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Family Histories

AHARI is excited to introduce the Virtual Family History project! Armenian families in Rhode Island can now tell their unique and personal family story with words and photographs and the exhibit will be accessible in a permanent “virtual” exhibition for viewing today and far into the future.

The trauma of the Armenian Genocide included the loss of our collective histories and family stories from “the old country”. The Virtual Family History Project will allow families to mend the broken fragments of their existence by focusing on how the family took root in Rhode Island.

With the aid of a specialized database, families will work together to curate and create their own exhibit, using family photographs and brief vignettes which highlight the most meaningful and significant aspects of their history in Rhode Island. Virtual histories will be unified by providing names of the founding members of the family in Rhode Island, their date of arrival, their village of origin, and dates of birth, date, marriage if known. Photographs will illustrate the family members, their professions, careers, and accomplishments. Creators of the virtual histories will have the option of allowing open access to the public or restricting viewing to certain families or groups.

We believe that this project will contribute to our community’s collective healing. Recording the stories of those who came from near annihilation and unspeakable loss to a strange land where they struggled persevered and thrived should engender pride in all of us in the Armenian Community.

Honor the resilience, vitality and strength of your founding family members by creating your Virtual Family History Project today.