HOW THE TSINTZINIANS CONQUERED AMERICA Published in The National Herald, August 1-7, 2015 Issue Authored by Steve Frangos, TNH Staff Writer ------------------------------ We are 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.  ------------------------------ CHICAGO - Most historical accounts of Greek workers has them stepping onto American shores primarily between 1880 and 1920.  In terms strictly of demography this is the period when the vast majority of Greeks arrived for a temporary stay of work abroad.  Yet between 1870 and 1880 some 3000 Greeks arrived in roughly three distinct waves.  This systematic migration was based on a highly successful business model which was the creation of one man, Christos Tsakonas. Christos Tsakonas was born in the village of Tsintzina in the Parnon Mountains northeast of Sparta.  ...

Carol Kostakos Petranek, author of the Spartan Roots blog, has given permission for HellenicGenealogyGeek.com to reprint her June 10, 2015 post -  The Elementary School of Anavriti (municipality of Vrysai) in 1838.   This should enable the names to be more accessible for people doing Hellenic genealogy research on the internet. ----- My friend, teacher, and historian, Giannis Michalakakos, has translated a list of children enrolled in school in Anavriti in 1838. The original digitized records can be found online at the General Archives of Greece (see source at end of document). Giannis has added valuable information about the origin of many of the names in these records (look for a superscript number). He also provided links at the end of this document to the GAK Archives and to a blog dedicated to architecture in Sparta, and specifically to an article about Anavriti.  I extend to Giannis my deepest appreciation for his time and effort in finding and ...

Carol Kostakos Petranek, author of the Spartan Roots blog, has given permission for HellenicGenealogyGeek.com to reprint her June 10, 2015 post -  Families of Agios Ioannis, Sparta.   This should enable the names to be more accessible for people doing Hellenic genealogy research on the internet. ----- Families of Agios Ioannis,  Sparta Carol Kostakos Petranek, June 10, 2015 During my visit to the Archives in Sparta last summer, I obtained pages of the Mitroon Arrenon (Male Registers) for the village of Agios Ioannis, Sparta. The records begin in 1844. This village is the birthplace of three of my four grandparents (Papagiannakos, Kostakos, Aridas/Michalakakos). Almost every page had surnames of my grandparents' families, or those who married into my family. I was thrilled to have copies of these records! I am ever-grateful to the staff at the GAK in Sparta: Pepi Gavala (Archivist), Maria Stellakou, and Michalis Sovolos. They are kind, gracious and mo...

Carol Kostakos Petranek, author of the Spartan Roots blog, has given permission for HellenicGenealogyGeek.com to reprint her June 10, 2015 post -  Families of Anavriti, Vryseon.   This should enable the names to be more accessible for people doing Hellenic genealogy research on the internet. ----- Families of Anavriti, Vryseon Carol Kostakos Petranek, June 10, 2015 Last summer at the Sparta office of the General Archives of Greece, I was given permission to take digital images of pages of records of the Male Registers (Mitroon Arrenon) and Dimotologion (Town Registers) that listed names found in my family tree. I have created an index of the families of Anavriti, as found in the pages of the Male Registers that I obtained. If your family name is listed below, please contact the GAK office in Sparta for assistance in obtaining copies of the records. The staff is kind and most helpful: Maria, Michalis, and K. Gavala speak English and are sincerely desirous to be ...

Carol Kostakos Petranek, author of the Spartan Roots blog, has given permission for HellenicGenealogyGeek.com to reprint her June 25, 2015 post -  Surnames from the Mitroon Arrenon (Male Register) for Mystras, Laconia, and neighboring villages.   This should enable the names to be more accessible for people doing Hellenic genealogy research on the internet. ----- Surnames from the Mitroon Arrenon (Male Register) for Mystras, Laconia, and neighboring villages. Carol Kostakos Petranek June 25, 2015 During my visit to the General State Archives office in Sparta in July 2014, I digitized several pages of the Mitroon Arrenon (Male Register) for this Mystras, birthplace of my maternal grandmother (Aggeliki Eftaxias) .  The surnames below are extracted from the pages that I obtained, which is not the complete record. Villages included in these records are: Mystras, Vlachohori, Varsinikos, Pikoulianika, Parori, Katochora, Diaselos. If your family nam...