Her maternal grandfather , Kristapor Chinaryan , was an Armenian landowner who survived the Hamidian massacres by the Ottoman Empire . In 1895 , Chinaryan fled to Bessarabia , where he adopted the Russified surname of Chinarov . He married a Ukrainian woman and eventually became extremely wealthy , owning three vineyards , three houses and a hotel . Her grandfather , Tchinarova Finch wrote , " could achieve success in business even on a desert island . He was practical , quick , receptive , generous , envied and loved . " During the Kishinev pogroms , he sheltered Jewish families in his basements
Hamidian massacres
Hamidian massacres
Tamara Tchinarova