It was one of the fertile villages of the field of Kharpert, located 18 miles Southeast of the city, at the foot of a mountain. Its mixed population of Armenians and Turks numbered some 2,500.  A few generations ago, 12-15 families from this village having left and settled on a nearby piece of land founded two villages by the same name, Upper Khokh and Lower Khokh. The Lower Khokh was only a small community, barely 10-15 homes, farmers of modest means.

Upper Khokh was the village worthy of the name and consisted of three sections, and had vineyards, orchards and vast lands. The landowners were usually Turks, having inherited from their ancestors, with Armenians either workers or producers. There were Armenian landowners as well. The Surrounding Villages: Lower Khokh, Knatarich, Garmri, Khouylou, Dzovk, Jount, Alnjugh, etc.

The Products: Wheat, barley, cotton, but mainly grapes and all varieties of fruit. Khokh's wine was famous because it was made from the best local grape, both for domestic consumption and export to far away cities, as far as Garin and Govgas(Kavkaz?) Besides vineyards, the village had fruit orchards, specially in the so-called Baghchalik place, where they grew fruit trees apple, pear, plumb, mulberry, apricot, cherry. Also famous was the seedless mulberry, very white and delicious, from which they made various jelly's and "oghi" (alcoholic drink). Dried mulberry was a good nutrition for the winter. The Armenian farmer also produced almost every kind of vegetables, such as tomato, squash, Garbanzo beans, potato, watermelon, cucumber, melon, chestnut, beans, etc. The village had plenty and was hospitable. There was every kind of domestic animal. Some were the only means of transportation, while milk giving animals supplied the village with untold of dairy products.

The Houses: The houses were usually made of one story, though occasionally there were two story ones as well In two story houses, the lower level was used as stable, henhouse, hayloft. Every house had a large room which was called the "tonradoun"(oven room, tandour room, furnace room, etc) where in the center was built a tandour, for baking bread, the family's sacred beneficence. The tandour had a lid or cover that was called the "toum". The tonradoun was used as guestroom as well as bedroom. Behind the tonradoun was the storage room where they kept provisions, legumes, flour, wheat, as well as jelly's, dried meats and big clay jars for "khavourma" (a kind of casserole dish).

The rooms were not furnished. The floor was covered with rugs, mattresses on top of which people sat with their legs folded. During winter season, they warmed themselves from the heat of the tandour, or they removed the ember from the tandour, placed it on the "manghal" (hibachi-like appliance), which they kept under a "koursi" , which was a four legged low table. They would cover the koursi with a large quilt.  People would stretch their feet under the koursi and pull the quilt up to their chin, warming themselves upand forgetting winter, cold and storm. For light the people would use gas lamps as the oil and lantern of olden days had practically disappeared after 1900.

Men's clothing: Men wore the customary "fez" on their heads. On their waist they wore a belt to hold up the "shalvar" (baggy pants). Their underwear was made by the woman of the house, often from material woven by her. Women's dresses: Women covered their heads with scarfs, and the brides with see through silk laces. Middle aged women wore the shalvar, and the brides or girls wore dresses with flower patterns specially brought from the city. The shoes had low or no heels. Those without heels they called "vodits",  and those of the women they called shoes or "zondoura", usually black and with shiny exterior. Religious denominations: The large majority of the village belonged to the Apostolic order, while there were a few Protestant homes. The latter had no church or meeting place, conducting their mass in various homes. The first Protestant family was made up of Hovaguim Baghdassarian and his brothers Krikor and Minas, Yaghoup Toros, Yeghig Zakar, Minas the teacher or Prod Minas, and so on. In the beginning, there were signs of opposition, but things improved in time and after the event of 1895 (referring to the massacres of 1895), there was no more Protestant school.

The Apostolics had their own school and church, with priest, scribe and teacher. The name of the church was Holy Virgin Mary, the priest's name Reverend Kristapor (Christopher), Reverend Antreas, as well as lower rank clergymen. The teacher of the village did the teaching and the writing and reading of letters to and from the scribes who had left the village. During the beginning period, the village's boys learned the alphabet and then reading the Psalms. In time, the school of the village improved more and the boys and girls began to learn mathematics besides reading and writing, a little bit of history, religion, Turkish language, and other useful courses. Familiar Apostolic homes were those of Mourad Aved, Taniel Asdour, Mghdes Khayo, Mghdes Hagop, Kaghre Koko, etc. The church was always full because the Armenian was religious who attended church to pray and worship standing up.

