Krikor came from the town of Sivas (Sepastia), Turkey. His father was a wealthy furrier. While April 5, 1866 is his official birthdate, different records also give dates of 1868, 1872 and 1876, which are more likely if his mother's given birth year of 1852 is accurate, though that date probably isn't exact either. Krikor was well-educated and became a French professor in Sivas. His wife Yakout attended a missionary school as a young girl and married Krikor when she was around 18 years old. Their first three children Aram, Dickran (Richard), and Arousiag. His wife Yakout foresaw the targeting of the Armenian population by the Turkish government would only get worse, and so at her urging the family left for Egypt. This was not an easy decision, as Krikor was in a prominent position in society, but they took the chance in leaving. Oral history states that they had sailed on a cattle ship to Egypt during which they had to stay with the animals. A large storm hit and all their possessions were swept overboard, leaving them as destitute immigrants.
The family account also noted they lived in Alexandria, however a census of 1906-1907 has them living in the Bulaq neighborhood of Cairo. Arriving with nothing, Krikor was assisted by the Armenian philanthropist Boghos Nubar Pasha to get work and set up a life for themselves. However Krikor's job as a trolly conductor was a far cry from the life he had in Sivas. It appears they decided to join Krikor's brother in Connecticut, as there is an Ottoman passport requesting to emigrate issue in January 1907, apparently made at Sivas which implies the family might have had to return home to obtain permission to leave. Their ship manifest to America lists their last place of residence as Alexandria, so presumably after Sivas they indeed stopped in Alexandria for a couple months to a year before sailing to Trieste from where they took the ship S.S. Carpathia to America. If there were two trips to Egypt, either one could have been the time they lost everything, but it was more likely the first one since the family account never even mentioned two trips. They arrived at Ellis Island on July 8, 1908 and headed to Krikor's brother Armenag in New Haven, Connecticut. In a tragic coincidence, Armenag's four year old son Haig died just days later on July 11, so he lost his son just as his brother's family arrived. Yakout did not like New Haven and preferred to go to Philadelphia where her brother lived, so after about a year they moved there, where their last two children Haig and Rose were born. The family lived in poverty at 308 North Front Street, from which they ran a fruit stand and grocery. Krikor would go to the nearby docks and purchase broken crates of fruit at a discount for resale. He never attained anywhere close to the prominence he would have had as a professor in Sivas, however in 1915 the Armenian population there was massacred, just as had been feared, so the difficult choice to leave likely saved their lives. In his later years, Krikor moved alone to start a business in Tampa, Florida and was living there in 1935. After becoming ill, he return to Philadelphia and was amazed to see the nice new house his family had purchased, having built up their lives from nothing over their decades in America. Krikor died of prostate cancer which had spread to his liver and lungs.
The family account also noted they lived in Alexandria, however a census of 1906-1907 has them living in the Bulaq neighborhood of Cairo. Arriving with nothing, Krikor was assisted by the Armenian philanthropist Boghos Nubar Pasha to get work and set up a life for themselves. However Krikor's job as a trolly conductor was a far cry from the life he had in Sivas. It appears they decided to join Krikor's brother in Connecticut, as there is an Ottoman passport requesting to emigrate issue in January 1907, apparently made at Sivas which implies the family might have had to return home to obtain permission to leave. Their ship manifest to America lists their last place of residence as Alexandria, so presumably after Sivas they indeed stopped in Alexandria for a couple months to a year before sailing to Trieste from where they took the ship S.S. Carpathia to America. If there were two trips to Egypt, either one could have been the time they lost everything, but it was more likely the first one since the family account never even mentioned two trips. They arrived at Ellis Island on July 8, 1908 and headed to Krikor's brother Armenag in New Haven, Connecticut. In a tragic coincidence, Armenag's four year old son Haig died just days later on July 11, so he lost his son just as his brother's family arrived. Yakout did not like New Haven and preferred to go to Philadelphia where her brother lived, so after about a year they moved there, where their last two children Haig and Rose were born. The family lived in poverty at 308 North Front Street, from which they ran a fruit stand and grocery. Krikor would go to the nearby docks and purchase broken crates of fruit at a discount for resale. He never attained anywhere close to the prominence he would have had as a professor in Sivas, however in 1915 the Armenian population there was massacred, just as had been feared, so the difficult choice to leave likely saved their lives. In his later years, Krikor moved alone to start a business in Tampa, Florida and was living there in 1935. After becoming ill, he return to Philadelphia and was amazed to see the nice new house his family had purchased, having built up their lives from nothing over their decades in America. Krikor died of prostate cancer which had spread to his liver and lungs.
