Diana Colpitts

Diana Colpitts is the granddaughter of a prominent Armenian intellectual, doctor, member of Turkish parliament, and founder of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU). Dr. Nazaret Daghavarian was taken away and thought to be executed as a martyr during the Armenian genocide while he worked representing Armenia in Turkish Parliament. Diana's father, who was Nazaret's youngest son, was born in Constantinople, now known as Istanbul. He had also survived the genocide, born in 1911 just a few years prior to when it started.

Many stories have been handed down from her father and aunts and uncles, who Diana was very close with growing up. Diana also inherited a lot of her items from her Aunt Anahid, her dad's sister, who is pictured in the first photo below, alongside her cousin Helen. Anahid had compiled many of the items, and was a historian of sorts when it came to Diana's family history. 

"Well, I want to tell you that in looking through everything again that I have inherited from my oldest Aunt Anahid, who sort of was the historian for the family, I found some interesting stuff that I didn't know."

A lot of the artifacts and items in Diana's possession are in a different language, but she was still able to get an understanding of what the items were. She was able to educate herself on her family's history through the variety of photos, documents, and objects that she had been left with.

These family portraits below also provide a closer look into Diana's family on her father's side, with the second image being a family photo of Diana's father's first cousin, who is pictured on the right. The third photo depicts Diana's father Oursa on the right alongside his siblings, including Anahid in the center. These provide a better picture of Diana's family members and the connections they had with one another.