Education: The Khokhtsi's (inhabitants of Khokh), did not have the financial means to give their children a higher education. They were obliged to be content with the local school. After the event of 1895, with the efforts of their widowed mothers the boys were sent to orphanages, where through hard work and study succeeded in graduating from school and becoming useful to the nation's children through teaching,  Aharon became a devoted teacher and died in the 1895 massacres. His children, Antranig, Garo and Varsenig Garabedian received higher education like their father: Antranig an engineer, now in Beirut, Garo a professor at the American University of Beirut, Varsenig a teacher at Beirut's Armenian Protestant high school, Ms. Rose Tanielian teacher in the United States. Dentist Dikran Yeghigian, well known in Istanbul, achieved a high status during the First World War and was very helpful to many young Armenian escapees and refugees. His sister was Marinos, a teacher.

Marriage: The inhabitants of Khokh usually married someone from their own village, and only rarely from a nearby village, such as from Garmery, Dzovk, Tlkadin. Family life was simple and ancestral customs as if a gift. The brides respected their mother and father in laws very much. So much that they would not directly speak to them for years and would communicate through gestures until the elder of the house gave permission. The wedding ceremony took place in the church, and after the wedding the went home (presumably the groom's) with "Davoul Zouma" (a reed instrument with a high pitch sound) where they would slaughter a lamb for the guests to feast upon.

Neighborly relations: The relationship between neighbors was very friendly. There was no room or jealousy, fighting or animosity. After the day's work, specially during winter nights, they would often visit each other. The reception would consist of various sweets prepared in the house. Coffee or tea were rare.

Sickness: There were no doctors in Khokh, and life proceeded in its normal course as if there was little sickness. The usual sickness was trembling, now called malaria. Its cure was cold water bath, then making a vow and tying a piece of cloth on a tree. As a cure, many went to church on Holy Thursday and while the seven gospels were read, a knot was tied for each on a string bracelet. Pain in the eye, smallpox, and scarlet fever were also-usual occurrences that were taken care of by old women of experience, who prepared medications from plants. Children, however, suffered a great deal from chickenpox. Many lost their eyesight, partially or completely, and their faces would become porous. Tuberculosis was unheard of in our area.

Holidays: The main holidays were the New Year, Christmas, Easter, ''Vartavar'' (celebration of the day that Noah set foot on Mount Ararat) and Assumption of Saint Mary. Places for recreation: Generally, there were no recreational places, playgrounds or coffee shops in the villages. Village life and field work left no time for recreation. On Sundays, families usually visited vineyards or orchards.

Women's courage:  The women of Khokh were very courageous, home-makers and hard working, as were the Armenian women of all the villages. Besides house work, they were very helpful on the fields.  Family honor was very sacred and it was valued above everything else. The women understood the Turkish mentality, were careful and during danger they would fight like tigers. The village has many stories about such bravery.

Fishing: Two hours from Khokh was the village of Dzovk (Geoljik) and the mountainous lake where people went to fish. These two villages, Khokh and Dzovk, had very friendly and close relationship. The fishermen, besides catching big fish, also caught small ones called "Khdoud" that they left to  just about every family dried the Khdoud for their winter supply. They would barbeque Khdoud and they would cook "Khorou" with it, a dish similar to boulghour pilav, and would spread butter on it. Every home had its unique method of sustenance. A house always had eggs, milk, yogurt, cooking oil, and cheese. With few exceptions, every family kept a cow. For summertime, "Tanabour"(cold soup made with buttermilk and cracked wheat) was a very important dish. To keep the soup cold, people would keep it in clay jars which would be used as refrigerators by placing them in cold water flowing from fountains. The village's basic foods consisted of grains, root and plain vegetables. Meat was generally reserved for Sundays. Bulghur was often used to make pilav and "Gheyma"(a mixture of ground meat and bulghur)

