Almost everyone comes to beautiful Greece for vacation. But I come to work! This is precious time for me to do what I cannot from home: visit repositories, explore ancestral villages, look for new sources of information and visit family. This summer is a two-month extended stay for me, as I have added a new item to my “to-do” list–records preservation.
Vital records in Greece are kept in three key locations: town halls (Dimarheion), archive offices, and churches. All have the need to preserve their documents, but only some have begun this work. Fortunately, Sparta has a Bishop who understands the importance of record preservation, and he was most enthusiastic when approached about the opportunity to have his church records digitized.
In Sparta, marriage license records exist from 1835-present. The bishop approved digitization of 100 years of these documents–from 1835 to 1934. I volunteered to do the work, and honestly, it is my privilege. With the assistance of the church archivist, I work from 8:30-5:00 Monday-Friday.
Working girl
Records from 1835-1840 are sparse, but incredibly, some do exist and we are fortunate to have those that survived both the elements and humanity.
1836 marriage license
As you can imagine, these documents are dusty, dirty and some are very fragile. But they have withstood time and elements. Some have water damage, some have mold, but every one is precious.
Marriage licenses, ready to be preserved
Sometimes we find a document where the priest has glued together several strips of paper to create a full document. If you click on the picture below and make it larger, you can see the vertical lines where the strips are connected.
1894-making a full document from strips of paper
I have an affinity for old documents, as I work as a Citizen Archivist at the National Archives in Washington, and also at the Maryland Archives. But there is something extra special about handling documents that were generated in your ancestral land. Written in Greek script and detailing the marriage information for the bride and groom, I am handling papers that reveal precious family history–information about the bride and groom, and their families.
We never know what we will find when we pick up a license packet. This document has a photo of the groom:
There is a notation on the back of this license that the marriage did not occur, due to an argument between the groom-to-be and his father-in-law!
No marriage! page 1
No marriage! page 2
Sometimes, documents which are not marriage-related are found, and they are removed to be put in an appropriate files. This one is of special interest to me. It is an application of the citizens of my village of Agios Ioannis (Sparta) to the Bishop, requesting a priest. The year is 1874, and 70 men of the village signed the document. One of them–line 27–is my ancestor, Ioannis Papagiannakos. A rough translation: We are pleased to judge this man and to make him our priest, Panagiotis Poulimenakos. He is an honest man, educated, has a good heart and is respectful.
1874. Agios Ioannis, Sparta. Application for Bishop. p1
1874. Agios Ioannis, Sparta. Application for Bishop. p2
1874. Agios Ioannis, Sparta. Application for Bishop. p3
1874. Agios Ioannis, Sparta. Application for Bishop. p4
I anticipate it will take about two months to complete this project. It is rewarding to know that these records will now be saved. A new generation of priests is taking great interest in what we are doing and learning the importance of document preservation.
Stay tuned for updates! 🙂
Spartan Roots (Σπαρτιατικές Ρίζες) 
Carol You’re one of the few noted Greek-Genealogists who has worked hard preserving Greek-Genealogical history. God Bless You
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Thank you for doing this, what an incredible work you are doing. Do you know if this includes the surrounding area of Sparta like Agia Irini?
Hello and thank you for your comment. As of now, the Metropolis of Sparta is the first to have its marriage collection digitized. We hope that additional Metropolises will support record preservation in the future.
How do I access this valuable site to trace my heritage?
The website is: https://greekancestry.net/. Good luck with your research!
I would love to talk to you about our Family that I am trying to research from Sparta. Would you mind messaging me? Thank you.
Carol Your hard work doing important work preserving
genealogical records,especislly in
Laconia,Greece is outstanding
Carol, WOW just a big wow on this project that you undertook. You are a genealogy angel for taking it on. I am in awe of the handwriting on these documents. Once they are all digitized, do you have a crew to work on indexing them all, or are you going to do that too?
Thank you! There is a team of people who can read the old Greek handwriting and do the indexing.
Wow! What an adventure and great service. Are there plans for more digitization and preservation in Sparta and more broadly across Greece?
Hi Michael, Thank you for your message. Yes, we are working on continuing projects both in Sparta and throughout Greece. Unfortunately, I am not able to disclose more right now, but I certainly will be writing in my blog when I can publicly do so. Please tell me what area(s) of Greece are of interest to you! Thanks again 🙂
That is truly amazing Carol! Will any of those documents be available to us Americans searching for answers?
Yes! They will be online within the next year — stay tuned as I will share more information as it becomes available!
How wonderful that you can make such a contribution. I have no family or links to that area but found this a fascinating read. So many people will thank you for making these records accessible. X
Thank you for your kind words! 🙂
I am so proud of you for doing this work. When I was in Greece for my only trip to Sparta village I did not know the archives existed so missed the chance to find information on the Psichopedas family. Thank you! It will be a great help to others.
Edna Youngblood
Thank you for writing, Edna! Best wishes to you.
i love reading about you work my father was from anavrith he’s deceased now.. makes me feel closer to him!
thank you for sharinf
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Hello Helen! The Chrysomalis family from Anavryti is a large family. There are Dimotologion (Town Registers) and Mitroon Arrenon (Male Registers) at the Sparta Archives from Anavryti. If you would like to obtain them, please write to me. Thank you 🙂
How can i obtain these records?
Hello Helen! You can write to the General Archives of Greece, Sparta Office at mail@gak.lak.sch.gr. The staff speak English so you do not need to translate your request into Greek. Please let them know that I referred you. I was there a couple of weeks ago, and they are very willing to help. Please let me know what happens! Thank you, Carol
Thanks for all your diligent work. What a priceless treasure that you are preserving.
Thank you for your kind words! It is a privilege to do this work 🙂
Bless you, Carol! Am anxiously awaiting the records, as I have no name for my great-grandmother, and I hope to find her in your marriage records one of these days. Please know that the work you are doing is much appreciated. Antigoni Ladd
Thank you, Antigoni! I hope you will be able to find her marriage 🙂
Great work! Could you please add my husband, John Sakaris, (jsakaris@hal-pc.org) to your list? He would really enjoy reading your blog. Thanks.
How kind of you to ask for this! I cannot do it from my end, as he will need to subscribe to the blog. Perhaps you can send him a link and he can click on the “sign me up” button on the right. Thank you 🙂
So exciting! Love you Cousin!
These are our people ❤