or christening/burial records is more likely) are the Parish records that could be available. Considering Armenians were Christian, they probably had parish records which listed that information. Too bad (again), I can't read/write/speak Armenian.

Armenia - General History

The information below is gathered from several sources including wikipedia, wiki.familysearch.org, and google (I know. I didn't do any hardcore research, but here are some basics about the country from which our family emigrated):

In 301 A.D., Armenia was the first sovereign nation to accept Christianity as a state religion. The Armenians later fell under Byzantine, Persian and Islamic hegemony, but reinstated their independence with the Bagragunti Dynasty kingdom of Armenia. After the fall of the kingdom in 1045, and the subsequent Seljuk conquest of Armenia in 1064, the Armenians established a kingdom in Cilicia, where they established cordial relations with the Europeans and prolonged their existence as an independent entity to 1375.

Greater Armenia was later divided between the Ottoman Empire and Russia. Armenians then suffered in the genocide that was inflicted on them by the Ottomans. From April 24th, 1915 until 1921, 1.5 million Armenians were killed, totaling almost 80% of the population, and the rest of the Western Armenians were dispersed throughout the world via Syria and Lebanon. Armenia, from then on corresponding to much of Eastern Armenia, once again gained independence in 1918, with the establishment of the Democratic Replublic of Armenia. From 1922-1991 Armenia was a part of the USSR, but was once again made independent in 1991 with the Republic of Armenia.

Armenia lies between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The Republic is now landlocked between Turkey, Georgia and Iran. The country contains many mountain lakes and rivers. The Aras River flows along the eastern border of Armenia along Turkey and into Iran.

Occupationally, Armenians traditionally created beautiful works of art including rug weaving, metal work, and stone carvings. The intricate details of Armenia craftsmanship can be seen on historic buildings and monuments, and is still a form of income for many Armenians. Other occupations included coal mining and copper mining.

Side note here: Rebecca Nigogos Sherinian wove a rug and sent it to Salt Lake City in the late 1890s. Family tradition has it one of the rooms of the temple. It was later removed. Our family has no idea where it is now, although I would be much interested to find it just to have a picture.

Great-grandpa Herond Sheranian states in "Odyssey of an Armenian Doctor" that:

"Mother was considered to be the most expert of all rug weavers in all of Sivas County in Turkish Armenia which was then the center of the rug weaving industry...she sheared her own wool, made her own yarn, chose her own patterns, made her own colors...Apostle Lorenzo Snow of the [Latter-day Saints] Church wrote her a letter of gratitude for a large rug she wove and presented as a gift to the Temple in Salt Lake City, December 13, 1899."

Since the demise of their kingdom, the Armenians have spread into Turkey, Syria, Greece, and throughout the world. Armenians began settling in Greece before the eleventh century. After the War of Independence, the Armenians of Greece rapidly adopted the language and culture of the Greeks and intermarried with them. The Armenians in Greece today are refugees or descendants of those who fled Turkey into Greece in 1895–1896 and 1914–1918, as well as in the 1920s when the most Armenians settled in Greece.

For requests for Armenian Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates:

Chief Department of Civil Registry
Ministry of Justice
8 Khorderdaran Street
Yerevan 375010
(Cost is approximately $25.00 per certificate)

Address for Armenian National Library:

Armyanskaya Biblioteka
ul. Teriana 72
Yerevan 375009

Rebecca N. Sherinian - birthdate

Ok. Please help me discover the real birthdate of Rebecca Nigogos Sherinian!

It is so confusing!

1. AF - 24 Jan 1868 (The date initially submitted to familysearch.org)
   
2. IGI - 24 Jan 1868 (The date used for temple ordinances).
   
3. Odyssey of an Armenian Doctor - Cal 1868
1. It is listed that she was married at 18 years old. If she was, and they were married on 23 Nov 1886, she was born in 1868.
   
4. Personal History of Arick Kezerian - 24 Jan 1868
   
1. It is listed that she was married at 16 years old. If she was, and they were married on 23 Nov 1886, she was born in 1870 [Cal].
   
