The Desteian Bible

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I’m John Desteian. The Bible came over with my father’s family in 1905. My grandfather was the head of a large family of goldsmiths and jewelers. Cholakian, their original surname, was changed by the Turks to Desteian, a variation of Desdegul.

In 1905, warned of an impending Turkish massacre, my grandfather gathered his extended family, more than 40 people in all. With some valuables to pay for the trip, as well as the family Bible and other small items of significance, they made their way to the coast, where they boarded a ship for Marseilles and eventually came to the US.

Included in the ship’s manifest upon arrival were the family of my grandfather’s in-laws, the Zotians, the other Cholakians, and family friends.