Baptism Records ‘Renewed our Life’

The Armenian Weekly has published the baptism records of Sourp Krikor Lusavorich Church in Gesaria (Kayseri) 1914-1914 in full on its website. To access the records, click here. Below is a letter we received from a reader who learned details of her family history through these records.
Dear Editor:
I would like to thank George Aghjayan for his article, which was accompanied by the baptism records from the Armenian Church in Gesaria (Kayseri).
You have no idea how you renewed our life. My father passed three years ago never knowing his birth date or much about his childhood. All we knew is that he was born in Gesaria, Turkey, around sometime in 1915. The Turks had cut his grandfather’s tongue because he spoke Armenian and conducted village business and government matters in Armenian. That is why our last name became Dilsizian from Deukmejian: The “one who has their tongue cut by the Turks” was on everyone’s mind.
From the 1914-15 baptism records of Gesaria that you published, I found my father’s name, Hagop Delsezian, baptized on May 10, 1914. This was such a great revelation for me and my 89-year-old mother.
My family wants to thank you all and I wish my father had known his baptism date at least before he passed. He was so emotional when the immigration officers wanted to know his birthday and he didn’t know how to answer. He said in Armenian, “I’ll give my wedding date, I was born again that day.”
It was incredible after all these years to find out that my father Hagop Dilsizian was baptized in the beautiful Armenian Church in Gesaria on May 10, 1914.
Thank You!
Vicky Dilsizian Kherlopian
Belmont, Mass