Telling our children stories about their ancestors’ experiences is a powerful way we can help turn our posterity’s’ hearts towards their fathers.
My grandfather, Armanag Kezerian, was born in a small village in Armenia called Zara, Sivas. When my grandfather was at the tender age of three his father died and his mother was taken from him. He was sent to live with his grandparents who soon died (he was five). Having nowhere else to go and being an orphan, he became a sheep herder in the mountains, herding wild sheep and goats. He would milk the goats and trade the milk in the town for the things he needed.
Years went by and one day missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints found him on the mountain and taught him the gospel. Despite language barriers between he and the missionaries, my grandfather felt the Holy Ghost witness the truth of the gospel and was soon baptized, becoming a member of the Church and part of the small, Armenian branch in Zara, Sivas.
The Turkish government began to invade Armenia, and in 1910, when my Grandfather was 18-years-old, Turkey began forcing Armenian men 18 years and older to join its military. The military officials could not speak Armenian, so they felt for a beard on the men’s cheeks to help determine their age. Miraculously, despite being 18, my Grandfather did not have beard and the Turkish government let him go free.
Soon after this, a missionary from the Church arranged for my Grandfather’s passage on a boat to Marseille, France and then on to America. However, this trip came with a price. My Grandfather worked on the missionary’s farm in Utah for three years to repay his passage. During this time, he thought of the members in his Armenian branch. Little did he know that one of those members would later become his wife.
My Grandmother, Arick Sheranian, came from a well-to-do family who joined the church in Armenia where her father later served as the Branch President. After coming to America, she and her family settled in Murray, Utah and operated a mercantile store. Soon after my Grandfather finished working on the missionary’s farm, he moved to Murray where he could be near the other Armenian saints. My Grandmother knew and remembered Armenag the orphan. Soon after my Grandmother and Grandfather were reunited they fell in love and were the first Armenian couple to be married in the Salt Lake Temple.
My Grandfather’s favorite word was, “posterity.” Being an orphan, he longed for and valued family. He and my Grandmother were blessed with eight children, all successful college graduates. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the great equalizer. Heavenly Father literally plucked my Grandfather off a mountain in Armenia and blessed him with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This in turn has blessed me and my family with the gospel and sacred temple ordinances.
Temple ordinances make it possible for our families to be together forever, making an eternal link that binds us to our forefathers and them to us. We need each other. In the scriptures the Lord repeatedly urges the people to remember their forefathers and how they were delivered time and time again by the Lord. Remembering these moments strengthens me during difficult times, knowing that if the Lord delivered my forefathers from their afflictions, He can surely deliver me from mine. It has been a remarkable blessing to search out my ancestors and offer the temple blessings they stand ready to receive.
Uploading our ancestors’ stories, as well as our own stories, in Family Search is an amazing way to make them readily accessible to our children, grandchildren and future posterity. Remembering our ancestors and doing their temple work will strengthen us in all times and be a blessing in both this life and the eternities. — Kathleen Vargo, Temple and Family History Consultant, Willow Creek Stake
*These blog articles may help you as you research your Armenian Family