Armenians are one of the oldest and most resilient nations in the world, with a rich and diverse history and culture. Their presence in America dates back to the early 17th century, when the first recorded Armenian immigrant arrived in Virginia, more than a year before the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth. His name was Martin the Armenian, and he was not the only one of his kind to seek a new life in the New World.
Martin the Armenian: The Pioneer
Martin the Armenian, also known as John Martin or Martikyan, was born in Iran, where many Armenians had settled after the Ottoman invasion of their homeland. He was a tobacco grower who learned his trade from the English merchants who visited Iran. In 1618, he decided to join them on their voyage to Virginia, where they hoped to establish a profitable tobacco plantation.
Martin the Armenian was the first naturalized citizen of what would later become the United States of America. He received a land grant of 100 acres from the Virginia Company, and introduced the cultivation of silkworms into the colony. He also worked as a tobacconist, and gave testimony in a trial in Jamestown in 1619. He was well respected by the English colonists, who called him “a very honest, industrious, and well-conditioned planter”.
The Armenian Companions: The Skilled Workers
Martin the Armenian was not alone in his journey to Virginia. Around the same time, Capt. John Smith, the famous explorer and leader of the Jamestown colony, brought a number of foreigners with him, among them many Armenians. Smith had visited Armenia in 1603, and was impressed by the people and their skills. He wrote in his report:
“These are the most expert in all trades, of all nations, and the most faithful and trusty, and therefore the most esteemed and best used of any nation in Turkey, Persia, or any part of the East.”
Smith recruited the Armenians to help him develop the colony, and to teach the English colonists how to produce various commodities that were in high demand in Europe. The Armenians were skilled in the manufacture of pitch, tar, glass, beads, and soap ash, which the English colonists used as currency in trading with the Native Americans. They also helped to build houses, boats, mills, and fortifications.
The Armenians were hard workers, who did not shun labor like some of the “vagabond gentlemen English colonists wearing silk”. They were also loyal and peaceful, who did not cause trouble or rebel like some of the other foreigners. They were well integrated into the colony, and some of them married English women and had children.
The Armenian Legacy: The Survivors
The Armenians who came to Virginia in the early 17th century were among the first immigrants to America, and among the first to contribute to its economic and social development. They were also among the first to experience the hardships and dangers of the colonial life, such as famine, disease, war, and slavery. Many of them did not survive, and their names and stories have been largely forgotten.
However, their legacy lives on in the descendants of those who did survive, and in the records and documents that attest to their presence and achievements. They also paved the way for the later waves of Armenian immigration to America, which were driven by the persecution and genocide of the Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Today, there are more than half a million Armenian Americans, who form the second largest community of the Armenian diaspora after Armenians in Russia. They are proud of their heritage, and of their contributions to the American society and culture. They also honor the memory of their ancestors, who were among the first Armenians in America.
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