2ND INTERNATIONAL GREEK ANCESTRY CONFERENCE
January 29-30, 2022
Free, Virtual, Live on Greek Ancestry’s YouTube channel
To view the agenda and videos of the 1st International Greek Ancestry Conference (Jan. 29-31, 2021), click here.
Day 1 | Saturday, January 29, 12pm-4.30pm
Day 1 – INTRODUCTION
(All times listed in Eastern Standard Time)
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Gregory Kontos & Georgia Stryker Keilman, Introduction (12.00-12.10pm)
The organizers of the 2nd International Greek Ancestry Conference, Gregory Kontos of Greek Ancestry and Georgia Stryker Keilman of the Hellenic Genealogy Geek welcome you to this celebration of Greek genealogy and family history.
Day 1 – SESSION I: GREEKS IN FOREIGN LANDS
(All times listed in Eastern Standard Time)
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Nicholas Gage, An Interview with Author Nicholas Gage (12.10-12.40pm)
What is it like to deal with traumatic family history? Why does one decide to explore it and make it public? What was the Greek-American immigrant experience in the late 1940s-early 1950s, and how has it changed? Distinguished Greek-American author, Nicholas Gage, will answer these and more questions posed by Gregory Kontos.
As a reporter for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press, he received wide recognition for his investigative articles on organized crime, drug trafficking and political corruption. (He obtained the first Nixon tapes in the Watergate scandal.) Abroad, he covered numerous wars and revolutions, including the Iranian uprising that toppled the Shah. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize six times and received numerous awards for his reporting, including the Newspaper Guild’s Page One prize for investigative reporting and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism Alumni Award for distinguished career achievement. His adventures as an investigative reporter were dramatized in a CBS television series, The Andros Targets. His books include Greek Fire, A Place for Us, and Eleni, his account of his mother’s life and death during the Greek Civil War. Translated into 32 languages, it was nominated as best biography of the year by the National Book Critics Circle and received the top literary prize of 1984 from the Royal Society of Literature of Great Britain. “If Eleni were fiction, it would bear the mark of genius,” wrote The New York Review of Books about the memoir. Gage’s next book, A Place For Us, was widely praised as a moving saga of the immigrant experience, and its prose, Time magazine said in its review, “echoes Checkov.” His most recent work, Greek Fire, is a dual biography of Maria Callas and Aristotle Onassis. The book, wrote The Washington Post, “illuminates not only its subjects but the craft of biography as well.” In between writing books, he has worked in motion pictures, serving as co-producer of the film version of Eleni and as co-executive producer of The Godfather Part III, which was nominated for an Oscar as best picture in 1994. In recognition for his work, he has received five honorary degrees, including a doctorate in 1985 from Boston University, where he gave the commencement address. Mr. Gage, who established a scholarship fund at Boston University in memory of his mother, has been active in a number of philanthropic and human rights organizations for which he has raised several million dollars, and is an archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
He is married to Columbia Journalism School classmate Joan Paulson and they are the parents of three children: Christos, a screenwriter in Los Angeles; Eleni, also an author, who has published two books, a travel memoir, North of Ithaka, and a novel, Other Waters, and Marina, a designer in San Francisco.
Carol Kostakos Petranek, Finding Your Ancestor’s Original Surname and Village of Origin (12.40-1.00pm)
Research in Greek records cannot begin unless you have an ancestor’s original surname and village of origin. Many who emigrated changed their surnames, but it is the original name which is found in the documents kept by the churches and municipalities. Records in Greece are kept at the village level, and there are many villages with the same name. So, where do you start? This presentation will provide strategies for finding these two key pieces of information in the country where the immigrant settled.
Alexander Kitroeff, The Greek Diaspora in Egypt (1.00-1.30pm)
This presentation describes the significance of one of the most important diaspora communities of Modern Greece, the Greeks in Egypt. From the early 19th century through the 1950s there was a substantial presence of European communities in Egypt, among which the Greeks were the largest. Moreover, the Greeks enjoyed a uniquely close relationship to the Egyptians and contributed to the country’s development even after they lost their privileges in the 1930s.
Georgia Stryker Keilman, Hellenic Genealogy Geek: New Website & Resources (1.30-1.45pm)
Where is that article or database you remember seeing 2 years ago? Georgia will talk about the Hellenic Genealogy Geek Research Links website; a categorized list of resources to help with your Greek genealogy research. Over 2,500 links to tools, databases, websites, articles, books and much more. What are some of the most important, but least used, resources?
