Here is an exchange that occurred under the 'Welcome' thread. It is reproduced here for ease of reference:Hi my name is Samantha Kootsookos, my paternal grandfather was Jack Kootsookos from
Castelorizo... I think he left in the early 1900's for Far North Qld... the history is a bit sketchy...
he married an aussie and they had a daughter & two sons: Christina, Anthony(Tony) & my dad - Victor... they've all passed on now....but it's interesting for me to see this website...
I'm not aware of any Greek relatives although I'm sure I have many as I believe my grandfather had 6 sisters...if you think we may be related i'd love to hear from you...cheers sam
Sam,
From the record search I have quickly done with National Archives (www.naa.gov.au), it appears that there are at least three files on your grandfather, who is described as 'Jack Antoniou Kootsookos', in their holdings.
The first two are his alien registration files from the WWI period when all 'aliens' were required to go through a cumbersome registration process that monitored their movements in the Commonwealth. His first place of registration is recorded in the index as Paraparap in the Northern Territory.
The third file is his naturalisation file from around 1922.
You can order copies of these three files by visiting the website. They may be ordered in digital or hard copy format. They should provide you with a lot of new information about your grandfather's early days in Australia.
I'll also check to see if there are any records of your family in the dowry archive.
Nicholas
Nicholas ,
isnt Kootsookas an alternative for Koutsoukos or anglisation
of it.
regards
George
George,
Yes, it is - there are so many ways to transliterate Greek names into English that variations such as this one were inevitable.
What is clear here is that the variant 'Kootsookos' was used by this particular Castellorizian from the moment of his arrival, probably because the officer writing the name down on arrival thought such a spelling closest to what he heard. Alternatively, and depending on the travel document he was presented with (if any), the spelling could have its origins in its place of issue.
Perhaps Sam could tell us more when she accesses the files?
I will open a separate thread for Koutsoukos/Kootsookos to encourage others to contribute.
Nicholas