His Der Avedisian ancestors were originally from the village of Arapkir in Turkey, but at some point moved to the Erzincan region where Haroutune was likely born. He had blue eyes. He was a baker like his father and lived in Mama Hatun village (now Tercan) outside Erzincan. In May 1915 the Armenian Genocide began and the Armenian men of the village were being systematically rounded up. The Der Avedisian family tried to hide their neighbors who were being targeted and killed but to not avail. Then Haroutune's brother Arshag was taken away by some Turks of the village under the guise of reporting to the army. Haroutune went looking for him and was told that perhaps some Kurds got him, but it was not a convincing story and it was clear those Turks had killed him. Haroutune was spared because he was needed as the baker for the local Turkish soldiers.
After most of the men had been killed, the women and children of the village were rounded up and deported on a death march. Haroutune fled the tummult and escaped into the Russian controlled town of Erzurum and then into the Caucasus region. He had offered to take his nephew Kevork with him but he refused to leave his mother and was deported with the rest of his family. Haroutune settled in Ganja, Azerbaijan for a time and later in Yerevan, Armenia. He married a woman named Vartiter and had three children, daughters Annig and Mannig and a son Vasken. Vasken was killed fighting in the Soviet Army during World War II which devastated the family. In the early 1962 due to an easing of Cold War tensions, Haroutune's only surviving sibling Kerope was able to make a visit to Yerevan from the United States to see him after a separation of decades. Kerope had resisted the Turks in the region of Cilicia, then went to America and then to the Soviet Union in the late 1920s, which was the last time they had seen each other. Haroutune had diabetes in his last years and died in 1969. His daughter moved to Moscow and perhaps so is Vartiter, as she doesn't appear to be buried with him, at least her name is not there. Haroutune's name is spelled here in the Western Armenian transliteration, however in Eastern Armenian, the language of Armenia where he died, it is rendered in English as Harutyun Hakobi Ter Avetisyan.
After most of the men had been killed, the women and children of the village were rounded up and deported on a death march. Haroutune fled the tummult and escaped into the Russian controlled town of Erzurum and then into the Caucasus region. He had offered to take his nephew Kevork with him but he refused to leave his mother and was deported with the rest of his family. Haroutune settled in Ganja, Azerbaijan for a time and later in Yerevan, Armenia. He married a woman named Vartiter and had three children, daughters Annig and Mannig and a son Vasken. Vasken was killed fighting in the Soviet Army during World War II which devastated the family. In the early 1962 due to an easing of Cold War tensions, Haroutune's only surviving sibling Kerope was able to make a visit to Yerevan from the United States to see him after a separation of decades. Kerope had resisted the Turks in the region of Cilicia, then went to America and then to the Soviet Union in the late 1920s, which was the last time they had seen each other. Haroutune had diabetes in his last years and died in 1969. His daughter moved to Moscow and perhaps so is Vartiter, as she doesn't appear to be buried with him, at least her name is not there. Haroutune's name is spelled here in the Western Armenian transliteration, however in Eastern Armenian, the language of Armenia where he died, it is rendered in English as Harutyun Hakobi Ter Avetisyan.
His Der Avedisian ancestors were originally from the village of Arapkir in Turkey, but at some point moved to the Erzincan region where Haroutune was likely born. He had blue eyes. He was a baker like his father and lived in Mama Hatun village (now Tercan) outside Erzincan. In May 1915 the Armenian Genocide began and the Armenian men of the village were being systematically rounded up. The Der Avedisian family tried to hide their neighbors who were being targeted and killed but to not avail. Then Haroutune's brother Arshag was taken away by some Turks of the village under the guise of reporting to the army. Haroutune went looking for him and was told that perhaps some Kurds got him, but it was not a convincing story and it was clear those Turks had killed him. Haroutune was spared because he was needed as the baker for the local Turkish soldiers.
After most of the men had been killed, the women and children of the village were rounded up and deported on a death march. Haroutune fled the tummult and escaped into the Russian controlled town of Erzurum and then into the Caucasus region. He had offered to take his nephew Kevork with him but he refused to leave his mother and was deported with the rest of his family. Haroutune settled in Ganja, Azerbaijan for a time and later in Yerevan, Armenia. He married a woman named Vartiter and had three children, daughters Annig and Mannig and a son Vasken. Vasken was killed fighting in the Soviet Army during World War II which devastated the family. In the early 1962 due to an easing of Cold War tensions, Haroutune's only surviving sibling Kerope was able to make a visit to Yerevan from the United States to see him after a separation of decades. Kerope had resisted the Turks in the region of Cilicia, then went to America and then to the Soviet Union in the late 1920s, which was the last time they had seen each other. Haroutune had diabetes in his last years and died in 1969. His daughter moved to Moscow and perhaps so is Vartiter, as she doesn't appear to be buried with him, at least her name is not there. Haroutune's name is spelled here in the Western Armenian transliteration, however in Eastern Armenian, the language of Armenia where he died, it is rendered in English as Harutyun Hakobi Ter Avetisyan.
After most of the men had been killed, the women and children of the village were rounded up and deported on a death march. Haroutune fled the tummult and escaped into the Russian controlled town of Erzurum and then into the Caucasus region. He had offered to take his nephew Kevork with him but he refused to leave his mother and was deported with the rest of his family. Haroutune settled in Ganja, Azerbaijan for a time and later in Yerevan, Armenia. He married a woman named Vartiter and had three children, daughters Annig and Mannig and a son Vasken. Vasken was killed fighting in the Soviet Army during World War II which devastated the family. In the early 1962 due to an easing of Cold War tensions, Haroutune's only surviving sibling Kerope was able to make a visit to Yerevan from the United States to see him after a separation of decades. Kerope had resisted the Turks in the region of Cilicia, then went to America and then to the Soviet Union in the late 1920s, which was the last time they had seen each other. Haroutune had diabetes in his last years and died in 1969. His daughter moved to Moscow and perhaps so is Vartiter, as she doesn't appear to be buried with him, at least her name is not there. Haroutune's name is spelled here in the Western Armenian transliteration, however in Eastern Armenian, the language of Armenia where he died, it is rendered in English as Harutyun Hakobi Ter Avetisyan.
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