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