The Mugar Family website is a great resource for Mugar descendents to learn about
their ancestors. It is also a place to connect with distant relatives. Please visit the Mugar
Family History blog also: http://www.mugarfamily.blogspot.com/
PLEASE contribute your photographs, written knowledge, memories, family stories, and
photos of memoribilia etc. for the benefit of all the descendents of Hovannes Mgrdich
Der Mugardichian and Miriam "Hajimayre" Zartarian. Contact me at kellyjuell@aol.com
From left to Right: Charlie (Garabed) Mugardichian, Ara Mugardichian,
Sarkis (Stephen Mugardichian), Boghos Matteosian, Serena Talakian, Hratch (Rex)
Mugar, Catrina Matteosian, Shushan (Susie) Talakian, Virginia Mugar (Pregnant with
Ankin Mugar), On the running board is Anthony Matteosian.
The photo above was taken in 1914 in front of the "Mugar's Ladies and Gentlemen's
Cafe and Lunch Home Cooking Counter." The location was 1747 Washington Street on the
corner of Massachusetts Avenue in Boston. The car is a 1913 Velie Touring Car. The
Mugar's were one of the first in their town to own an automobile. Rex Mugar (Hratch
Charles) is the last living person in this photograph. Rex is the child in the middle
of the car, holding on to the door, he was 4 years old at the time. He is a great
source of information and I am forever grateful for his patience in my never ending
questions.
The name "Mugar" was originally "Mugardichian" and was cut short in order to fit on
the sign of this restaurant that the Mugar family owned in Boston, MA. It was an
American food restaurant and the brothers (Martin, Arthur, Gregory) worked as chefs
in the restaurant. John Mugar of Gloucester wrote that "they were on their way to
Nantasket Beach, brothers Arthur and Martin were in the cafe kitchen at the time the
photo was taken." (Source Ellen Mugar)
"Charles Jaferian, a friend of Arthur used to eat at the Mugar family restaurant in
Boston every day. They arranged for him to go to Cuba and marry Maritza Vartigian and
bring her to the US, thereby the connection to the Vartigians. Rose Zartarian
Vartigian's husband Dikran Vartigian might have been Maritza's brother." (source:
Arlene Harootunian)
Top left to right: Manoog Zartarian, Ana Mugardichian Zartarian, Anna Chooljian, ?
Mugardichian, Araxie Zartarian Harootunian and Garabed (Charles) Mugardichian. Bottom
left to right: Alice, Steve, Mary, Sarkis, Helen, Vosgitel (golden string), Rose
Vartanoush Zartarian Vartigian,Mr. Dikran(sp?) Vartigian, and baby Arsen
Vartigian.
I love this picture. It was taken about 1908 in Boston. "Peter Mugar remembered,
possibly as told by his grandmother Virginia Matteosian Der Mugardichian, that the
women holding the fern branches signified it was likely Palm Sunday as celebrated by
most Orthodox Armenians. After all, they did live in mountainous areas where palm
branches did not grow."
The people in this picture are, from top left to right: Martin Mugardichian, his wife
Anna Chooljian Mugardichian, Vosgitel Hampartzoomian Mugardichian (Sarkis Der
Mugardichian's wife), Rose (Arthur Mugardichian's wife), and Arthur Mugardichian. The
2 people sitting down in the front middle from Left to right are: Miriam "Hajimayre"
Zartarian Mugardichian, and Manoog Zartarian.
I suppose this picture was taken sometime around 1945.
This picture was taken in November 2008 at Rex's home in Camarillo. There are 4
"generations". From Left to Right: Peter Mugar, baby Benjamin Juell, Bradley Mugar,
Hratch (Rex) Mugar, and Bradley Mugar Jr.
