Marsovan 1915: The Diaries of Bertha Morley

Marsovan 1915 is a critical edition of the diaries of Bertha Morley, an American music teacher in Marsovan (near Kharpert). It is a blow-by-blow account of the Armenian Genocide in Marsovan between April and September 1915.

The text was prepared for publication by Hilmar Kaiser. Kaiser notes that the diaries were written for Morley’s own private purposes. She records the systematic disintegration of the Marsovan Armenian community: the arrest of Armenian community intellectuals, the methodical deportation of the rest of the population, and the eventual destruction of deportees. Morley narrates how Armenian property was plundered by Ottoman local and central officials and how Armenian women and children converted and were absorbed into Muslim households. She also testifies to the efforts of Ottoman authorities to conceal their criminal activities.