The Market and trades: The market was very small. There were a few shops for shoes, meat,  horseshoe, repairs and other useful trades, almost all with Armenian efforts. The master blacksmiths, tailors, rope makers, cloth makers were there always. The makers of "davoul zourna" were also in demand in the village and the surrounding areas. The massacres of 1895 spread grief in the village but on the other hand the 1915 destroyed everything. Few Khokhtsis were able to escape the great tragedy (nowadays, genocide) after going through untold suffering. They are dispersed throughout the world and there are a number of sons of Khokh and their offsprings in the United States.  One of the well known sons of Khokh was George Hagopian, who lost an eye in his childhood years, and emigrating with his family to the United States , he entered the Perkins Institute for the blind through the help of Miss Fisher. After receiving his education, he showed great musical talent but pursued chicken farming. Through perseverance and unusual talent, he became the biggest chicken farmer in the New England region. He had 200,000 chickens in his "Red Bird" farm, and he exported one million chicks to all parts of the world by using the latest scientific means. He was married. He died recently and presently his wife and two sons are continuing the business. His brother, Hagop Malkhassian has worked in the business as well for 15 years. Khokh's "love of learning" organization: Like other villagers, Khokh's patriotic Armenians too founded their "ousoumnasirats" (love of learning) organization(or union) in 1894 for the education of their village. This organization provided aid to the village church and school until the black year of 1915.   After the great tragedy, the organization devoted its efforts to the few suffering friends, their freedom and their livelihood. In addition, the organization has helped the Pan Kharpert Union for the purpose of establishing the "New Kharpert" in our emerging Hayasdan (Armenia).

During the 1895 general massacre of the Kharpert province, the biggest blow was suffered by the Armenians from the Turkish district of Upper Khokh.  Upper Khokh, being six hours away from Mezireh, was a trading center and contiguous with thievish Kurdish villages. The Armenian population consisted of 140 homes. They were generally artisans or ninety percent of the vineyards and orchards belonged to Armenians. Their comfortable state had not escaped the Kurdish and Turkish eyes.

The Kurdish and Turkish massacres and pillage began in October 27 and ended on November 3.  When the Armenians realized they were in danger, the town meeting decided to see the mayor, who advised them to go to Mezireh, assuring them that nothing would happen to them. When the committee of the meeting set out to go, the Kurds who were waiting on the mountain attacked and stole their sheep.

The Turks applied insidious means. On a Friday, in order to find out who had weapons, the town announcer declared that Turks and Christians should be ready to rise against the Kurds. The Armenians and the Turks held positions against the Kurds. On Sunday morning, the people were shocked when the first bullet hit the arm of Reverend Hagopents Ghazar. Horrified by the event, they ran to the homes of Turkish acquaintances, while others remained in place. When the houses were emptied, the Kurds rushed in and pillaged everything, including the windows. They set fire to the church and the school. The meeting place of the Protestants and their shops were set on fire after they were pillaged. In order to terrify the people, they (Turks?) had cut the throat of Goshgar Manoug for fun or revenge. They got a hold of Krikor Karkerian who had returned from the United States. It was rumored that Krikor, while in the United States, had covered his head with a white cloth and mocked their religion by shouting "Alla ou Akbar" [God is great]. So they cut open his belly and threw him in the street.  They were looking for Garabed Arzoumanian, who was on their list, probably known as a revolutionary.  They find him in the house of a Turk, bring him on the bridge all the while torturing him and begin to mock him by asking whether they should make him a Harourabed or Hazarabed [commander of one hundred or one thousand]. Garabed throws himself off the bridge and they shoot him dead.

Now the town announcer declares that those who will accept Islam will not be killed. They lead everyone into the mosque. After conducting a house to house search, the violent mob finds eldery Vartan Demirjian and wish to take him into the mosque. He refuses to go and says "I will not deny Christ and go to the mosque." Right there he is executed and his body left in the street. On November 3 when preparations are made to slaughter the people or convert them to Islam, the police arrive and declare that by order of the Sultan peace is to prevail. The local Turks, however, pay no attention. The Jollo(?) Kurds, who were returning from pillaging Tadem village, send word for others to come and massacre the remaining inhabitants of Upper Khokh. While pretending to take those Armenians who had converted to Turks to the so-called place called Zayerlakh for circumcision, the real reason was to send well-known Armenians in groups and there to kill them.Their corpses were not properly buried. The dogs were digging out the corpses from under the ground.

