My friend and fellow genealogist, Gregory Kontos, created this moving video, encouraging us to keep looking for those who gave us life. It may be hard, but every name we find is one more ancestor who is remembered and retrieved from the annals of the forgotten.
On October 12, 2013, the “East Coast” descendants of my grandparents, Louis Pappas (Ilias Papagiannakos) and Angelina Eftaxias Pappas, gathered in Westwood, New Jersey to celebrate the baptism of Megan Sophia Ryan, the great-granddaughter of Louis and Angelina, and daughter of Lois (Pappas) and Bobby Ryan.
Our grandparents had four children: Catherine, Bertha, William and Nicholas. Those of us in the photo above are the families of Catherine (Carol Petranek & John Kostakos), Bertha (Louis & John Pouletsos), and William (Lois Ryan & Pam Bergonzoni). Pauline Pappas, center front in wheelchair, is the wife of William and the only one of our parents who is living. She turned 90 years old in July and was thrilled to be with her family. We miss our “West Coast” California cousins who descend from Nicholas: Louis, Nick, Paula and Vincent. We hope that someday soon, all of us can be together.
I am sure that our parents were smiling down at us as we gathered for such a happy event. Family activities were such an important part of their lives, and I am happy to say, they are for us as well.
Lately, I have been reading about the history of Mani, an area in the far southern Peloponnese now shared by Laconia and Messinia. The Maniates were known to be strong, resilient, clan-oriented people, indomitable in war and ferocious in defending family honor. When I was last in Greece, at the Archives in Sparta, I asked an archivist about the origins of my four grandparents’ surnames: Kostakos, Papagiannakos, Aridas (possibly Mihalakakos) and Eftaxias. He responded that those names most likely originated in Mani, and he proceeded to explain the reputation and temperament of the Maniates.
A chord of pride struck my soul — these are my people! This is the blood that flows in my genes. I, too, can face life’s challenges and overcome obstacles. I am a Maniate.
Reading this book, Mani and the Maniates by Dimos N. Mexis, has led me to further research on the internet. A friend referred me to the blog, Maniatika, hosted by Giannis Mihalakakos and George Athanasakos. This is an outstanding source of history, genealogy, village information and current news. These men are devoted to keeping alive the traditions of their ancestors and the spirit of their land. They are passionate about this mission and it is evident in the time they devote to their blog and their interest in helping others.
I am so impressed with the commitment of these young men, as well as my friend, Gregory Kontos (http://gkfamilytrees.wordpress.com/). Their generation will ensure that the glory of Greece is not only remembered, but carried forth.
Last year, I had the opportunity to meet Ann Barsi when I gave a presentation about FamilySearch.org to an Italian cultural group. She has spent 40 years extracting church records in her husband’s village of Pieve di Controne in Italy. These records go back more than 500 years! Ann has just published a book about the history of the area which includes genealogies of all of the original families. Anyone with roots in this village can email her and receive a family tree going back 10-12 generations!
I just had to write Ann’s story. Her work fills me with inspiration and her ability to access these records fills me with longing to be able to do this work for my Greek ancestors. With the help and enthusiasm of Gary’s cousin, David, we have done a similar work — we have been able to trace my husband’s Czech maternal line back to the 1600’s, also through church records in the Czech Archives.
It is possible to learn to read these old records in a foreign language. Ann did it, and I am learning to do it in Czech with David’s help. Truly, it is not impossible to build an ancestral line generation by generation, going back hundreds of years. The only impediment is lack of records.
It is clear to all genealogists that access to religious records is a key component in successfully compiling accurate family trees. Whenever I have written to a Diocese in Greece to ask for information, I have received an immediate and courteous response. Their desire to be helpful is unquestioned and gratefully acknowledged. The problem lies in the fact that we cannot browse the records. We can ask for a specific birth or marriage information, but oftentimes this is unknown. Thus, having the capability to look, page by page, through the records is critical to success. Currently, this is not possible.
Our Jewish friends have a poignant phrase, filled with hope and joyful anticipation — someday in Jerusalem. I will never lose hope that someday I will be able to access church records to find my family through the centuries — someday in Greece!
I hope you enjoy reading about Ann’s work. It was a joy for me to interview her and write this article: Pieve di Controne.
Spartan Roots (Σπαρτιατικές Ρίζες) 