Photo: Abraham and Zarouhi Koutoujian, c. 1909. Courtesy of Peter Koutoujian.
The Koutoujian family were included in the Waltham Rediscovered project as part of the Armenian community. They lived on Moody St.
Abraham Koutoujian was born in 1882 in Marash, Turkey. He married Zarouhi (Houzougian, born 1892) in 1909 in their shared hometown of Marash. Ten years later the couple were separated during the siege of Marash, as they were fleeing the Turkish massacre of Armenians. Abraham made it to the US in 1920, and was eventually reunited with Zarouhi (who also went by Sarah) two years later. They settled in Waltham in the early 1940s.
The Koutoujians had five children:
- Haroutune (born 1910)
- Hagop (born 1923)
- Arsen (born 1927)
- Mary (born 1929)
- Peter (born 1937)
Abraham and Zarouhi's son Peter worked as the Waltham City Clerk for 30 years. His son, Peter Koutoujian Jr., is currently the Middlesex Sherriff and is a former Massachusetts State Representative.