Those Armenian still alive appeal to the mayor to let them to bury the corpses. They dig a big hole and bury the corpses. There was no food left. Four oxen were hidden at Taniel Bolo's (Boghos Tanielian). He slaughtered the oxen one by one and distributed the meat to the inhabitants until aid arrived. After the terrible massacre, the greater part of Upper Khokh's population abandon their ancestral homes, emigrate to Mezireh and some to the United States.  After the 1915 massacres barely 40 families were left who 15years later, through hard work and perseverance, and the help they received from their American children and Ousoumnasirats organization, build a church and a school and provide the new generation with an education. "'We regret that we could not get a hold of the full report from Upper Khokh's Ousoumnasirats.

A photo circa 1850 shows my great grandfather Hovagim Baghdasarian, with my grandfather at his knee and great aunt Horkor next to him in the front row. Far right is my great grandmother, then pregnant. I am of Armenian ancestry, and my paternal family's roots are in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey. My paternal family, the Baghdasarians, were from the Province of Kharpert, near the city of Harput and from the village of Khokh. My maternal family roots are from the city of Bitlis near the Eastern most boundaries of Eastern Anatolia, Turkey, and near the border of the present country of Armenia. My family probably lived in Eastern Anatolia for at least 3 millennia before the beginnings of the Turkish genocide. Let us call it what it was, an uprooting of an indigenous people, and their brutal elimination by Muslim "jihadists". I am sure that this scenario is one that seems very similar to the Muslim jihadists who are stirring the pot of hate and intimidation today in the 21st century. In the early 1890's, before the massive genocide of the Armenians of Eastern Anatolia, slayings of Armenian villagers, raping of Armenian women and children was already taking place, and those in the Baghdasarian family in Khokh village who had survived the wonton rape, beatings, and killings by the Turks and Kurds of the area decided they must uproot their family and find a safe haven in a different land. Thus began the unknown migration of the Baghdasarians from their village of Khokh, to the neighboring country of Syria and to the Mediterranean Sea. Here they boarded ships with only the belongings they could carry, and made the long voyage to the Americas. Most of the Baghdasarian families embarked on Scottish vessels and arrived in Canada. Wanting to assimilate into their "new country", the Baghdasarians, almost in mass, decided to change their surnames to "Baxter" to "fit"as it was to this new land. Here they worked their way down to the United States of America, their final destination of Massachusetts. Well, not really, they had heard of the great San Joaquin Valley in California, and being agriculturists (farmers), the Baaghdasarians (Baxter's) packed up their kid, my father was 6 months old, and moved to Fresno, California. The got a home in "Armenian Town" in Fresno and began what would be a string of jobs and businesses to provide for the Baxter family. BAXTER FAMILY CIRCA 1905-1906 FRESNO, CALIFORNIA Varteni Baxter, Zarhoui (Zee) Baxter, Balthasar Baxter, Avedis Baxter (My Father) The family would grow by three more children, Benjamin, Esther, and Canary. Approximately 7 years after leaving their ancient ancestral village in Turkey, most had moved to California, with a few remaining in Rhode Island. No one is sure if the name change from Baghdasarian to Baxter was ever done legally, both surnames were used for a while until the family chose to use the latter, and Baxter it became to be. I had heard it told that the name Baxxter was that of the ccaptain of the Scottish ship that carriers my family to the New World. As most horrific experiences in life, the elders in the Baxter family spoke little or not at all of their experiences in Turkey, and now 82 years of age I am discovering what and where the roots of my family were and what they must have endured. My family is now 100 percent American and its children are all educated and leaders of their communities, a scenario that would never had taken place in Turkey. America's gain and Turkey's loss. My father (born in 1902}, the eldest of 5 children, all born in the United States of America. He was the only child of his family that was minimally educated, leaving school after only an elementary school education. As the eldest of the family he remained on the farm and worked so his that siblings were all college educated, as engineers, nurses and artists. Their children are most all doctors, lawyers and professional people who became leaders of their communities. Balthasar and his wife were not able to make a go of their ranch and lost it at the beginning of the "Great Depression". Avedis and his younger brother by 5 years (Benjamin) then