Krikor came from the town of Sivas (Sepastia), Turkey. His father was a wealthy furrier. While April 5, 1866 is his official birthdate, different records also give dates of 1868, 1872 and 1876, which are more likely if his mother's given birth year of 1852 is accurate, though that date probably isn't exact either. Krikor was well-educated and became a French professor in Sivas. His wife Yakout attended a missionary school as a young girl and married Krikor when she was around 18 years old. Their first three children Aram, Dickran (Richard), and Arousiag. His wife Yakout foresaw the targeting of the Armenian population by the Turkish government would only get worse, and so at her urging the family left for Egypt. This was not an easy decision, as Krikor was in a prominent position in society, but they took the chance in leaving. Oral history states that they had sailed on a cattle ship to Egypt during which they had to stay with the animals. A large storm hit and all their possessions were swept overboard, leaving them as destitute immigrants.
The family account also noted they lived in Alexandria, however a census of 1906-1907 has them living in the Bulaq neighborhood of Cairo. Arriving with nothing, Krikor was assisted by the Armenian philanthropist Boghos Nubar Pasha to get work and set up a life for themselves. However Krikor's job as a trolly conductor was a far cry from the life he had in Sivas. It appears they decided to join Krikor's brother in Connecticut, as there is an Ottoman passport requesting to emigrate issue in January 1907, apparently made at Sivas which implies the family might have had to return home to obtain permission to leave. Their ship manifest to America lists their last place of residence as Alexandria, so presumably after Sivas they indeed stopped in Alexandria for a couple months to a year before sailing to Trieste from where they took the ship S.S. Carpathia to America. If there were two trips to Egypt, either one could have been the time they lost everything, but it was more likely the first one since the family account never even mentioned two trips. They arrived at Ellis Island on July 8, 1908 and headed to Krikor's brother Armenag in New Haven, Connecticut. In a tragic coincidence, Armenag's four year old son Haig died just days later on July 11, so he lost his son just as his brother's family arrived. Yakout did not like New Haven and preferred to go to Philadelphia where her brother lived, so after about a year they moved there, where their last two children Haig and Rose were born. The family lived in poverty at 308 North Front Street, from which they ran a fruit stand and grocery. Krikor would go to the nearby docks and purchase broken crates of fruit at a discount for resale. He never attained anywhere close to the prominence he would have had as a professor in Sivas, however in 1915 the Armenian population there was massacred, just as had been feared, so the difficult choice to leave likely saved their lives. In his later years, Krikor moved alone to start a business in Tampa, Florida and was living there in 1935. After becoming ill, he return to Philadelphia and was amazed to see the nice new house his family had purchased, having built up their lives from nothing over their decades in America. Krikor died of prostate cancer which had spread to his liver and lungs.
The family account also noted they lived in Alexandria, however a census of 1906-1907 has them living in the Bulaq neighborhood of Cairo. Arriving with nothing, Krikor was assisted by the Armenian philanthropist Boghos Nubar Pasha to get work and set up a life for themselves. However Krikor's job as a trolly conductor was a far cry from the life he had in Sivas. It appears they decided to join Krikor's brother in Connecticut, as there is an Ottoman passport requesting to emigrate issue in January 1907, apparently made at Sivas which implies the family might have had to return home to obtain permission to leave. Their ship manifest to America lists their last place of residence as Alexandria, so presumably after Sivas they indeed stopped in Alexandria for a couple months to a year before sailing to Trieste from where they took the ship S.S. Carpathia to America. If there were two trips to Egypt, either one could have been the time they lost everything, but it was more likely the first one since the family account never even mentioned two trips. They arrived at Ellis Island on July 8, 1908 and headed to Krikor's brother Armenag in New Haven, Connecticut. In a tragic coincidence, Armenag's four year old son Haig died just days later on July 11, so he lost his son just as his brother's family arrived. Yakout did not like New Haven and preferred to go to Philadelphia where her brother lived, so after about a year they moved there, where their last two children Haig and Rose were born. The family lived in poverty at 308 North Front Street, from which they ran a fruit stand and grocery. Krikor would go to the nearby docks and purchase broken crates of fruit at a discount for resale. He never attained anywhere close to the prominence he would have had as a professor in Sivas, however in 1915 the Armenian population there was massacred, just as had been feared, so the difficult choice to leave likely saved their lives. In his later years, Krikor moved alone to start a business in Tampa, Florida and was living there in 1935. After becoming ill, he return to Philadelphia and was amazed to see the nice new house his family had purchased, having built up their lives from nothing over their decades in America. Krikor died of prostate cancer which had spread to his liver and lungs.
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