All four of her grandparents were born in Greece. Georgia’s interest in collecting books and documentation on Greek immigrants began in the mid-1990s while working and living in Australia where there was an abundance of recently published materials on the subject. Upon her return to the U.S., Georgia continued to collect books, articles, and data on the worldwide Greek diaspora.
In the year 2010 Georgia formed the Hellenic Genealogy Geek Facebook group and blog to share all that she had collected with those interested in researching their own family history. The group has grown to over 30,800 members as of December 2021. Georgia strives to encourage people to contribute by helping others and share information.
Break - Giveaway (1.45-2pm)
Day 1 – SESSION II: GREECE IN THE 20TH CENTURY
(All times listed in Eastern Standard Time)
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Linda Carol Trotter, The Eftychia Project: Search, Reunion, Advocacy and Education (2-2.30pm)
The Eftychia Project provides assistance and support, free of charge, to Greek-born adoptees searching for their roots and Greek families searching for their children lost to adoption. Our presentation will cover who we are, what we do and how our adoptee-led activism has made great strides in the fight for the birth and identity rights of all Greek-born adoptees.
Sofia Pitsineli, Heroes Till the End: The Last Moments of Greek Fighters (2.30-2.45pm)
What was a Greek resistance fighter thinking a few moments before his execution by the Nazis, and what was the role of the Greek church in preserving and sharing these thoughts with the executionee’s family?
Giannis Michalakakos, Life in Early 20th-Century Greece (2.45-3.15pm)
Have you ever wondered about the day-to-day activities of your ancestors’ lives? How did they prepare and preserve food, make clothing, educate their children? When did paved roads and modern conveniences arrive in rural villages? This presentation will help us understand the conditions and circumstances of our Greek families pre-World War II.
Break – Giveaway (3.15-3.30pm)
Happy Birthday Greek Ancestry: Q&A Hour with Gregory Kontos (3.30-4.30pm)
Day 2 | Sunday, January 29, 12pm-5pm
Day 2 – SESSION III: RESEARCH TIPS AND DEVELOPMENTS
(All times listed in Eastern Standard Time)
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Gregory Kontos, Reconstructing Family History Using Greek Records (12-12.40pm)
Apart from names of ancestors, old Greek records include precious information about our family history and allow us to reconstruct it. What your great-grandfather received as a dowry from his wife offers insights into the family’s economy. The value of your ancestors’ property indicates their social status. A notarial record can even tell you how an ancestor’s house was decorated back in the early 19th century, while student absences found in school registers show you how much time your ancestors spent working during their childhood.
Nick Santas, Researching Greek Records in the Venetian Archives (12.40-1pm)
The ‘Kingdom of Morea Archives’ collection covers the period of the second Venetian conquest of the Peloponnese (1685-1715). It has been the subject of historical research in the past, but has had very limited genealogical examination. During this session, Nick aims to share his findings with you, help you familiarise yourself with the practical steps when accessing the archives, and give you a taste of what is available.
Meletis Pouliopoulos & Nancy Agris Savage, The Hellenic Chronicle Newspaper: Digitizing an Archive (1-1.30pm)
The Hellenic Chronicle Newspaper was the largest USA-based Greek-American weekly published in English. It featured church, community, and organization news from across the country as well as national and international news of interest to Greek Americans. The newspaper microfilm was only partial, and the last substantial paper collection was falling apart. This presentation will discuss the initiative to digitize and preserve this important collection, and plans to make it publicly accessible.
Georgios Liakopoulos, The Contribution of Ottoman Primary Sources to Greek Genealogical and Anthroponymic Studies (1.30-2pm)
The vast Ottoman archives housed in various state and private collections in Europe and the Near and Middle East – a large number of which are hitherto unpublished – hold an unparalleled anthroponymic treasure for the ethnic groups which once lived under Ottoman rule.
Alexandra Kiritsy, Statistics meet genealogy (2.00-2.15pm)
Thanks to Greek Ancestry’s expansive database of historical Greek records, we have been able to obtain insightful statistics about the world of our ancestors. In this presentation, we will review naming patterns and demographic data from various time periods and areas of Greece, which will help you to better understand your own family history.
