Nishkian, Garabed M.

Garabed M. Nishkian was born in Erzeroum, Turkish Armenia, on August 27, 1855, to Marderos Nishkian. After surviving a patriotic uprising and escaping a Turkish death sentence, he fled to America and arrived in California in 1884. He established a vineyard in Fresno County, later brought his family from overseas, and brought his mother, four brothers, and a sister to the area.

In 1890, Garabed married Horopik Magaria in Fresno, and together they farmed in the Scandinavian Colony before buying a forty-acre vineyard on White’s Bridge Road. The couple raised four children: Dearan, Odar, Zarouhi, and Vaughan. Following a long illness, Garabed passed away in December 1915, leaving behind a lasting legacy as a pioneer raisin-grower and a revered leader in the local Armenian community.