History of St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Hartford, Connecticut " The first Greek immigrants arrived in Hartford in 1898. By 1915, there were some two hundred Greek residents in Hartford, and by 1920 the number exceeded four hundred, only twenty-five of whom were families. The early Greek residents of Hartford were too few to support their own church; consequently, they accepted the spiritual guidance of the neighboring St. George Greek Orthodox Church of New Britain, which had been established in 1916. At the time, a chartered trolley car on special holidays such as Easter and Christmas was necessary to transport the increasing church attendance from Hartford. As the number of Greek residents in Hartford increased, the thought of organizing their own community prevailed. In the spring of 1921, and educational committee was formed. Its sole purpose was to organize a school for the teaching of the Greek language to children of Greek families. A room was rented in the...

Ancestry.com  has a database titled CONNECTICUT, FEDERAL NATURALIZATION RECORDS, 1790-1996 .   There are over 10,000 records for people who recorded that they were born in either Greece or Turkey.  It seems as though most people in this collection have both a Petition and Declaration on file.  You will have the ability to see the actual certificate.. If you do not have a subscription to Ancestry.com, remember that you can access the program at most of your local libraries for  FREE. ------------------------------ Description of Database from Ancestry.com Introduction to Naturalization Records: The act and procedure of becoming a citizen of a country is called naturalization. In the U.S.,  naturalization  is a judicial procedure that flows from Congressional legislation. From the time the first naturalization act was passed in 1790 until 1906, there were no uniform standards. As a consequence, before September 1906, various federal, state,...

Ancestry.com has a database titled CONNECTICUT, MILITARY QUESTIONNAIRES, 1919-1920 .  There are 72 men, born in Greece , who filled out this questionnaire.   You are so lucky if one of your ancestors filled out this 4 page form with precious information about why they fought and their feelings about service .  You will be able to view the entire 4 page form online. For those of you who do not have access to Ancestry.com at home, it is available in most public libraries for free. Description from Ancestry.com This database contains a collection of questionnaires filled out by Connecticut soldiers (or their families) who served in World War I. The first page of the questionnaire itself states: “Compiled by the Department of Historical Records of the Connecticut State Council of Defense, State Library, Harford, where it will be filed, as a permanent memorial of the deeds of Connecticut soldiers and sailors in the service of the federal, state and allied ...

Ancestry.com has a database online that is titled -  CONNECTICUT, SCHOOL AGE CERTIFICATES, 1904-1911    which includes 63 entries for children who listed Greece as their place of birth. Don't forget - most of you can access these records online at your local public library for FREE.  Read more on one of my previous posts " Something New To Try When Using Ancestry.com in the Library for FREE " RECORD DESCRIPTION FROM ANCESTRY.COM These certificates vouched for your young ancestor’s right to work. Historical Background As the twentieth century opened, the issue of child labor had risen to prominence in the labor movement. Thanks to reformers like Florence Kelley, Jane Addams, and Mother Jones, people were starting to take notice, and some states began regulating hours and conditions in which children could work. Connecticut started establishing educational requirements for working children in 1869. By 1882, working children between the ages of ...

If you live in the United States, chances are that your local library has a subscription to HeritageQuest Online (maybe even allowing you access online from home).  From there you can search PERSI  (The Periodical Source Index) at the Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, IN.  You can print a form online and order a copy of any article listed in the PERSI Index.  Here are the titles of articles pertinent to  Greek immigrants in Connecticut : Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church notes, 1917  Killingly Historical Journal. Danielson CT: 2008. Vol. 14 Iss. 2 Greek Orthodox of Danielson, 1916-65  Killingly Historical Journal. Danielson CT: 2003. Vol. 9 Iss. 1

Bootblack Shop and Two of the Boys, New Haven, Conn..  (Athena Shoe Shine Parlor) (click on image to enlarge) Source: Book - Greek Immigration to the United States by Henry Pratt Fairchild - 1911

Published in  The New York Times, July 23, 1892 GREEK MURDERER CAPTURED ---------- Charged with Killing the Captain of His Ship. ---------- BRIDGEPORT, Conn., July 22. - A broad-shouldered, treacherous-looking fellow occupies a cell at the Central Police Station in this city charged with one murder and attempts to commit several more.  The prisoner is Legonedas Vourgares, a Greek, about forty years of age.  He was captured on board a cat-rigged oyster boat which sailed into this harbor this morning for supplies. The murder with which Vourgares is charged was committed on a Greek vessel near Constantinople in 1886.  Vourgares and four other Greeks secured employment as sailors on the ship and conspired for the purpose of robbery.  They sailed from the island of Andros for Constantinople.  Then the conspirators armed themselves and drove the remainder of the crew into the forecastle.  The Captain was murdered by being stabbed, and ...