Spartalis

[spartalis]

I am researching the Spartalis Family who seemed to have one foot in Castellorizo and the other in Kalamaki, Asia Minor. I would appreciate any information that may add to what I already have.
Michael Spartalis was born to Stavrianos and Georgia Spartalis around 1887 in Kalamaki, married to Despina Christofilias around 1908 in Castellorizo where they lived and raised their children: Georgia, Isodia, Costa, Stavro and Apostoli. In 1928 Michael was a candidate in the municipal elections of Castellorizo. He was poisoned by the opposition and died at 42. His family eventually migrated to Australia. Michael's family lived in Kalamaki until the Population Exchange of 1923 when they also came to Castellorizo before making their way to Australia. His siblings were Nicholas, Dimitri, Evdokia, George and Irena Spartalis.

Thanks for your help.

[Administrator]

All members of the various Spartalis clans originally hail from the town of Isparta in western Turkey, hence their surname. Many of these families descended to the southern coast of Anatolia in the 19th century and settled in places like Kalamaki, Makri, Livisi and, later, Castellorizo. There was a 'Spartalis' presence on Castellorizo from as early as the mid-19th century.

As you say, Mihail Stavrianou Spartalis was born in Kalamaki in c. 1887. There is a dowry contract for him dated 5 December 1907 by which he was betrothed to marry Alexandra Mihail K. Atherinou 'after 2 years'. I believe this wedding never took place and that Mihail married Despina Christofilia the following year. Curiously, there is no dowry contract for this marriage, so the parties either married elsewhere or the bride was not originally from Castellorizo. Perhaps there are others who know why...

Nicholas

[evakolavotaifalos]

Where can one view the "Dowry contracts". Is there one for Evdokia Spartalis who married Evangelos Lemoni or lemone

[aleksandar]

Hi, I am Aleksandar and I am from Aleksinac, town in Serbia. The oldest house in our town once belonged to Anastas Spartal (in serbian Анастас Шпартаљ, Anastas Špartalj), and it is now a town museum. Anastas settled in Aleksinac before 1833. and bought that house from some Turkish family. I have a register of death where it is written that Anastas was born in Isparta, Greece in 1817. Then it was a part of Turkey, but for some reason, in register it is written - Greece. Maybe, they mixed it with Sparta, Pelopones? Can you tell me more about Isparta? There is a very few informations about that city on the web.
This is that house.  Thank you for any answer.

[Administrator]

Thanks, Aleksandar - a fascinating post from you!

Isparta in Anatolia was a mixed town until the exchange of Christian and Muslim populations in 1923-24. A 1909 census reports that there were 27,700 Turks living there at that time, compared to 4,643 Greeks and another 550 from other nationalities. There were 11 Christian churches and 3 Christian schools including a pre-school.

The Christian population of Isparta had close relations with the island of Castellorizo in the 19th century and the name 'Spartalis' that exists on the island is a remnant of that (literally, 'someone from Isparta').

If you have more information about this individual who settled in Serbia from Isparta in the first half of the 19th century, I would be grateful to receive it from you. It does appear to confirm that Greek Christians were leaving the heartland of the Ottoman Empire at around the time of the Greek revolution to settle elsewhere.

Nicholas

[aleksandar]

Thanks you Nicholas for your answer. So, can you tell me is there any possibility that surname "Spartalis" means "someone from Sparta"? I know a lot of about Sparta in ancient time but i do not know about Sparta in XIX century. I am looking for a proof that "our" Nastas Spartalis came from Isparta, not from Sparta. Reading the posts in this forum I can make a conclusion that all Spartalis are from Isparta/Asia Minor and none from Sparta/Pelopones. Am I right?

P.S. The Spartalis house is now a local museum. I am a curator there. Here are pictures of Spartalis house in Aleksinac,Serbia this days.

[Administrator]

Yes, that's correct. I am not aware of the name 'Spartalis' having any connection with the Peloponnesian town. All manifestations of the name that I have seen emanate from Castellorizo to which emigres from Isparta had relocated from around the middle of the 19th century. The name may also have been loosely used within Asia Minor for people from that town.

Can you tell us any more about 'Nastas' Spartalis? I would assume that his first name in Greek was 'Anastasios' and that 'Nastas' was an abbreviation. What can you tell us about him? Do his descendants still use that name?

The house looks wonderful - congratulations on its successful conversion into a museum. Do you have any internal shots to share?

Regards,
Nicholas

[aleksandar]

Hi Nicholas!
I just finished a post to you and I loged in Facebook for a moment just to get some photos, without to log out this forum, and, for some reason, all of my post disappeared! So, I must start over again.

