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The Kasotakis Family: The history behind the name
By Giannis Michalakakos - Teacher of Family Studies, Msc Cultural Management In Greece, most of the surnames derive from nicknames, patronymics (paternal given names), occupations and places of origin. The surname "Kassotakis" is an example of the latter case, meaning...
Interview with Angelyn Balodimas-Bartolomei, Recipient of First VPHI Grant
Angelyn could not conceive that the passion engendered by her family history research would lead to her distinction of being the first beneficiary of Greek Ancestry’s VHPI Grant!
Beneficiary Chosen for 1st Village History Project Initiative (VHPI) Grant
Announced in the last session of the International Greek Ancestry Confrence, the VHPI aims at helping people connect and exchange information by fostering collaboration.
Tracing Freedom: 1821 – The Revolution of 1821 and its impact on your ancestors
By Giannis Michalakakos, MSc in Cultural Management In order to fully understand the impact of the 1821 Revolution on Greek families, we have to understand life before, during and after the Revolution. Most of the examples discussed below focus on Lakonia, my...
Distinctions of Geronthres, Lakonia
By Gregory Kontos, Historian & Founder of Greek Ancestry Introduction After the Greeks’ long and painful struggle for their national independence (1821-1829), they naturally held great expectations for Otto’s Regency Council. However, the Council of this infant...
Village History Projects Initiative (VHPI): Update
By Carol Kostakos Petranek On the third day of the International Greek Ancestry Conference (Jan. 29-31), Gregory Kontos of Greek Ancestry announced a new innovative program, the Village History Projects Initiative, whose purpose is to encourage researchers to share...
Travels with my sister: Pilgrimage to Laconia
By George Zimmar When we think of a pilgrimage, like Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, a spiritual journey comes to mind. My grandfather Georgios Zymaras (or Zoumaras), made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1900, where he prayed before the tomb of Christ, and earned Hadji...
Travels with my sister: Greek Americans in Europe
Once in Athens, my sister and I were embraced by loving aunts, uncles, cousins, and various other family members. Everywhere we went in Europe, we enthused, we encountered Greece.
Thracian Genealogy in Kozani
Interview: Carol Kostakos Petranek with Fotini Kaklamanou Greek Ancestry is pleased to introduce Fotini Kaklamanou’s project, Thracian Genealogy in Kozani, as the latest beneficiary of the Village History Project Initiative. Fotini is passionate about researching the...
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Καλωσήρθες! Welcome to the Greek Genealogy Guide!
Here you can learn everything you need to know about Greek genealogy and family history.
Written by
Gregory Kontos
and
Carol Kostakos Petranek
Hellenic ancestry is a source of extraordinary pride and unique identity. Learning the country’s history and understanding the life of its people is a continual journey of knowledge and discovery. Perhaps this is most evident in pursuing the study of one’s Greek family history. Fostering a connectedness to family can stretch beyond the living to include the departed, but only when information about them can be ascertained. What were the names of our second or third great-grandparents? How many children did they have? What were their occupations? And, most important—how do I even begin to access records about them?
Prior to now, answering these questions has been challenging. But the doors of Greek genealogy have now opened to reveal a new era in research. The work being done by Gregory Kontos of Greek Ancestry is groundbreaking and exciting. With the advent of online translated, name-indexed and searchable records from Greece, finding one’s ancestors is not only possible—it is highly probable!
By consulting this Guide, one can navigate the complexities of Greek genealogy and find the correct resources to both access and request relevant documentation for his or her ancestors. It is the beginning of an exciting journey of discovery—and love.
Carol Kostakos Petranek
January 31, 2021