5. Death certificate - 24 Jan 1873 (This would make Rebecca 13 years old when she married Nishan!!)
   
6. Death certificate calculated - Cal 24 Jan 1873
   
1. Calculated with 1 Jan 1928 as the death date, and with age at death listed as 54 years, 11 months, and 7 days.

So, with this information, now we get to dissect it and figure out what should be considered the true birthday.

Her death certificate could be considered a good source of information since it was filled out by her husband--however, we also have to take into consideration that she might have lied about her age while she was married, OR her parents lied about her age when she was married, making her older, or younger, depending on what they wanted.

I am going to say that I'm absolutely certain that Rebecca N.'s birthday month and day are definitely January 24th. The year, however, is the problem. We've got 1868, 1870, and 1873.

Should we trust 1873 on the the death certificate filled out by the husband, Nishan K.?

Or should we trust 1868 on the records of the oldest son and daughter of Rebecca N. and Nishan K.? I believe that these two records were the sources of the information used in both the AF and the IGI--so I am not counting them as additional sources proving that her birthday is in 1868.

Any thoughts? Comments? Additional information?

Rebecca Nigogos Sherinian

Rebecca is the wife of Nishan Krikor Sherinian.

On familysearch.org there are a lot of different databases to search for individual names, such as the:

Ancestral File (AF)
Pedigree Resource File (PRF)
International Genealogical Index (IGI)
U.S. Social Security Death Index (SSDI)
Family History Library Catalog (FHLC)

These are only a few of the many different searchable databases available online.

In relation to Rebecca, in every database on familysearch.org, her birthdate is listed with a different year. It was so vexing! I didn't know what to put in my own PAF. Well, in searching different databases, I came across this website: archives.state.ut.us

Go to this website! You have to see what I found!

Type in the surname: Sheranian
It will come up with a list of names. The one that is relevant is:
Rebecca Sheranian (and Rebecca N Sheranian--they are the same)

You can also type in: Sherinian
It will come up with another list of names. The one that is relevant is:
George Sherinian

(The other Sheranian/Sherinian names ARE relevant, just not to the project I am doing right now for my Family History class.)

Click on the names, and you will see that you can click on an image of their Death Certificate!!

Hence, not only did I find the REAL birthdate of Rebecca Nigogos (it is 24 Jan 1873), but I found the information on George's death--his nickname was George, but his given name was Krikor Nishan Sherinian, a son born to Rebecca and Nishan Krikor in Sivas, Turkey just before they emigrated to Utah. If you can't read the death certificate, it says that he died from a pile of lumber falling on his neck at 3 years old! =( How devastating! I can't even imagine!

Interesting Tidbits (Nishan Krikor)

I found out something new about my great-great grandfather, Nishan Krikor Sherinian. I knew that he was married to Rebecca and emigrated to the United States with her. But I had no idea that after he died, he married a DIFFERENT Rebecca in France of all places! And this is during the time that he was translating the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price for the Church.

Marriages:

Spouse 1- Rebecca Nigogos Sherinian
Marriage: 23 Nov 1886 Zara, Sivas, Turkey
Sealing to Spouse: 25 Nov 1903 SLAKE

Spouse 2- Rebecca Taras Arabian
Marriage: 14 Sep 1929 Marseilles, Bouches-Du-Rhone, France
Sealing to Spouse: 21 Feb 1930 SLAKE

Book of Mormon, D&C, Pearl of Great Price Translations into Armenian:

(You can find these listings at book.google.com--type in the name Nishan Krikor Sherinian).

