Category Archives: Church

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES…

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

Although I’m far from the finish line with my historical fiction about the Armenians in Troy, NY who founded the only Protestant Armenian church in upstate NY, I take a semi-break sometimes to do research on best practices for querying … Continue reading →

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RESPECT FOR HISTORICAL FICTION WRITERS!

Posted on September 20, 2022 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

I don’t update nearly enough on how my book is progressing on the Armenians who immigrated to and settled in Troy, NY and founded the Protestant Armenian church there. I’ll do a bit of an update here, but first I … Continue reading →

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RANDOM CONNECTIONS…NOT SO RANDOM

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

“I think my great grandfather was the founder of your church.” I received this message after posting a story about my childhood church on this blog. It wasn’t possible, I was certain. I had studied the original members and the … Continue reading →

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AN ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER

Posted on January 18, 2022 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

Just when I think that no resource is available to help me fill in the details of the lives of Armenians who settled in Troy in the 1890’s and early 20th century, another miracle (or two) comes along. I’m driven … Continue reading →

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ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: LONG AGO BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

The following article was published by TheCommonerNews.com – an interview with me about President Biden’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and a little about my historical fiction in progress–about the community of Armenians refugees who settled in Troy NY, and … Continue reading →

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THE MIRACLE PHOTO

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

For the last three years I’ve been involved with the process of closing and selling the church where I grew up. It was a sad time, but also a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with old friends, form new friendships, and … Continue reading →

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BIRTH OF AN ARMENIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY

Posted on May 13, 2020 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

Beginning in the late nineteenth century and continuing into the first three decades of the twentieth century, a community of Protestant Armenians left the horrific persecutions of Armenian Christians in Turkey and arrived and thrived in the city of Troy, … Continue reading →

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BIRTH OF AN ARMENIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY

Posted on March 2, 2020 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

I grew up in a community of Armenians. Every block within a 4-5 block diameter contained multiple Armenian families, and at the center of it was the church. The groundbreaking for the first church was celebrated by the entire congregation. … Continue reading →

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HOW LONG IS TOO LONG FOR HISTORICAL FICTION?

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

This stained glass window photo is from the church I attended as a child and remained a member until it closed in 2011. Revisiting the church a little over a year ago started me on this journey–to write about the … Continue reading →

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IN THE BEGINNING…

Posted on May 18, 2019 by Dawn Essegian Lajeunesse

My grandfather (medz ha’/eer) and grandmother (medz ma’/eer) immigrated from Kharpert (also known as Harpoot) in Armenia. Don’t try to find Kharpert on a map of Armenia–it’s no longer there. Kharpert was one of the casualties of the Armenian genocide, … Continue reading →

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