Amir Hovhanes Amirkhan - Foreword by the editor of this website.
Foreword to this part of the website by the editor (Diaspora of gens):
As said before I was not aware about my Armenian family's background since I was an orphan from my birth on. I was totally unknown and like everybody else in the younger years of one's life, I focussed on my study and carreer and marriage. It lasted till dec 2010 before I decided to investigate all for once and for all. Thanks to almanacs, historical documents and such more. I was rewarded with lots and lots and lots... but not all. Questionmarks still remain here and there.
Such question marks were:
- There was a trader at Semarang and he was called Amir Hovhanes. It was Agha's town. Who was this Amir? What was he doing there? Bothering Agha Hovsep being a competitor? (The Dutch almanacs noted his name as Amerkhan Amir Johannes.)
- There was a department store owner called Paulus Johannes (Boghos Hovhanes.)
- There was a photographer called Cornelis Johannes and there was another photographer C.M. Johannes.
- There was Petrus Paulus Johannes.
- And there were more question marks to me. And lots of puzzles with unknown answers to me.
I resigned my self to the idea that I would not find anymore, unless a miracle would happen or something like that. My sources in the Netherlands were not inexhaustable, since the former Dutch Indies Adminstration were not keen to adminstrate all about the Armenians in former Dutch Indies.
It was in 2011 that I met uncle Armen Joseph for who had been the most well known historian about Armenian matters in the Netherlands. However uncle Armen had reached a high well respected age and had submitted his private archives to the Dutch Achives who did not make it accessable for common public.
I happen to know uncle Armen for some 2 years and he honestly told me to continue finding my roots in my own way, as I had already reached most of my goals and he was very sure that I would find more. Uncle Armen was tired of living and I am happy that I had found him and he and I spoke each day by Phone about all matters in life, but none about matters which I was seeking. We spoke mostly about the city we both had been living in: Surabaya Indonesia. He left Surabaya immediately after the ending of WW2 in 1946 and I was able to tell him all about the years after 1946 till todate.
It was one evening in July 2013 that I called him and that evening he said goodbye to me as he was already preparing himself for his final journey back home to our Lord Almighty. Somebody brought me the news, that he has passed away the next morning.
It was not a miracle though, it was Anna - 2 years later in 2015 - who appealed to the Lord Almighty as she had been assigned by her father Agha Hovsep to spread the word in 1835. And the Lord Almighty was merciful and Agha Hovsep was merciful and Anna did what she had to do and guided some readers on earth to me by means of visiting my earlier and other website about Agha Hovsep, being:
http://www.imexbo.nl/joseph-johannes-1.html (in Dutch)
http://www.imexbo.nl/jacob-joseph-s-zoon-1.html (in Dutch)
It was July 2015 and I received a book from New Julfa, sent by Avo (Avetic) Amirkhanian and Nikid Mirzayan. Avo and Nikid compiled and published a book: The Genealogy of the Amirkhan Family and finally my puzzles and question marks were almost resolved.... Anna had done what Agha Hovsep required from her and she passed through the gens of our forefathers to me after such long journeys.
I have found my family and my family has found me: Our Armenian gens were like magnets and had attracted each other, irrespectively time and distance .
Thanks to Hovann Simonian, Administrator of The Family Tree Armenian DNA Project (together with Peter Hrechdakian) , Author of the book The Hemshin, who brought Nikid Mirzayan , Khachatur Dadayan and me together. And thanks to uncle Armen Joseph who believed in me finding my roots. It was he who pushed me to go on seeking what I was looking for. He did not help me, just simply: OK go on this way or Not OK, take another road.... And I promised him that I would not fail and stop till I had reached my goal unless I was called home to the Lord
Pictures: From left to right Avo (my newly found cousin in New Julfa Isfahan Iran), Nikid and Hovann (my newly found friends for which I am gratefull), uncle Armen Joseph(+7th July 2013). Pls refer to the page of Khachatur Dadayan for his picture.
