https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://providencejournal-ri-app.newsmemory.com/?publink=2e0dd295d__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!_EKMryE5xnTgx63kEsdAAOFZhwbIFgtSm7-WPYGodHWJF5fUL3nQcb2CvFGu1g$ Our Hidden History Varoujan Karentz Guest columnist Unlike most immigrants settling in Rhode Island in the early 1900s, the hundreds of Armenians fleeing genocide after 1915 usually came as single people. Most were orphans whose families were either dead or lost, and they arrived after first trying elsewhere in the Middle East and Europe. Yet they recovered from their trauma enough to both build productive lives and preserve their identity. Most settled in Providence, along Douglas and Chalkstone avenues in Smith Hill, with help from fellow Armenians who had arrived in numbers in the 1890s. Twenty to 30 men, often from the same district in Turkey, would share a triple-decker until finding jobs and housing elsewhere. A strong bond developed from the realization they were sole survivors and their heritage must not be lost. Three Armenian Christian churches helped to maintain that bond. Most came by ship from Europe to New York, then by train to Providence. Others came directly by ship into the Port of Providence near Allens Avenue, especially the ?Fabre Line? from Marseilles, France. Both received help from Travelers Aid at the old Union Station, with Armenian volunteers to help the majority who spoke no English. Jobs were the main draw. Providence, Pawtucket and Central Falls were in dire need of factory workers, and managers didn?t mind that Armenians couldn?t speak English. Some arrivals met foremen right on the dock with pieces of paper telling where to report to work. But the best way to understand their settling here is with individual stories. When Mesrob Echmalian arrived in New York, he had stayed up all night gazing at the city lights. The Ellis Island doctor, believing his bloodshot eyes were diseased, sent him back to England. Three months later he found a ship sailing directly to Providence ? making sure to sleep well before arrival. For 20 years he refused to visit New York City, for fear the doctor might again deport him. Echmalian settled in Edgewood and operated a grocery store there. Hampartzum Gulesserian was in a Protestant orphanage in Harpoot, Turkey, when an American missionary director, Henry Riggs, noted he was a good student. Riggs arranged for him to attend medical school in Beirut, after which Gulesserian returned to Harpoot and started a family. But when World War I broke out, he was forced to treat wounded Turkish soldiers ? while his family received a guard to protect them from the ongoing genocide. With help from American missionaries, including members of the Riggs family here, Gulesserian and his family eventually made their way to Providence in 1924. He set up an office on Smith Street and practiced medicine for 40 years. Satenig (Gulistan) Asadoorian arrived from Canada in 1925, hidden in a burlap bag in the trunk of a car and driven to a prearranged marriage in Providence. For nearly two decades she lived in fear of deportation, and even changed her name. Then World War II broke out and her oldest son, Paul, went to the Pacific aboard a U.S. Navy assault ship. She now felt she had every right to be a citizen, and marched over to the immigration office from her home in Edgewood, demanding her papers. She then proudly hung the red, white and blue ?S? flag (for serviceman in the family), facing busy Narragansett Boulevard for all to see. Despite these difficult beginnings, Armenian immigrants and their children went on to serve as state judges and General Assembly lawmakers, as well as mayor of Warwick. Seven have been inducted into the state?s Heritage Hall of Fame, including the most decorated World War II veteran, Harry Kizirian. People throughout the state will join in the annual commemoration of the genocide on April 24. Varoujan Karentz lives in Jamestown, where he is a retired corporate executive. He has written extensively on the state?s history, including ?Mitchnapert the Citadel: A History of Armenians in Rhode Island.? He is co-author of ?Untold Stories of World War II Rhode Island.?