Daniel Horowitz, DNA Matching Technology on MyHeritage: Where Genealogy and Genetics Meet (2.15-2.45pm)
DNA testing opens a whole new world of possibilities to the family history researcher. It can help you find and connect with new family members, confirm relationships, and provide a greater context by revealing your ethnic origins. It may even help you break through brick walls and solve mysteries you would never have found answers to elsewhere. In this session, Daniel will show you how you can leverage the MyHeritage DNA test for your genealogy research and utilize the unique tools available on MyHeritage to make the most of your results.
Break - Giveaway (2.45-3.00pm)
Day 2 – SESSION IV: VILLAGE HISTORY PROJECTS INITIATIVE
(All times listed in Eastern Standard Time)
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Ioannis Papachristou, Peplos: History and Genealogy (3-3.15pm)
Why and how to create an e-book on the history and the genealogy of a village? What are the sources that such a project should look for? The project about the village of Peplos in Thrace creates an e-book presenting instances of the history of the village, the population composition before and after the Exchange of Populations between Greece and Turkey, an overview of the topography of the village and its public buildings, local customs and focuses on the families of the village, collecting family names and information about their roots.
Paula Antonakos-Boswell, Amykles Villages – History Project (3.15-3.30pm)
The Amykles Villages History Project preserves and documents the history of these historically significant villages, as shared by its descendants both in Greece and in the Diaspora. It is a historical repository of the villages’ ancestors and way of life, shown through multi-media memories, photos, videos, and interviews. The project lead, Paula Antonakos-Boswell will share tips and techniques for starting and maintaining your own Village History Project to preserve both the present and the past for years to come.
Paula has degrees in Economics, Accounting and Finance from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. She is also TESOL certified in ESL and a Volunteer English Educator to Immigrant Syrian Refugees in Canada, and she taught English in Spain during the summer of 2018. Paula is also a professional instructor and has taught Accounting at the local Community College for many years.
As the family historian and archivist, Paula is administer of a family website. She is dedicated to her passion for researching and archiving family and village histories. Paula has recently retired from her rewarding, thirty-two year career as a proud Canadian Public servant, and will return to Amykles in April 2022 to continue with the Amykles Villages History Project to produce her own walking tour Vlog and to conduct villager Oral History interviews. She and her distant cousin, Diane Gotses Jackson, continue with their goal of making the Amykles Villages History Project a repository of history and photos and which will be accessible to all.
John Wagner, Family Histories of Palaio Irakleio: The Original Bavarian Colonists and Their Descendants (3.30-3.45pm)
The presentation reveals the history of Paleo Iraklio (Παλαιό Ηράκλειο Αττικής), a settlement of Bavarian families founded by Royal decree by King Otho I of Greece. This project, part of Greek Ancestry’s VHPI, attempts to trace the origins of these original colonists, and their descendants, via the construction of a unified family tree. The discussion will also focus on the resource tools used by the author while attempting to uncover his family history and ancestors who trace their origins to this village.
Carol Kostakos Petranek & Georgia Stryker Keilman, Ideas for Sharing Your Research (3.45-4pm)
What to do with the stories, photos, and documents you have accumulated in your genealogical research? It’s time to get them out of your computer and filing cabinets, and into a format that can be shared with your family. This presentation will demonstrate various formats—paper and digital—which Georgia and Carol are using to help others learn about their ancestors’ lives and their descendants.
Georgia Stryker Keilman is the founder of the Hellenic Genealogy Geek Facebook group and blog. In May 2021 also launched the Hellenic Genealogy Geek Research Links website which categorizes thousands of links to websites, databases, articles, books, etc. of interest to people doing Hellenic genealogy research.
All four of her grandparents were born in Greece. Georgia’s interest in collecting books and documentation on Greek immigrants began in the mid-1990s while working and living in Australia where there was an abundance of recently published materials on the subject. Upon her return to the U.S., Georgia continued to collect books, articles, and data on the worldwide Greek diaspora.
In the year 2010 Georgia formed the Hellenic Genealogy Geek Facebook group and blog to share all that she had collected with those interested in researching their own family history. The group has grown to over 30,800 members as of December 2021. Georgia strives to encourage people to contribute by helping others and share information.
Carol Kostakos Petranek, Georgia Stryker Keilman & Gregory Kontos, Conference Overview & Thoughts About the Future (4-5pm)
Handouts