Latest / The Story of Armenia: Survival Through Empires and Genocide — Fexingo History / Armenian Genocide Orphans: The Hidden Children of 1915
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about the big battles, the politics, the leaders. But there's a whole other story from the genocide that doesn't get told so often — and it's the story of the children. Hundreds of thousands of Armenian children were orphaned, displaced, and often forcibly converted and assimilated into Turkish, Kurdish, or Arab families. Luna: Forcibly assimilated — what does that mean exactly? Lucas: Well, during the deportations of 1915, many children were separated from their parents in the chaos. Some were taken directly from their families, others were left behind when their parents were killed or died on the march. The Ottoman authorities often handed these children to Muslim families, who were encouraged to raise them as Turks or Kurds. They were given new names, forced to convert to Islam, and many never knew their true origins. Lucas: It was a systematic attempt to erase them as Armenians. And it wasn't just the Ottoman state — local families took them in too, sometimes out of kindness, sometimes as a form of cheap labor or even as enslaved servants. The children who survived often had no memory of their original families, or they were too afraid to speak of it. Luna: That's heartbreaking. Were there any efforts to rescue them? Lucas: Yes, and that's the other part of the story. Humanitarian organizations, especially the American Near East Relief, stepped in. They set up orphanages across the region — in Aleppo, in Beirut, in Constantinople, even as far away as Corfu and Greece. They managed to save tens of thousands of children, but the scale was enormous. By some estimates, there were over 100,000 orphans needing care. Lucas: One remarkable figure was Karen Jeppe, a Danish missionary who worked in the camps and orphanages in Syria. She personally rescued hundreds of orphans, often buying them from families who had taken them in, or finding them in markets where they were being sold. Luna: Wait, they were being sold in markets? Lucas: It's horrific, but yes. There are documented cases of Armenian children being sold in slave markets in places like Diyarbakir and Urfa. Jeppe would go to these markets, buy the children, and bring them to safety. She ran a settlement near Aleppo called 'the Colony' where she tried to give them a new life. It's an incredible story of courage. Lucas: But even in the orphanages, the trauma was immense. Many children had witnessed their parents being killed. They arrived malnourished, sick, and deeply traumatized. The caregivers had to deal with all of that, plus teaching them Armenian language and culture, which many had lost. Luna: How did the children themselves cope? Did they find a sense of family? Lucas: For many, the orphanages became their new families. They formed strong bonds with each other and with their caretakers. Some of them later wrote memoirs about their experiences, and those are incredibly moving. They talk about the struggle to hold onto their identity, the memories of their parents, and the friendships that saved them. Lucas: But there were also children who were never rescued. They grew up as Muslims, often unaware of their Armenian heritage. It was only decades later, sometimes after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, that some of these 'hidden Armenians' began to discover their true origins. Some even returned to Armenia in the 1990s, seeking to reclaim their identities. Luna: It's like a whole hidden layer of the story. Did the Armenian community try to find these children after the war? Lucas: They did, but it was incredibly difficult. After the war, there were efforts to track down missing children, but many had been moved or had lost their names. The Near East Relief and other organizations tried to reunite families, but it was often impossible. Some children were found by relatives, but many were never reunited. Lucas: There's a famous story of a woman named Aurora Mardiganian, who survived the genocide and was later found by her brother, but that was exceptional. For most, the search was in vain. Lucas: And these orphans went on to shape the Armenian diaspora. They were the ones who carried the language and the memory of the homeland. They became the core of the Armenian communities in the US, France, and the Middle East. They were the generation that built new lives out of nothing. Luna: So their legacy is really everywhere in the modern Armenian world. Lucas: Absolutely. And that's one of the reasons it's so important to remember them. They weren't just victims, they were survivors who rebuilt. But they also carried that trauma with them, and it influenced how they raised their children and how they taught their history. Lucas: I think one of the most powerful things is how these children found ways to remember, even when they were forced to forget. Some would secretly keep Armenian names, or whisper prayers in Armenian, or hold onto a piece of clothing from their mothers. Those small acts of resistance are incredibly moving. Luna: It's amazing how the human spirit finds a way to hold on. Lucas: It does. And thinking about that, about that quiet resilience, it makes me think about how we as listeners can support stories like these being told. This show is ad-free, and it's made possible by listeners who go to buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That kind of support helps us keep bringing you these deep dives into history, from the grand battles to the untold personal stories. Luna: Yeah, it really does. And I think our listeners would appreciate knowing that their support goes directly to research and production. Lucas: Exactly. But back to the orphans — there's one more layer. After the war, some of these orphans were adopted by Armenian families living in other countries. A lot of them went to Soviet Armenia in the 1920s, where they were placed in collective homes. Some of them became famous — artists, writers, scientists. But the search for their original families often continued for the rest of their lives. Luna: It's incredible to think about how much they carried with them. Lucas: And that's what we should remember — they carried it, and they passed it on. The story of the orphans of 1915 is a story of loss, but also of incredible strength. And it's a reminder of how fragile identity can be, and how powerful it is to know who you are. Lucas: I hope that gives you a sense of that hidden chapter. It's a big topic, but it's one that deserves to be told. Maybe we can come back to it again sometime. Luna: I'd love that. Thank you for sharing this. Lucas: Thank you for listening, and for taking this journey with us.