13.05.2025


The collections of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) continue to grow through valuable donations. On May 10, the children of renowned agronomist Toros (Jamkochyan) Tadevosyan; a survivor of the Armenian Genocide who was placed in the Turkish orphanage of Antoura and later settled in Soviet Armenia, visited the AGMI and donated personal materials belonging to their father. The donation included photographs, handwritten notes, and his graduation certificate from the Thessaloniki Agricultural College.

During the event, AGMI Director Edita Gzoyan welcomed the guests, and Shushan Khachatryan, head of the AGMI’s Department for the Documentation and Study of Victims and Survivors of the Armenian Genocide, presented a brief overview of Toros Tadevosyan’s experience at the Antoura orphanage. She emphasized his story as an example of forced Turkification and the resilience to reclaim Armenian identity, enriching the museum’s knowledge about other survivors of Antoura who had similar experiences and later shared their memories.

Toros Tadevosyan’s children—Berta, Hermes, and Ares Tadevosyan, shared memories of their father’s life: from his birth in the city of Kuruin (Sepastia province), deportation during the genocide, the loss of his family, his time at the Turkish orphanage, and eventually establishing a life and family in Soviet Armenia. Ares Tadevosyan recounted that at Antoura, their father’s name was changed to Ahmed, and he was forbidden to speak Armenian. To resist forced assimilation, he chose to isolate himself and secretly speak Armenian to preserve his native language.

They also recalled their father's deep gratitude to Bertha Morley, an American woman who adopted 11 Armenian orphans from Antoura, including Toros Tadevosyan, and gave her name to his daughter in her honor. Among the adopted children were Harutyun Alboyajyan, Toros Karapetyan, Taguhi Gyurjyan, and Vertayim Svazlyan.

Though emotionally difficult, the Tadevosyan family decided that these cherished personal belongings rightfully belong in the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, where they can be studied and shared with the broader public. Director Edita Gzoyan expressed deep gratitude for the significant donation, stressing that the materials will serve both academic research and museum exhibitions, contributing to the preservation and transmission of survivor stories.