"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...

MILE HIGH CITY GREEKS:   EARLY STRUGGLES AND TRIUMPHS By Steve Frangos Published in The National Herald, April 25, 2009 ------------------------------ I am excited that  The National Herald  has given Hellenic Genealogy Geek the right to reprint articles that may be of interest to our group.  ------------------------------ Between 1890 and 1900, Greek immigrants began to appear throughout the city of Denver with pushcarts and in elaborately appointed candy stores and shoe-shine parlors. As in other Greek communities the early Denver Greeks were also laborers in the mines, railroads, factories and smelters.  The Denver Greeks quickly established a system of support and solidarity that was simultaneously a money-saving living arrangement. “Some of the Greeks preside over popcorn stands at night, and the others run candy stores during the daytime. The popcorn men are home during the day and the candy men at night (Denver Ti...

THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN HELLENES: THE EARLY GREEKS OF DENVER By Steve Frangos Published in The National Herald, March 7, 2009 ------------------------------ I am excited that  The National Herald  has given Hellenic Genealogy Geek the right to reprint articles that may be of interest to our group.  ------------------------------ The 1870 Census documents the first Greeks living in Denver, Colorado. While only noted as “two unnamed Greeks” it is with this anonymous duo that the present community grew. By 1890, the Greek colony had grown to include 24 individuals. In 1910, a reported 240 Greeks lived in Denver. Yet even this early gathering of Hellenes was enough to support their own small group of traditional musicians. We know this because in 1911, five Greek musicians from Denver were deported for lack of the proper immigration papers.  By 1913, approximately 500 Greeks were living in Denver, another 700 in Pueblo, along with some 2,0...

LUDLOW, Greek Americans in the Colorado Coal War - Documentary Available Online The National Herald, NEW YORK - July 7-13, 2018 - The English Version of Ludlow, Greek Americans in the Colorado Coal War (2016) directed by Leonidas Vardaros, produced by Apostolis Berdebes Non Profit Company is now available online at vimeo.com -  https://vimeo.com/164340894 The film can be downloaded or streamed for personal use or public screenings of a non-commercial nature. Ludlow was selected as Best Historical Documentary in the 18th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival.  In August 2016, the film received the 2nd Award for Feature Documentaries at the 3rd Ierapetra International Documentary Festival and in October 2016 it received the Best Editing Award at the 10th Chalkis Documentary Festival.  The film team, consisting of director Leonidas Vardaros, cinematographer Prokopis Dafnos, researcher Frosso Tsouka, editor Xenofon Vardaros, sound engineer Andreas Gkovas, ...

CEMETERIES OF ST. JOHN CHURCH IN PUEBLO, COLORADO by Antonis H. Diamataris Published in The National Herald, February 9, 2007 Issue ------------------------------ I am excited to announce that  The National Herald  has given Hellenic Genealogy Geek the right to reprint articles that may be of interest to our group.  ------------------------------ Beginning in the 1880*s, just as Greektowns were being established all across North America, the new immigrants also immediately sought out graveyards. Upon reflection, the fact that Greeks collectively purchased entire blocks of cemetery sites, often long before churches were physically built, should come as no surprise. Life in the ksentia was long understood to be dangerous, and by the standards of the day, Ameriki was especially so. While it is fairly easy to learn about the histories of Greektowns all across North America, locating documentation on the history of Greek American graveyards is m...