Connectng our Past , Present , and Future …
Our archival collections function as an overarching connective tissue , blanketing each unique aspect of the Cemetery and giving us insight into our past that helps us understand our present and make decisions for our future . While our Historical Collections represent a unique reference source for the public , this connection is a two-way avenue because our patrons and clients also share precious family items with us that provide a greater understanding of the lives and legacies of those interred here .
Historical Collections : Connecting Legacies
By Lauren Marsh , Communications Grants & Events Coordinator and Meg L . Winslow , Curator of Historical Collections
Mount Auburn ’ s Historical Collections department is a community resource where present generations can come to learn about their family roots through genealogical research , whether they are simply looking up family information in lot records or uncovering recently documented inscriptions recorded during our annual Monument Inscription Workshop . This relationship works both ways , and people frequently share cherished objects and images with our archives that allow us to reflect on the past and understand our place in the lives of those interred here . ( See page 13 for more information on our Historical Collections Department .)
As an example , during a Friends of Mount Auburn event for Charter Members held in October 2010 , Jeannette John of Watertown , a retired U . S . diplomat , was having a conversation with Meg Winslow about her family connections to the Cemetery . When Meg asked if there were any photographs of the family at Mount Auburn , Ms . John later brought in some pictures of her family spanning
Top : Angele Magarian , taken at decades of visits here . Both her Mount Auburn ’ s Egyptian Revival grandmother , Markrid Apamian Gateway on Easter , April 5 , 1953 . Magarian ( d . 12 / 13 / 1952 ), and
her mother , Angele Magarian
Above : Jeannette John ( third from left ) with ( l-r ) her older sister , Mrs . ( d . 10 / 26 / 1987 ), are interred in Marguerite Daniell and nephews the family lot on Poppy Path . Dana and Stephen Daniell , taken Originally , Markrid was buried in 1967 during Easter at the original in a lot on Sycamore Ave with family lot on Sycamore Ave . only two spaces , but years later
the family purchased a new lot with additional space and relocated her there .
Ms . John ’ s family originated in Armenia , the first Christian country ( 301 A . D .). Both Markrid and Angele were survivors of the Armenian genocide in 1915 by the Ottoman Turks and in 1922 by the Young Turks . In 1915 , they escaped Bandirma , Turkey , by train to Konya where they walked for days in the Syrian Desert and ended up in a Druze Village two hours from the center of Damascus , Syria . The Druze were neither Muslims nor Christians , but practiced an esoteric religion . Her grandmother , mother , and her two aunts were taken in by this village and lived among them for three years in a mud hut shared with two other Armenian refugee families . They returned to Bandirma in 1918 . They escaped again in 1922 just before the second genocide when the Young Turks were fast approaching the town . Markrid ’ s cousin rented a French ship , taking their family , along with other inhabitants of the town , to Istanbul .
The family eventually emigrated to the U . S . where they settled in the South End of Boston . Ms . John , urged by her mother and sister , pursued a career in the U . S . Foreign Service . It was an opportunity to travel , and her first assignment took her to Jordan for two years where she was taken under the wing of the small Armenian community there — an experience that she will always treasure .
Visiting Mount Auburn over the decades has become a ritual in her family since her grandmother ’ s death in 1952 . “ My mother had visited many cemeteries around Boston by the time my grandmother died ,” says Ms . John ,“ and she was always set on the fact that she wanted her to be at Mount Auburn because it was the best .” The family visits frequently , especially the day after each of the five main Armenian holidays . The pictures she has shared with Historical Collections chronicle some of these visits , which extended to her nephews and now her grandnephews .“ When other members of my family visit , they all marvel at how beautiful Mount Auburn is .”
Ms . John ’ s amazing family story not only helps us to understand and appreciate their special connection to us , but also the similar stories of the many other Armenian families now buried at Mount Auburn who emigrated to Watertown from Armenia in the early 20th century . We welcome more materials from the families of those interred here .
If you have anything of significance to share with Historical Collections , please contact Meg Winslow at mwinslow @ mountauburn . org .
The preserved maps and materials archived in Historical Collections help us to understand the history of our use of water . This land has been part of the aquifer beneath it since before it was a Cemetery , and as we look toward the future sustainability and enhancement of this landscape and its many resources , we will continue to make thoughtful choices that serve to benefit both Mount Auburn and the surrounding community .
2 | Sweet Auburn