George Abdul Kerim Saraf was born in Aintab, Turkey 2 March 1896 into a family of brothers and sisters who were much older than he. The family name is based on the family trade or business, and since SARRAF means 'money lender' the family was most likely involved in money lending or exchanging.

George grew up in the Ottoman Empire during the time of the Armenian Genocide, and his family experienced the atrocities that were inflicted upon the Armenian people by the Turks. Were it not for the courageous efforts of Antoine Abdul Kerim Saraf, the family would have perished like so many hundreds of thousands of others in Turkey and Syria. I find the photo on George's passport in 1920 difficult to view. It reveals the face of a young man who has witnessed unspeakable horrors. His oldest daughter remembers her father looking at photos of his family and crying like a child as he viewed his many relatives that were killed by the Turks during the Armenian massacres.

She remembers him talking about how he managed to escape going to Lebanon, then France and then to the United States. She remembers hearing that he was involved in the Armenian underground during these hellish times in his homeland during World War I. Through cousins Antoine and his wife Anoush, George's great nephew Gabriel who emigrated from Syria in the 1960's, provided the following information. "George's brother Antoine Abdul Kerim Sarraf saved the family from the massacre. He was working at the train station in Aintab, Turkey as an Inspector at the time." To honor Antoine there are many family members who bear his name.

Gabriel also stated that George had fought against the Turks with the French underground in Aintab, Turkey and in Syria and confirmed that the family left Aintab and settled in Aleppo around 1918. George arrived at Ellis Island 8 June 1920. His naturalization papers, business documents and vital records created an interesting paper trail.

After arriving in New York City, he lived for about a year in Troy, New York. A business card and the 1921 Jacksonville City Directory show he had a clothes cleaning and tailor shop at 309 ½ West Forsyth Street in the St. George Hotel building for about a year. He had a tailor shop in Detroit for several years and became a successful businessman in Savannah, Georgia, first with a fruit market, then a confectionery, an ice cream parlor called "George's Triple Dip," and he later added spirits.

Phyllis, his oldest daughter writes, "…my father was a very smart man … he operated several businesses in his 45 years. He spoke several languages, including English, Turkish, Armenian, French, Greek, Lebanese, and Latin." (I would imagine this would be helpful if you were a moneylender and if you were in the underground in Turkey and Syria during WWI.) She continued, "He went to Detroit Michigan and stayed with an Armenian friend named Jack Abajay. Later, he came to Savannah, lived with John and Mary Tabakian, and opened his own fruit and vegetable stand. …he opened his ice cream shop and confectionery at 1120 West Broad where he manufactured his own specialty ice creams, and customers came from all over Savannah for his triple dip cones."

At that time, around 1937, the family lived right above the store at West Broad and Duffy. West Broad was the center for family owned stores. There was a fish market, a liquor store, a department store and a drug store all within one or two blocks. A liquor store was eventually added to the ice cream shop and the business thrived.

Armenians are known for their sheer determination and hard work and this was true of George. He opened the store at 6:00 a.m. each morning and worked until noon. My grandmother would take over for him so he could take an afternoon nap and he would return and stay open until midnight.

George had little time to spend with his children. His daughter wrote, "When Philip, Mary Ann, Antoinette, Rose and I were young children, he would set us all atop the glass showcase in the store on Sunday mornings before mama took us to Mass and he would give our shoes a high shine. This was a very special time for us, as he was always busy and we did not see him very often."

George survived the Armenian massacres; fought against the Turks in the French underground, and escaped to freedom in the United States only to be murdered in his ice cream shop on Friday, 13 June 1941 at the age of 45. The case has never been solved and access to the police records was denied.

June turned out to be a pivotal month in George's life. He arrived at Ellis Island on June 8, 1920. He secured a marriage license June 8, 1927 and married Mary Gannam on June 15, four days before her 17th birthday on June 19. My mother was born on June 18, his son George was born on June 27 and George died on June 13, 1941, five days before his daughter's 8th birthday, 14 days before his son's third birthday, two days before his 14th wedding anniversary, and six days before my grandmother's 31st birthday.

In recalling that horrible night, his daughter writes, "Mama had taken us to the drive-in theater and about half way through the movie, Mike and Nazer Gannam drove into the theater to bring us the terrible news that daddy had died from gunshot wounds….I remember going to sleep and wishing I would wake up and find it was all a bad dream. I can still remember the fragrance of the gardenias around his coffin in our living room and all the people who came to share in our grief."

Mary, my grandmother, was pregnant at the time of my grandfather's murder; she lost the baby within the week. She was left to care for seven children ranging in age from 11 months to 12 years and with a business to run, but she refused to give in to family and friends who tried to convince her to place the children in an orphan home. She had a terribly heavy burden facing her, but she did what had to be done.

With the birth of his latest great great grandchild in January of 2006, George's descendants will number 7 children, 23 grandchildren, 48 great grandchildren and 6 great great grandchildren.

Postscript
As all genealogists know, the family name, especially one of ethnic origin, has been spelled and mispelled a multitude of ways during the life of the person. This is true in government documents, vital records, court documents, census records, city directories and tombstones. Grandpa's name has appeared on documents as GEORGE ABDUL, GEORGES ABDULKERIM, ABDUL-RAZZAK and spelled SARAF and SARRAF. Which form is used and which form is correct is really of no consequence.