HellenicGenealogyGeek.com

Greek-American Blackface: Stereotypical Characters in the 1930s-1940s
Published in The National Herald, October 8-14, 2016 Issue Authored by Steve Frangos TNH Staff Writer
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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. 
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CHICAGO- One of the true omissions from Greek-American studies is the fact that nonGreek comedians and actors regularly portrayed comedic Greek characters in vaudeville, radio, and films. Given that America has lampooned one ethnic group after another, it really should come as no surprise that a kind of Greek-American blackface is also a part of that strand of racist-based humor. For those who doubt this claim, re-issued radio programs, old films, and even computer sites offer more enough evidence of the existence of this type of Greek stereotype.

The recognizable stereotypic trait that ma…

Who is this couple?

This picture was among some that my paternal grandmother had when she came to live with us in 1963 after my grandfather's death.  We assume this couple may be part of her side of the family, BEBETSOS. 

My grandmother, Georgia Bebetsos, was born in Agios Ioannis Theologou, Municipality of Sellasias, Laconia, Greece and migrated to Chicago, Illinois, United States in 1916.  She left two brothers in Greece - Andoni and George Bebetsos.

The digital collections of the Greek State Archives offer a wealth of information to those of us interested in Greek genealogy.  As part of their online collection is the "Election Material From the Collection of Vlachoyiannis" .  This includes "General Election Lists" for each Municipality; recorded by community (city, village, settlement, etc.).
You can view a scanned copy of each list, printed in the Greek language.  This is a GREAT resource, but very difficult to navigate for those who do not read Greek.  Each row includes:  Line # -  Given Name, Surname - Father's Name -  Age - Occupation.
I have translated these pages and made them available in both Greek and English, doing my best to transcribe the information accurately.  I would always recommend viewing the original scanned copies (link below). 
- To the best of my knowledge, these lists include all Males who were eligible to vote in the elections.  
- Names are in alphabetical order by Given name (First n…

THE LEGEND OF A FIEND: JOHN "BLACKJACK" JEROME AND VIOLENT STRIKEBREAKING
Published in The National Herald, September 24-30, 2016 Issue Authored by Steve Frangos TNH Staff Writer
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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. 
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Sometime in 1905, Yiannis Petrolekas arrived in San Francisco. No more than sixteen years old, Petrolekas faced all the same prejudices and opportunities may other Greeks of his generation were to experience on American shores. The choices Petrolekas was to make defined him as a man and as a historical figure.
There is no question that Petrolekas led a life far, far different from the average GreekAmerican. And I would be among the very first to advocate his life be reintroduced into the general historical accounts of Greeks in the United States. Petrolekas, who changed …

This was recently brought to my attention by Dawna Stevens - thanks Dawna!

Karitsiotikanea.blogspot.com published the following article on May 28, 2014

DECRIPTION OF OLD CONTRACTS UNLOCKS THE SECRETS OF OUR ANCESTORS

"Of the thousands of old contracts are kept in the General Archives Office of the State in Sparta, the team of Family Tree South Parnon has funded the digitization of some 386 dating from the fifteen years from 1867 to 1882.

All were written in the notary's office in Falcon at that time and are residents of the village and the surrounding villages Karitsa Alepochori and Vrontamas, and some of Kosmas Velota, Agriana, Zoupena, Grammousa, Gouves, Myrtle, Vlachioti and Giotsali same. 

these contracts they have great value because they give us a glimpse of the people and the living conditions in our part of 130 years ago. All documents are handwritten, so reading them is particularly challenging. Yet in seeking to unlock the earlier times secrets this is the task set by th…

Ancestry.com has a new database titled UK & IRELAND, MEDICAL DIRECTORIES, 1845-1942.  These directories include four doctors that have Greek names and were working in Greece.  

Note:  There are probably more doctors that do not have the word Greece in the description and I could not identify them without looking at each entry in the many directories.  If you have an ancestor that was a physician and worked in the UK, Ireland or Scotland this maybe a resource you could search by name.

Here are the four doctors that I referred to above:

Alex. Cawadias - Year 1925
Charilaos Kyriakou Joannidis - Years 1940, 1942
John Papa Nicolas - Years 1925, 1930, 1935, 1940, 1942
John Precopoulos - Year 1915

DESCRIPTION FROM ANCESTRY.COM

This collection consists of a Medical Directory of Doctors registered with the Royal College of General Practioners in the United Kingdom and Ireland for the years 1847 until 1942.

Medical Directories list most practising and retired doctors in Britain and its colonies, alt…