began a towing business in Fowler, California (9 miles South of Fresno) and worked 24/7 towing wrecked vehicles off Highway 99. They did auto repair on the side and in 1929 they made a bold move and secured a dealership for Chevrolets. The brothers partnership, "Baxter Bros Chevrolet" would last until 1950 when Avedis the older brother retired and Benjamin and his sons ran the agency until the early 1960's 1929 was a big year for Avedis Baxter, he not only made a giant leap forward with owning an automobile dealership, he fell in love and asked a "blonde" Armenian girl from a very well respected family from Fresno to be his wife. He asked for her hand and received a lukewarm reception from her family. She was a very vivacious young lady and convinced her reluctant family that this was the man she would marry. She also had 5 sisters and 2 brothers who were very protective of their baby sister. Avedis, a very kind and outgoing man with a million jokes, convinced the Paul family that he was the perfect husband for their baby daughter. They married, and moved into the house with Balthasar, the father, Varteni, the mother, Zahroui(Zee) the sister, and Benjamin, the brother. In 1931, I was born and now the house had 7 inhabitants. The house conveniently was located outside the back door of the automobile agency, and In 1933 I contracted Polio Myelitis, a crushing situation for my entire family. I was quarantined to the County Hospital in Fresno with many other young children who had contracted the disease with no cure. Death or a lifetime of paralysis was the usual outcome. My family did not need this. I was released from the hospital to go home to an overcrowded house. I needed 24 hour care and had to be quarantined from the other members of my family at home. My fathers youngest sister, Canary had just graduated from Saint Francis Nursing School in San Francisco, and she and I were moved into a small 1930's "house trailer" in the back yard of the home, and she nursed me back to health until the quarantine period was over. I was still partially paralyzed in my left leg and still had difficulty breathing. Aunt Canary had studied under Sister Carrie at the nursing school, and the sister had studied Polio extensively, and had developed a swimming regimen that was "curing" or at least overcoming the paralysis of post polio victims. Mind you, swimming pools were not only unavailable in the 1930's, they were only for the ultra rich. My aunt was having to go to work and make a living, and her sister Esther, also a nurse, was already working in the San Francisco Bay area. This left my mother to take me to Bass Lake, California and spend the Spring, Summer, and early Fall tied to the back of a row boat and swimming for hours at a time in the lake. I was towed by the rowboat with a "kapok" life preserver tied around my middle. Before my almost complete recovery, I could paddle behind the boat for at least 2 miles. Mind you, I was only 3 1/2 years old. By the time I was five, I could swim the 1/2 mile width of the lake unaided. By the time I was 5 1/2, I entered Fowler Elementary school as a normal first grader. I could never have survived without the aid of Aunt Canary or my Mother who had the patience of Job. In high school (Fowler Union High) in 1948-1949 I ran on the school track team in 100, 200, and 400 yard dashes. Although not completely cured of polio, I ran the danes with a reasonable time for the period. I also played High School football and swimming. THE PAUL FAMILY The Paul family were immigrants from the city of Bitlis, Turkey. They escaped top the United States in the 1880's as well. Bitlis was one of the larger cities in which the Turks slaughtered the Armenians into oblivion, and marched them into the Syrian desert to die of the heat or starvation. The ones that did not die were finished off with a scimitar blade to the abdomen. The Pauls or Boghosians were aware of the danger before Bitlis was brutalized. Their daughters were coming home with tales of molestation by the Turks. My maternal grandfather planned their exit and moved his family out of Bitlis and Turkey before thinbgs got any worse. Unusual as it was, my maternal grandmother's maiden name was Bagdasarian. Although they lived some miles distant from each other and lived very different lives. The Bagdasarians on my maternal side were related to Ross Bagdasarian of the "David Seville" and "The Chipmunks" fame. This relationship also included family member William Saroyan, the writer. They were city dwellers, and more educated and successful than the Baghdasarians (Baxters). They owned a large vineyard in Fresno as did their son Paul. The daughters were all married to successful farmers. Paul Paul and his brother Kay were both in the Life Insurance business, and were both musicians. Paul was the Band Leader of the Fresno Municipal Band, and brother Kay played the oboe and the bassoon in the band. Paul was an accomplished trumpet player and