ABSTRACT
By the time World War I began, the New York Life Insurance Company and the Paris-based Union-Vie had each sold thousands of policies to Armenians. New York Life maintained one of the largest business operations in Turkey. Established in 1845 and known to insiders as "The Company," in the vision of its founders and directors New York Life was and was perceived – and revered – as missionary movement. Some of the policies that the Armenians had purchased from foreign insurers were left behind on the eve of their forced deportations from their homes. The terror-stricken Armenians turned to foreigners, such as American missionaries, for help and shelter. One such recipient of Armenian life policies was Reverend Robert Stapleton of the American Mission in Erzerum, a city that witnessed the deportation of tens of thousands of Armenians. The existence of a large number of insured Armenians is further confirmed by documents derived directly from the archives of New York Life.
