‘KHATCHKAR’ MEMORIAL FOR CIVIL WAR SAILOR GETS GO AHEAD WITH MAJOR DONATION
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July 15, 2009
PHILADELPHIA, Pa.–With an anonymous donation of $10,000, the project
for a khatchkar (Armenian cross-stone) memorial for the only Armenian
to have served in the American Civil War will go ahead, said Sandra
Selverian, president of the Philadelphia Armenian-American Veterans
Association (PAAVA).
"However, we are making this final appeal for more donations to have
a perpetual-care program for the grave site," she said.
Khachadour Garabedian was born near Constantinople and emigrated
to Lowell, Mass. in the 1850’s. He worked as a machinist, became an
American citizen, and enlisted in the Union Navy during the Civil War,
where he held officer rank. He served aboard two ships engaged in
the blockade of Southern ports–along the Atlantic Coast and later
in the Gulf of Mexico.
Garabedian was discharged in Philadelphia in August 1865, and remained
there, becoming the first Armenian in the city. He married into a
prominent Philadelphia family, and died in 1881. He is buried in
Fernwood Cemetery, in southwest Philadelphia. He and his wife had
no children.
Garabedian was "discovered" by chance by Gary Kooltokian of Chelmsford,
Mass., who uncovered Garabedian’s early20years in America.
"The reason we needed a gravestone for Garabedian," said Paul
Sookiasian, who has carried out extensive research into Garabedian’s
life, "is that the original stone disintegrated in the 1950’s and his
grave is without a marker. We thought that a traditional khatchkar
would be an ideal replacement." Sookiasian brought the Garabedian
story to PAAVA, which readily agreed to undertake a fundraising drive
for the memorial.
The 10-year-old PAAVA is made up of veterans from the tri-state
Philadelphia area, as well as former Philadelphians who want to retain
their ties with the area. At its peak, it had more than 420 members,
and enjoys the support of all five churches in the area, with members
serving on the PAAVA Board.
The date for the unveiling ceremony has not yet been set.
To make a tax-exempt donation to the khatchkar memorial, send a check
(payable to "PAAVA Civil War Project") to Richard Weinsheimer, # 229,
300 Ernest Way, Philadelphia, PA 19111.