The Boyajians- A Sidenote

Who was this Uncle at 422 Washington Street in Providence? I thought perhaps it was a relative on Stephen's mother side.  Her maiden name was Bernazian. According to the 1900 & 1901 Providence directories, this address was a grocery store/residence owned by several Boyajian brothers. This was the first time that I ever saw the Boyajian name as a relation to my family. I'm not sure if this relationship was true or this person was just a friend.  The names and occupations were:  Hovannes Boyajian confectioner, Avedis & Krikor Boyajian, tailors, Andon Boyajian grocer. I researched Boyajian to see if I could come up with a genealogical connection but I didn't find anything. I'm not even certain that my Grandfather went to Providence. There's no evidence of where Stephen was from 1901-1908. In 1910, Stephen was living in New York City. There were two Boyajians in the apartment next to his: Maksukis Boyajian age 48 and his son, Souren age 14. 

Stepan Motian

Stephen Motian

b. 1881 Malatya, Turkey d. 1953 Providence, RI

Growing up, my Grandfather was always a bit of a mystery man.  He died ten years before I was born when my Mother was still a teenager.  He was 20 years older than my Grandmother.  In a bit of scandel, he was paid to go to Cuba and marry her in 1929.  It had become much harder to come to the USA after 1924 when quotas were imposed for immigrants, depending upon the country from which you came. The deal was that they would get divorced asap so that my Great Grandfather could find her a proper husband.  Of course, they decided they liked each other, and stayed married.  He had a reputation as a gambler and a womanizer.  The family grew up poor, struggling through the Depression.

Through the easily accesable internet world of genealogy, I have researched the facts of my Grandfather's life.  The facts do not always support the family stories. The history is obscure.  But I do feel that I know my Grandfather a little better.