had taken lessons from John Philip Souza, a famous trumpeteer and band leader of the time. Both were well known civic leaders of the Fresno community. Even today, the accomplishments and gifts by the Paul and Baxter families are part of Fresno History. "Life is not what you lose, but what you become, and what you have learned from the past". I have touched on the history of my family, and would now like to reflect more deeply upon its past and my roots. Although Armenians are a very small percentage of the immigrant population of the United States of America, you will find that their purpose to emigrate to the United States is no less drastic than any other group of immigrants that made it to our shores. This is what makes America great, and everyone who has legally entered this country had desperate circumstances and took a great effort to uproot themselves from their lives to enter and unknown land with unknown people and assimilate for the better of themselves and that of their newly adopted country. I learned that if you are of Armenian ancestry and break the American rules, you will be punished and looked down up by others of you heritage. I l;earned that I was a guest in the country like everyone else. I had to obey the laws, and not bring shame upon my family or my ancestral heritage. I learned early in life that you must first be an American and not use the hyphenated description that is common in this country today. You should never forget your roots, but be an American first. Speak English, the language of this country. Speak it, for it is a common denominator to join all the peoples in this great country, no matter what their ethnic background. Speak it at home, but only use only your ancestral language to communicate with others who have not yet learned or may never learn English. America is a large blanket, woven with the threads of hundreds of nationalities and cultures. Each one is an integral part of the cloth that makes up the whole of this great country. Each one is eventually as important to the blanket as the other. The mix of cultures is as slow process, but each will be assimilated and eventually be an integral part of America. Just as the Hamburger has slowly given way to the sushi, Dim Sum, taco, pilaf, fry bread and pasta, the cultures from North Africa, Vietnam, Korea and Lebanon will become favorite tastes for the American population in general. I seem to be preaching here, but after reading this historical piece, you will understand that all immigrants came to this country because the future was better than your past. Respect it or look for a place that you might enjoy better than the United States Of America. KHOKH - The village of the Baghdasarians, (now Baxters) in Turkey aftr the 1985 and 1915 massacres. HABOUSI - The village East of Khokh, whose inhabitants were massacred during the 1915 genocide and buried beneath the dam(Keban) and lake(Hazar} built by the turks to completely "erase" the village's existence. KHARPERT AND ITS GOLDEN PLAIN  BY VAHE HAIG The Village Khokh It was one of the fertile villages of the field of Kharpert, located 18 miles Southeast of the city, at the foot of a mountain. Its mixed population of Armenians and Turks numbered some 2,500.  A few generations ago, 12-15 families from this village having left and settled on a nearby piece of land founded two villages by the same name, Upper Khokh and Lower Khokh. The Lower Khokh was only a small community, barely 10-15 homes, farmers of modest means. Upper Khokh was the village worthy of the name and consisted of three sections, and had vineyards, orchards and vast lands. The landowners were usually Turks, having inherited from their ancestors, with Armenians either workers or producers. There were Armenian landowners as well. The Surrounding Villages: Lower Khokh, Knatarich, Garmri, Khouylou, Dzovk, Jount, Alnjugh, etc. The Products: Wheat, barley, cotton, but mainly grapes and all varieties of fruit. Khokh's wine was famous because it was made from the best local grape, both for domestic consumption and export to far away cities, as far as Garin and Govgas(Kavkaz?) Besides vineyards, the village had fruit orchards, specially in the so-called Baghchalik place, where they grew fruit trees apple, pear, plumb, mulberry, apricot, cherry. Also famous was the seedless mulberry, very white and delicious, from which they made various jelly's and "oghi" (alcoholic drink). Dried mulberry was a good nutrition for the winter. The Armenian farmer also produced almost every kind of vegetables, such as tomato, squash, Garbanzo beans, potato, watermelon, cucumber, melon, chestnut, beans, etc. The village had plenty and was hospitable. There was every kind of domestic animal. Some were the only means of transportation, while milk giving animals supplied the village with untold of dairy products. The Houses: The houses were usually made of one story, though occasionally there were two story ones as well In two story