First, I wish to thank you for information about Spartalis, it will be very useful to me. I agree with you that Nastas is Anastasios. Aleksinac was liberated from Turks in 1833. and Nastas Spartal (serb.Шпартаљ) was first mentioned in 1839 as a merchant. He bought house from some Turk who had to leave Serbia after 1833. According to census 1863. he was the 3rd richest man in town. He was 46, his wife Maria was 32. They married in 1850. They had daughters Natalia 11 and Mileva 10 and sons Marko 9 and Vasa 6(Vasa would be greek Vassilios or Basil). Nastas died in 1889. and in church register was written that he was born in 1815, in Šparta, Greece (Isparta) (Шпарта, Shparta. Š/Ш is pronounce, for exemple, as shadow, shape.. ). Altough Isparta was in that time a part of Otoman Turkey, family told to be written that Isparta was in Greece! What a patriotism!

Marko Spartalj, son of Nastas, died in 1915. and he had no children. Today, there is no more Spartalj family in Aleksinac.

Ther was a Spartalj family in Kragujevac (city in Central Serbia) but they emigrated to Sweden after the Second Worl War due to communist repression. They said that there is no familiar conection with "our", Aleksinac, Spartalj family but I am sure that somewere in past they were some kind of relatives or at least, they were from the same town - Isparta.  
I have another question for you - how do the Greeks originated from A.Minor search for their ancestors? Do they have to go to Turkey? Or in this case, is there any archive in Isparta? 

Here are some shots from interior of our museum, once Anastasios house.

Best regards,
Aleksandar

[Peter]

Jun 1, 2008 12:47:56 GMT 10 evakolavotaifalos said:

Where can one view the "Dowry contracts". Is there one for Evdokia Spartalis who married Evangelos Lemoni or lemone

[Peter]

May 9, 2008 3:22:57 GMT 10 spartalis said:

I am researching the Spartalis Family who seemed to have one foot in Castellorizo and the other in Kalamaki, Asia Minor. I would appreciate any information that may add to what I already have.
Michael Spartalis was born to Stavrianos and Georgia Spartalis around 1887 in Kalamaki, married to Despina Christofilias around 1908 in Castellorizo where they lived and raised their children: Georgia, Isodia, Costa, Stavro and Apostoli. In 1928 Michael was a candidate in the municipal elections of Castellorizo. He was poisoned by the opposition and died at 42. His family eventually migrated to Australia. Michael's family lived in Kalamaki until the Population Exchange of 1923 when they also came to Castellorizo before making their way to Australia. His siblings were Nicholas, Dimitri, Evdokia, George and Irena Spartalis.

Thanks for your help.

[Peter]

Oct 19, 2020 18:12:20 GMT 10 Peter said:

May 9, 2008 3:22:57 GMT 10 spartalis said:

I am researching the Spartalis Family who seemed to have one foot in Castellorizo and the other in Kalamaki, Asia Minor. I would appreciate any information that may add to what I already have.
Michael Spartalis was born to Stavrianos and Georgia Spartalis around 1887 in Kalamaki, married to Despina Christofilias around 1908 in Castellorizo where they lived and raised their children: Georgia, Isodia, Costa, Stavro and Apostoli. In 1928 Michael was a candidate in the municipal elections of Castellorizo. He was poisoned by the opposition and died at 42. His family eventually migrated to Australia. Michael's family lived in Kalamaki until the Population Exchange of 1923 when they also came to Castellorizo before making their way to Australia. His siblings were Nicholas, Dimitri, Evdokia, George and Irena Spartalis.

Thanks for your help.

[Peter]

Oct 19, 2020 18:19:48 GMT 10 Peter said:

Oct 19, 2020 18:12:20 GMT 10 Peter said:

[Vera Spartalj born in Belgrad.]

Jun 1, 2008 12:47:56 GMT 10 evakolavotaifalos said:

Where can one view the "Dowry contracts". Is there one for Evdokia Spartalis who married Evangelos Lemoni or lemone

[Bera Spartalj Waters]

I Vera Spartalj i desendent or my grategrandfather Dimitrije Spartalj. He has moved from (guessing) Thesaliniki in the first half of the 19th sentury, where the family name was probably Spartalis. I am prety shure that he was born i Isparta.
My imail is [e-mail]
Since 1965 I am resident in Stockholm and I am writeing the history of my ancestors which were important persons from the time they moped to Serbija inklusive my late father Luka Spartalj, former owner of war industry i Belgrade, executed by Gestapo.
BR Vera Spartalj Waters
Lidingö, 2022-01-24