Title: Vartabedwovtivn yev wovkhdyer ar Hiswovs Khrisdosi Verzin-Avwovr Srpwotz Yegyeghyetzvwohn Author: Nishan Krikor Sherinian Type: Book, Armenian Publisher: Los Angeles, Hwovh H. Botchajyean, 1941. Available at: Brigham Young University, Yale University, Princeton University Notes: Doctrine and Covenants Translated into Armenian

Title: Myedzakin Markarid Author: Nishan Krikor Sherinian Type: Book, Armenian Publisher: Los Angeles, Hwovh H. Botchajyean, 1941. Available: Brigham Young University, Yale University, Princeton University Notes: Pearl of Great Price Translated into Armenian

Title: Mormoni Grkhin; Mez grkheroun anounnern ou kargr
Author: Nishan Krikor Sherinian Type: Book, Armenian Publisher: Los Angeles, Nishan K. Sherinian, 1937 Notes: Book of Mormon Translated into Armenian Available: BYU Libray, U of U, Weber State, Huntington Library Art & Botanical Garden, Glendale Public Library, UCLA Library, USC Library, UC Berkeley Library, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Library of Congress, Princeton University, Yale University.

These are some of the results on books.google.com. Nishan Krikor is mentioned in some of the books/newspapers listed:

-Young Woman's Journal: Organ of the Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations
By Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Association, Salt Lake City, Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations of Zion
Published by The Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations of Zion, 1901
Item notes: v. 12 (1901)
Original from the New York Public Library
Digitized Jun 16, 2008
(Nishan K. Sherinian mentioned on p51).

-The Latter-Day Saints Millennial Star
Published by P. Pratt, 1841
Item notes: v.62 (1900)
Original from Harvard University
Digitized Sep 24, 2008
(Nishan K. Sherinian mentioned on p 235 in 1841).

-Beehive History By Utah State Historical Society Published by Utah State Historical Society., 1997 Original from the University of Virginia Digitized Jan 10, 2008 (Nishan K. Sherinian mentioned on p10).

Research Log Template

For those interested in research, it's really easy to lose information or forget where you got certain information! But it's really important to cite sources, especially considering church ordinances. So here is a template for keeping track of research! It is available as a pdf file on familysearch.org--where you can also download PAF and look up family records for free!

Interesting Tidbits (Herond)

I have been reading "Odyssey of an Armenian Doctor." It has been so much fun to read! According to my grandfather, Richard Sheranian, Grandpa Herond was an exaggerator, and may have twisted or exaggerated a lot of his book to "make it sell." But, here are the basics of some cool things about Grandpa Herond--if his book is even somewhat true.

I will keep a running list of interesting things about members of the Sheranian family.

Herond Nishan Sheranian
-Born in Armenia (Turkey at the time).
-Emigrated to USA in 1902 with his family.
-Graduated from Columbia University with a medical degree.
-Founded two different hospitals in Murray, UT which are still around today.
-Decided to specialize in opthamalogy.
-Studied under the two most famous eye doctors of the time in Vienna for two years.
-Saved the eye of a rich Indian Maharajah.
-Met and spoke with Gandhi.

Personal Autobiography of Arick Sheranian Kezerian

Arick Nishan Sheranian is the sister of Herond Nishan Sheranian. My freshman year at BYU, I found a copy of her personal autobiography in the Special Collections of the Harold B. Lee Library.

Title: Personal record and autobiography
Author: Arick Sheranian Kezerian
Published: 1950
W/help of: Nishan Herond Sheranian (son of Herond Nishan Sheranian).
Location: HBLL Special Collections, MSS 129, Zc 11/1/F 5 Box 352
Accessed: Friday, 16 January 2009 for pedigree charts.

Odyssey of an Armenian Doctor

This is a self-published book written by my great-grandfather, Herond Nishan Sheranian, M.D. It was published in 1970. I personally have a copy of this Book of Remembrance. There is a lot information included: not just memories and feelings, but names and dates of family. There are no pedigree charts or family group records included. I've had to search for information page by page. I have added this information to my PAF file for the Sheranian family.

By the way, Herond Nishan changed the name from Sherinian (his birth surname) to Sheranian after his emigration to America. I have always been under the impression (secondary source from Grandpa Richard Sheranian) that he did so as a means of "Americanizing" our Armenian name. I should probably verify my vague memory of that explanation. =D

Family History

I am taking a Genealogy class this semester at BYU. It is my last semester here, as I graduate in April in Communication Disorders. But I have been bit by the family history bug and am intrigued by the idea of keeping a blog as my research log. So, here goes!!