houses, the lower level was used as stable, henhouse, hayloft. Every house had a large room which was called the "tonradoun"(oven room, tandour room, furnace room, etc) where in the center was built a tandour, for baking bread, the family's sacred beneficence. The tandour had a lid or cover that was called the "toum". The tonradoun was used as guestroom as well as bedroom. Behind the tonradoun was the storage room where they kept provisions, legumes, flour, wheat, as well as jelly's, dried meats and big clay jars for "khavourma" (a kind of casserole dish) The rooms were not furnished. The floor was covered with rugs, mattresses on top of which people sat with their legs folded. During winter season, they warmed themselves from the heat of the tandour, or they removed the ember from the tandour, placed it on the "manghal" (hibachi-like appliance), which they kept under a "koursi" , which was a four legged low table. They would cover the koursi with a large quilt.  People would stretch their feet under the koursi and pull the quilt up to their chin, warming themselves up and forgetting winter, cold and storm. For light the people would use gas lamps as the oil and lantern of olden days had practically disappeared after 1900. Men's clothing:woven by her. Women's dresses: Women covered their heads with scarfs, and the brides with see through silk laces. Middle aged women wore the shalvar, and the brides or girls wore dresses with flower patterns specially brought from the city. The shoes had low or no heels. Those without heels they called "vodits",  and those of the women they called shoes or "zondoura", usually black and with shiny exterior. Religious denominations: The large majority of the village belonged to the Apostolic order, while there were a few Protestant homes. The latter had no church or meeting place, conducting their mass in various homes. The first Protestant family was made up of Hovaguim Baghdassarian and his brothers Krikor and Minas, Yaghoup Toros, Yeghig Zakar, Minas the teacher or Prod Minas, and so on. In the beginning, there were signs of opposition, but things improved in time and after the event of 1895 (referring to the massacres of 1895), there was no more Protestant school. The Apostolics had their own school and church, with priest, scribe and teacher. The name of the church was Holy Virgin Mary, the priest's name Reverend Kristapor (Christopher), Reverend Antreas, as well as lower rank clergymen. The teacher of the village did the teaching and the writing and reading of letters to and from the scribes who had left the village. During the beginning period, the village's boys learned the alphabet and then reading the Psalms. In time, the school of the village improved more and the boys and girls began to learn mathematics besides reading and writing, a little bit of history, religion, Turkish language, and other useful courses. Familiar Apostolic homes were those of Mourad Aved, Taniel Asdour, Mghdes Khayo, Mghdes Hagop, Kaghre Koko, etc. The church was always full because the Armenian was religious who attended church to pray and worship standing up. Education: The Khokhtsi's (inhabitants of Khokh), did not have the financial means to give their children a higher education. They were obliged to be content with the local school. After the event of 1895, with the efforts of their widowed mothers the boys were sent to orphanages, where through hard work and study succeeded in graduating from school and becoming useful to the nation's children through teaching,  Aharon became a devoted teacher and died in the 1895 massacres. His children, Antranig, Garo and Varsenig Garabedian received higher education like their father: Antranig an engineer, now in Beirut, Garo a professor at the American University of Beirut, Varsenig a teacher at Beirut's Armenian Protestant high school, Ms. Rose Tanielian teacher in the United States. Dentist Dikran Yeghigian, well known in Istanbul, achieved a high status during the First World War and was very helpful to many young Armenian escapees and refugees. His sister was Marinos, a teacher. Marriage: The inhabitants of Khokh usually married someone from their own village, and only rarely from a nearby village, such as from Garmery, Dzovk, Tlkadin. Family life was simple and ancestral customs as if a gift. The brides respected their mother and father in laws very much. So much that they would not directly speak to them for years and would communicate through gestures until the elder of the house gave permission. The wedding ceremony took place in the church, and after the wedding the went home (presumably the groom's) with "Davoul Zouma" (a reed instrument with a high pitch sound) where they would slaughter a lamb for the guests to feast upon. Neighborly relations: The relationship between neighbors was very friendly. There was no room or jealousy, fighting or animosity. After the day's work, specially during winter nights, they would often visit each other. The