Kristine Azarian, the daughter of Abraham Azarian and "Liousi" Arevian, born March 8, 1899, baptized on March 28, 1899, priest, Bishop Gomitas, godfather, Avitis Hagopian. (LDS film #1037106, Holy Trinity Church, Beyoghle, Istanbul)

Family lore says that Christine was married three times.

1. The first marriage is said to have occurred in Turkey. According to the stories, Christine and her husband were on the forced marches into Syria and her husband died during the marches. Christine told her nephew, Tom Blanck, that she was on the marches to Aleppo.

   The forced marches occurred in 1915/16. If it is true that she was married and on the marches (and there is no reason to doubt such a story) it means she was probably married for the first time at around age 16 and that she had only been a bride for a short time when her husband died. It also means that Christine had to have been living in Anatolia where there were roundups of Armenian women (There were no roundups of female Armenians in Constantinople).

   I have not been able to find a marriage for Christine in Istanbul. Anna Azarian Claveloux told Christine's daughter, Ilda, that she traveled to Yerevan with Christine and their mother for the wedding. Ilda believes, however, that they went to Erzurum.

   Ilda 2002

   "Aunt Anna told me that she had traveled to Yerevan* when my mother was married. She may have been confused with Erzurum. My mother never spoke to me of Sivas except in relation to Uncle Harry. She did, however, speak often of Erzurum.

   According to Aunt Anna, my mother's husband was shot by Turks in her house. They came and put all the men in one room and shot them. My mother escaped. She did say that she wandered about in the dessert for a long time, went to Aleppo and Haifa and was finally picked up by the French Foreign Legion and sent back to Istanbul."

   *This may be a confusion with the name YEROYAN. See marriage 2.

2. Family stories also says that Christine had a second short marriage that ended in divorce. This marriage appears to have occurred in Turkey as Christine immigrated to the US with a husband, Karekin Jeroyan, in 1920.

   Her Petition for Naturalization and her immigration records indicate that she was married to Karekin Yeroyan (Jeroyan) in Turkey before June, 1920.

   Kristine entered the United States on June 1, 1920 under the name Kristine Jeroyan. She was listed as the wife of Karekin Jeroyan with whom she was traveling.

3. Mariano Pace, see below.

On her Petition for Naturalization Christine stated that she immigrated on June 1, 1920 on the La Lorraine under the name Kristine "Jeroyan".

The passenger list for the La Lorraine departed La Havre arrived New York June 1, 1920 lists:

1. Jeroyan, Karekin, age 31, married, merchant, Armenian, nearest relative in Turkey, brother Katjik "Yerojan" at Constantinople, headed to Utica, New York
2. Jeroyan, Kristine, age 21, married, wife, of Karekin, Armenian

The name appears to be more frequently spelled "Yeroian" or "Yeroyan"

Ilda say her mother was detained at immigration. She was NOT on the list of Detained Aliens or on the list of Special Inquiries on the manifest of La Lorraine. However, Christine's mother, Lucy and the three daughters she was traveling with when she arrived in May of 1921 were detained for three days until Abram Azarian came to "call" for them. Women unaccompanied by a male relative were not allow to enter the United states at the time. As frequently happens in oral history, stories often become intertwined and this is what most likely happened in Christine's memory. I must have been a very traumatic time. I know it was for her youngest sister, Alice, and I am sure it was worse for Christine.

In 1949 when the family traveled on the Queen Mary to Europe, Ilda was listed as "Elsa". Ilda wrote in July 2018:

"my parents forgot that they had named me Elsa when born. I was supposed to be a male, so they were unprepared for a girl. When they requested a passport for me in 1949 Ilda was nowhere to be found. Anyway, my mother had to have my name legally changed to Ilda though I much preferred Elsa."

Petition for Naturalization, filed December 28, 1933, New York #214012

US District Southern District, New York, Christine Pace 1514 Townsend Av., Bronx, New York, dressmaker, born Constantinople, Turkey March 1901, Armenian, married Marianno on April 29, 1929 Union City, New Jersey, husband born Castronovo, Italy, June 29, 1895, he entered the US on January 1922 naturalized July 19, 1929 Jersey City, NJ cert. # 2712746. Christine's last foreign address was Constantinople. She said she immigrated to the US on June 1, 1920 on the vessel La Lorraine under the name Kristine Jeroyan. Renounced Victor Emmanuel III King of Italy and (or) the Republic of Turkey. Witness Pierre Claveloux, artificial florist 198 Palisades Av. Union City, N. J. and Harry Semerjian, jeweler, 1514 Townsend Ave., Bronx, 8 May 1933

This was not her naturalization record. It was a "petition" for naturalization.

Immigration Records show:

1. 1949: List of outbound passengers for the port of Cherbourg from New York, June 22, Christine Pace, 48, born Turkey, Mariano Pace age 53 born Italy, and "Elsa" Pace age 15, address Jersey City, NJ, Departure date 22 Jun 1949 from New York, New York, USA, Ship: QUEEN MARY
2. Christine Pace 1st class Le Havre France September 18, 1953 to New York September 25, 1953 age 52 US Passport #153415, born Turkey traveling with Ilda Pace age 29, US passport #153415 born New Jersey.
3. 1954, 17 September Idlewild from Mexico Christine and Ilda no other information
4. 1955: Christine Pace, Birth Place: Turkey, Departure Date: 13 Dec 1955, Departure Place: New York, New York, USA Ship: ANDREA DORIA, Passport # 153415, naturalized 1932 New York born Turkey, 4 months aboard
5. March 20, 1956, Gibraltar - NY - Roma, born Turkey US Passport #153415, no other information
6. 1962: July 15, Christine Pace Nationality: American Arrival Age: 61 Birth Date: 2 Mar 1901 Birth Place: Constantinople, Turkey Arrival date: 15 Jul 1962 Arrival Place: New York, New York, USA Destination: New York Airline: Avianca, Address 777 Summit ave, Hackensack, New Jersey form Bogata, Columbia, passport #2177869

I wrote to the United States Department of State in 2008 in an attempt to get Christine's passport application. The said they searched from 1923 to 1978 and did not find it under Christine Pace or Christine Azarian. They suggested that the document might have been destroyed when the Department of State need more room in the 1980s.

Ilda provided the following information:

• Mother, Christine Azarian, born March 8, 1901, Istanbul, died February 1978, Bogota, Columbia
• Father, Mariano Pietro Pace, born, June 29, 1895, Castronovo, Sicily, Italy, died, April 1952, Hackensack, New Jersey
• Daughter, Ilda, born June 20, 1934, Jersey City, New Jersey
• Ilda's husband, Pedro Restrepo, born, February 7, 1918, Andes, Columbia. Ilda and Pedro met in Mexico City, where they were introduced by mutual friends.
• Ilda and Pedro had two sons:
  1. Juan Mario born in Bogota on September 4, 1961.
  2. Pedro Alonso, born in Bogota on July 1, 1964.