"The Greeks of Raleigh, NC" by Foti Jean-Pierre Fotiu, article published in The National Herald, February 25 - March 3, 2023.   ----- Hellenic Genealogy Geek would like to thank The National Herald for giving us permission, many years ago, to reprint articles that would be of interest to our genealogy community. ----- In 1895, Mr. Constantine Vurnakes departed his native city of Sparta, Greece. No one knew what brought Mr. Vurnakes to Raleigh; like so many other of his fellow citizens, he pursued the American dream, a dream which brought immigrants from all parts of Europe to discover a better life. Greeks were among the first immigrants who crossed the Atlantic to get their first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the customary landing and processing point for incoming immigrants from Europe. With great ambition, they brought varying degrees of introductory knowledge to the new world, for they were here to build their livelihoods. So why did Mr. Vurnake...

  "Legend of the Lynched Greek" by Steve Frangos, article published in The National Herald, March 4-10, 2023.   ----- Hellenic Genealogy Geek would like to thank The National Herald for giving us permission, many years ago, to reprint articles that would be of interest to our genealogy community. ----- As best I can remember, the first time, I heard ‘the legend of the lynched Greek’ I was a teenager. Since, that time the tale of this youth has been told to me many times. As this legend goes, the so-called lynched Greek was an immigrant from the 1880 to 1920 waves who was hung by the Ku Klux Klan. The way the story always unfolded was the Greek-American speaker had himself/herself been told a Greek youth had somehow offended or challenged the Ku Klux Klan and so had been hung. But the teller of this tale never really knew much more. I was always reassured that I could and should learn more about this fallen and forgotten hero. And I tried. But it was a huge circle. First e...