reception would consist of various sweets prepared in the house. Coffee or tea were rare. Sickness: There were no doctors in Khokh, and life proceeded in its normal course as if there was little sickness. The usual sickness was trembling, now called malaria. Its cure was cold water bath, then making a vow and tying a piece of cloth on a tree. As a cure, many went to church on Holy Thursday and while the seven gospels were read, a knot was tied for each on a string bracelet. Pain in the eye, smallpox, and scarlet fever were also-usual occurrences that were taken care of by old women of experience, who prepared medications from plants. Children, however, suffered a great deal from chickenpox. Many lost their eyesight, partially or completely, and their faces would become porous. Tuberculosis was unheard of in our area. Holidays: The main holidays were the New Year, Christmas, Easter, ''Vartavar'' (celebration of the day that Noah set foot on Mount Ararat) and Assumption of Saint Mary. Places for recreation: Generally, there were no recreational places, playgrounds or coffee shops in the villages. Village life and field work left no time for recreation. On Sundays, families usually visited vineyards or orchards. Women's courage:  The women of Khokh were very courageous, home-makers and hard working, as were the Armenian women of all the villages. Besides house work, they were very helpful on the fields.  Family honor was very sacred and it was valued above everything else. The women understood the Turkish mentality, were careful and during danger they would fight like tigers. The village has many stories about such bravery. Fishing: Two hours from Khokh was the village of Dzovk (Geoljik) and the mountainous lake where people went to fish. These two villages, Khokh and Dzovk, had very friendly and close relationship. The fishermen, besides catching big fish, also caught small ones called "Khdoud" that they left to  just about every family dried the Khdoud for their winter supply. They would barbeque Khdoud and they would cook "Khorou" with it, a dish similar to boulghour pilav, and would spread butter on it. Every home had its unique method of sustenance. A house always had eggs, milk, yogurt, cooking oil, and cheese. With few exceptions, every family kept a cow. For summertime, "Tanabour"(cold soup made with buttermilk and cracked wheat) was a very important dish. To keep the soup cold, people would keep it in clay jars which would be used as refrigerators by placing them in cold water flowing from fountains. The village's basic foods consisted of grains, root and plain vegetables. Meat was generally reserved for Sundays. Bulghur was often used to make pilav and "Gheyma"(a mixture of ground meat and bulghur) The Market and trades: The market was very small. There were a few shops for shoes, meat,  horseshoe, repairs and other useful trades, almost all with Armenian efforts. The master blacksmiths, tailors, rope makers, cloth makers were there always. The makers of "davoul zourna" were also in demand in the village and the surrounding areas. The massacres of 1895 spread grief in the village but on the other hand the 1915 destroyed everything. Few Khokhtsis were able to escape the great tragedy (nowadays, genocide) after going through untold suffering. They are dispersed throughout the world and there are a number of sons of Khokh and their offsprings in the United States.  One of the well known sons of Khokh was George Hagopian, who lost an eye in his childhood years, and emigrating with his family to the United States , he entered the Perkins Institute for the blind through the help of Miss Fisher. After receiving his education, he showed great musical talent but pursued chicken farming. Through perseverance and unusual talent, he became the biggest chicken farmer in the New England region. He had 200,000 chickens in his "Red Bird" farm, and he exported one million chicks to all parts of the world by using the latest scientific means. He was married. He died recently and presently his wife and two sons are continuing the business. His brother, Hagop Malkhassian has worked in the business as well for 15 years. Khokh's "love of learning" organization: Like other villagers, Khokh's patriotic Armenians too founded their "ousoumnasirats" (love of learning) organization(or union) in 1894 for the education of their village. This organization provided aid to the village church and school until the black year of 1915.   After the great tragedy, the organization devoted its efforts to the few suffering friends, their freedom and their livelihood. In addition, the organization has helped the Pan Kharpert Union for the purpose of establishing the "New Kharpert" in our emerging Hayasdan (Armenia). SEE ALSO: DR. HAROLD H. BAXTER (RESUME) DR. HAROLD H. BAXTER (COOKING BIOGRAPHY) DR. HAROLD H. BAXTER (CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION) Copyright 2001© - 2014© The Gutsy Gourmet® - All rights reserved