Discovering Other Beroutis in Jaffa
There was a longstanding belief among family members that Nicolas Yacoub and his wife, Marie Regina Farajallah, arrived in Jaffa alone from Beirut. However, archives from the Latin church in Jaffa revealed otherwise. In fact, Nicolas’s older brother, Antoine Berouti, also made the move to Jaffa with his wife and children. It appears that both brothers arrived in Jaffa around the same time, building their lives side by side.
The first clue to their sibling connection emerged from Antoine Berouti’s death record, which identified his father as “George Yacoub” and noted his Christian denomination as Armenian Catholic. Since we already knew that Nicolas’ last name was originally Yacoub and learned from the Jaffa Latin church archives that he was Armenian Catholic, it seemed highly plausible that he and Antoine were closely related—either as first cousins or siblings.
Antoine Berouti’s death record. His father is identified as George Yacoub and his denomination is indicated as being Armenian Catholic. The record also indicates that he died at 70, which allows us to deduce that was born around 1804.
Further evidence came from a retroactively filled-out marriage certificate for Nicolas Yacoub Berouti and Marie Regina Farajallah. I found the certificate last summer in my mother’s collection of old photographs and documents. Though issued in September 1948 and lacking some details, the certificate listed “Georges” as (presumably) Nicolas’s father and reaffirmed the family’s last name as Yacoub as well as their Armenian Catholic affiliation. This additional document solidified the proof of sibling connection between Antoine and Nicolas.
Nicolas Yacoub Berouti and Marie Regina Farajallah’s marriage certificate, retroactively issued in September 1948,
Vital records also reflect what one would expect of close-knit family members. Nicolas’ and Antoine’s families remained socially intertwined, and their children and grandchildren maintained close relationships across generations. The records below illustrate this closeness.
Marriage record of Antoine Yacoub Berouti’s son, Bichara, with Faridé Basil, in 1885. Michel Berouti, first cousin to Bichara and Nicolas Yacoub’s son, was the witness at the wedding.
Marriage record of Antoine Berouti - Bichara Berouti’s eldest son - with Olga Al khoury, in 1925. Gabriel Berouti, Antoine’s first cousin, once removed, and Renée Berouti, Antoine’s second cousins, were witnesses at the wedding.
Baptism record of Albert Yoachim Berouti, Antoine Bichara Berouti’s and Olga Al khoury’s son, in 1933. Nicolas Michel Berouti, Antoine’s second cousin, and Victoria Bichara Berouti, Antoine’s sister, were godparents.
To provide a clearer picture of this other Berouti Jaffa Branch, I’ve included the three generations of Antoine (Yacoub) Berouti’s descendants.
It remains uncertain whether their father, George Yacoub, had other children.
Descendants of Antoine Yacoub Berouti (until 1948). Antoine was Nicolas Yacoub Berouti’s older sibling and George Yacoub’s son.
Bichara Gabriel Berouti and Albert Yoakim Berouti, great grandchildren of Antoine Berouti, were both born in the 1930s and consequently, were close in age to my dad and other Beroutis of that generation. My grandfather, Nicolas, was Albert’s godfather, afterall, which proves that they remained close across generations. We don’t know what happened to this branch of the family after the Nakba. One wonders where in the world they ended up, and whether these two men had families of their own. One online search led me to Brazil, where there was a trace of a certain “Bechara Beyruti” in the 1970s. Unfortunately, I was not able to confirm or refute his relationship to our Jaffa family. Many questions remain. Hopefully, one day we’ll be able to fill the gaps about this other side of the family.