Mary Jorjorian (1900 - 1979), sailing aboard the S.S. Mohawk from Jacksonville, Florida, back home to New York City, April 4, 1921. The photo was taken on Mary's medium-format Brownie camera by an unknown shipmate. Mary, age 20, had been living in Jacksonville for five months to assist her older sister deliver and care for her second child. Here she is returning alone. As buoyant as she appears, Mary is at this moment quite lovesick. She fell in love in Jacksonville with a family friend, Daniel Eliseian, who then departed for Buenos Aires. Mary was an Armenian, born in Sivas, Turkey, but arrived in America with her family as a baby in 1901. Her family was poor but cultured. Mary attended Wadleigh High School, New York's first public secondary school for girls. She was a self-described "progressive modern woman." She wanted to attend Hunter College, to become a teacher or social worker, but family finances kept her sidelined. She remained an avid reader and independent learner, though, throughout her life. While in Jacksonville, she was reading Margaret Sanger's "Women and the New Race." She was also a big fan of movie pictures, catching multiple photoplays each week, especially those which featured strong or dynamic women. She played the piano with some skill, and worked out a duet with Daniel (who was an even better violinist) of the piece, "Meditation" from Massenet's opera, "Thais." Mary started up a correspondence with Daniel in Buenos Aires, where he stayed for three long years, becoming a master tailor. But in June 1924, he returned. They married and settled in Oakland, California, where their grandchildren still live. Mary and Daniel are my wife's maternal grandparents. This photo is from Mary's box of negatives. View full size.
Mary Jorjorian (1900 - 1979), sailing aboard the S.S. Mohawk from Jacksonville, Florida, back home to New York City, April 4, 1921. The photo was taken on Mary's medium-format Brownie camera by an unknown shipmate. Mary, age 20, had been living in Jacksonville for five months to assist her older sister deliver and care for her second child. Here she is returning alone. As buoyant as she appears, Mary is at this moment quite lovesick. She fell in love in Jacksonville with a family friend, Daniel Eliseian, who then departed for Buenos Aires. Mary was an Armenian, born in Sivas, Turkey, but arrived in America with her family as a baby in 1901. Her family was poor but cultured. Mary attended Wadleigh High School, New York's first public secondary school for girls. She was a self-described "progressive modern woman." She wanted to attend Hunter College, to become a teacher or social worker, but family finances kept her sidelined. She remained an avid reader and independent learner, though, throughout her life. While in Jacksonville, she was reading Margaret Sanger's "Women and the New Race." She was also a big fan of movie pictures, catching multiple photoplays each week, especially those which featured strong or dynamic women. She played the piano with some skill, and worked out a duet with Daniel (who was an even better violinist) of the piece, "Meditation" from Massenet's opera, "Thais." Mary started up a correspondence with Daniel in Buenos Aires, where he stayed for three long years, becoming a master tailor. But in June 1924, he returned. They married and settled in Oakland, California, where their grandchildren still live. Mary and Daniel are my wife's maternal grandparents. This photo is from Mary's box of negatives. | Click image for Comments. | Home | Browse All Photos