Sivas 1877, edited by Arsen Yarman 2008
Melikian Family History
EARLY DAYS
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The Melik & Merig ancestors came to Sepastia (Sivas) as one large clan in skin tents from Ani by way of Mush when the Seljuk Turks occupied Ani around 1070 AD.
PRAPERT
The family eventually settled in Prapert, a village where the remains of Roman forts ("pert") could still be seen, hence the name.
COLLECTIVE FARM
The Melk/Merig clan lived on a collective farm that included 15 families, the largest family group in the village. The farm, nestled in a valley, was approximately five to ten miles square, and took 10 hours to walk the boundaries. It was surrounded by woods, orchards and mountains, and featured a river or stream running through it.
The family farm included 500 goats, 150 cows, 500 sheep, 40 - 50 oxen, and a large number of horses and wagons. In the summer, the animals were moved via a 6-hour walk to a "summer range" near the Black Sea, over 20 miles north (past Charcut, Rozan and Elamin). Summer cabins were built on this property to house 1-2 members of each family.