Preserving the global Armenian experience through photography
-Project Save founder Ruth Thomasian
From 1978 to 2022, Project Save founder Ruth Thomasian recorded an extensive collection of Oral Histories. Thomasian traveled the United States gathering the testimonies of +700 photo donors and their direct family members, many of whom were Armenian Genocide survivors. These touching interviews provide crucial information about the donors’ photographs, like specific dates, locations, subjects’ names, and other contextual information.
Project Save is actively working on digitizing and transcribing these interviews so they are accessible to the public.
Date: November 27th, 1983
Topics: Life and employment in Armenia before and during the Armenian Genocide, surviving the Genocide, immigrating to America, German orphanages (Bird’s Nest Orphanage)
Date: February 4-8th, 1984
Topics: Surviving the Genocide, death of family members during the Genocide, surviving the Death March, “relocation” caravans
CW: torture, violence
Date: March 9, 1984
Topics: Worcester and Whitinsville Armenians, local businesses, Eddie’s Fruit Stand, story of donor’s father working on the railroad
Date: May 24th, 1983
Topics: Emigration to Argentina, transportation and travel, Description of an Armenian dwelling and funeral practice, English/French army, trade, Jordan Marsh Company rugs
Date: July 14th, 1984
Topics: Life in the Mezreh village, the start of the 1915 massacres, forced marriage to an Arab boy
CW: domestic violence, suicide attempt
Date: February 3rd, 1984
Topics: Family history, father’s plight during the Genocide, massacres and relocation, story of being “adopted” by a Turkish family, an interesting song sung to her father by her brother to alert him of impending danger
Date: July 6th, 1983
Topics: Deportation to Aleppo as a young man, life in California, working on a vineyard, learning trades
Date: October 22nd, 1988
Topics: Family history, emigration to the US, surviving the Genocide (because of their profession as photographers), growth of the family business, photographic process
Date: August 8, 1983
Topics: Silk production, family support, silk factory in an Armenian village in Kharpert, surviving the 1915 massacres and the fate of her father.
CW: descriptions of torture
