The Previously Unknown Son of Nicolas Yacoub Berouti
This revelation came as a great surprise, as I had believed that all the children of Nicolas Yacoub and Marie Regina Farajallah had already been identified. Thanks to the research of the Geday family of Jaffa, however, a previously unknown son has now come to light. His name was Joseph (Yousef) Berouti, and, born in 1857, he was in fact the eldest of the couple’s six children.
The evidence that Joseph was indeed the son of Nicolas Yacoub and Marie Regina is conclusive. The archives of Saint Anthony’s Latin Church contain his baptism, confirmation, and death records, along with the confirmation listings of his siblings. Taken together, these documents leave little doubt that he was Nicolas Yacoub Berouti’s child.
Joseph Berouti was born in Jaffa in 1857 and died in December 1878 at the age of 21. His early death may explain why knowledge of his existence faded from the memory of later generations.
In the records below, beyond Joseph’s clear association with Nicolas Yacoub and his other children, further telling details emerge. For example, Joseph’s baptism record identifies his parents as Armenian Catholics and names his godfather as Anton Araktingi, the same godfather who appears in the baptism records of Nicolas Yacoub’s other children.
Once again, I am indebted to the Geday family for shedding light on this once-unknown Berouti.
