Paul Pera Georges

Paul Pera Georges was born in Gavilan, Iran on August 15, 1905. He had twin siblings; a boy and a girl who died at about one year of age from diptheria; however Paul had two older brothers too. Paul was full of mischief. One of his old friends, John Moses created a serious problem for all of the Assyrians in Gavilan in 1917 when he shot and killed a retarded Persian boy. Retaliation was swift and in kind, Paul's favorite uncle, a giant of a man, was shot in the back by a sniper from which he survived but never fully recovered to survive the flight to Iraq. Paul's mother sewed garments with big sleeves in which she placed food for the trip. Paul, his two older brothers, his father, mother and uncle started out on their survival journey into Iraq. Paul's mother forgot that more important than the food was water, Paul's uncle died on the trip; one of his older brothers died of high fever caused by drinking tainted water. Paul, one of his remaining older brothers, mother and father made it to "Baaqubah" the same British camp where Murassa had made it with her mother and Sofie.

Paul Pera Georges at twelve years of age, met and fell in love the eleven year old Murassa in the "Baaqubah" refugee camp. He and his family provided food and shelter for this orphaned girl who had no family except for Sofie, the seventeen years old half sister in law. The war dragged on but Paul and Murassa were having a great time as they were growing up. After the war ended, Oraham Daniels, Murassa's half brother made preparations to get Sofie, her mother and Murassa to the United States. In late 1919 they were ready to leave to the U.S. Paul begged his father to let him go with them because he loved Murassa so much, but Paul's father Pera, refused to let Paul go to the America.

Paul enlisted the aid of a friend of his and plotted to kidnap Murassa and to take her out into the desert. This would have caused Murassa shame unless they were immediately married, this too was to be accomplished one evening. Fortunately Pera Georges told Paul that he had changed his mind and would allow him to leave to the United States with Murassa and her remaining family. Paul's father changed his mind after he learned that the British drafted colonials for their army at age of 15 and did not want Paul to be dragged into the British Army and so allowed him to move to America. Ray Georges, Paul and Murassa's older son remembers his father Paul telling him about when his father Pera told him this, "He kissed me good bye, making me so happy while breaking my heart at the same time."

After a very involved journey through the Suez Canal, hold ups in the canal while regional wars were being fought, to India then France, England, Canada and finally entered the United States through Detroit, Michigan. Here Paul was the orphan and Murassa had a family of sorts. Paul and Murassa courted for the next 10 years however Oraham, Murassa's half brother was against their marriage. Being his only sister, Oraham wanted to arrange Murassa's marriage to someone with money, not a penniless painter and decorator by the name of Paul Georges. So on Murassa's 24th birthday, on July 20th, 1930 they eloped to Crown Point, Indiana where they were married.