On February 28th new records from Lakonia were added to Greek Ancestry. These rare records provide invaluable information on families of 5 Lakonian villlages: Kastoreio, Mystras, Parori, Socha & Vassaras. All our Lakonia records are available here. You can search both by surname and village, both in Greek and English!
Kastoreio: 640 names are included in a unique Voter List of 1871! The list includes the individuals’ names, surnames, fathers’ names, age and occupation. Unfortunately, a couple of pages did not survive time and about 120 names are not included in the list.
Mystras: In 1856, the Metropolis of Sparta & Monemvasia needed a register of families residing in the village of Mystras. A priest took up the project and ran what we could call a ‘parish census’. 73 households were counted in Mystras and the parish census includes not only the name of the head of the family, but also that of his wife. The census also counts the number of children, male and female, of the family, while in those cases that the family’s head was dead, his widow took his place in the census.
Excerpt from the 1856 Parish Census of Mystras
Parori: The same happened in Parori, where 103 households were counted. What’s even more interesting is that the Parori parish census also included three families which resided there, but had originally come from another village.
Socha: In the same year, 1856, a parish census was also run for the village of Socha, located high up on the Taygetos mountain. 54 families were counted; 6 of them had the surname Minakakos.
Vassaras (&Verroia): In 1929 a new priest was needed in Vassaras and the nearby village of Verroia. For this reason, the men of the village gathered to elect their new minister. Then, a list was created with all the 102 men who voted. The list includes their names, surnames, and age, while in most cases, the father’s name (or its initial) was also noted.
To search through this new collection, click here!