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Post by Administrator on Aug 24, 2009 16:47:19 GMT 10
Connie,
It sounds like your forthcoming demonstration of katoumari preparation will be highly informative and a must for those looking to learn more about the culinary traditions of Castellorizo.
Good luck with it!
My understanding of the origins of the word katoumari is that it derives from the Turkish word katmer which means a 'multiplicity' of pastry - a very suitable description of katoumaria!
Contrary to popular belief, the sweet is not unique to Castellorizo and variants of it are to still be found along the southern shores of modern Turkey. I am not aware, however, of any other Greek islands where a sweet by that name is prepared.
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Jul 22, 2009 6:11:21 GMT 10
Milli,
The postcard reads:
Ismailia 26/7/38
My dear brother Paraskeva,
Today is your nameday and I would like to wish you many years of happiness.
My Olga and Despina also send their wishes and they kiss all of you.
A year has passed since I wrote to you and I didn't receive until now a letter from you. How are you all? Write to us so we can learn about your health.
I kiss Chrysafina and the children.
I kiss you, Nikolas
I'll respond to your other queries by separate post.
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Jul 21, 2009 14:09:19 GMT 10
This monument was dedicated to those who served in the island's defence and was erected after the Second World War. It features in the commemoration of the island's liberation on 13 September each year and in other important civic occasions.
The monument stands in what is left of the main square of the town. This was known as the Mesi tou Yialou, literally the 'middle of the harbour' given its position at the mid-point of the Kavos promontory. This was the bustling commercial centre of the town where most deals were done, lined as it was with cafes where merchants, shipowners, sailors and tradesmen passed their time in the quieter winter months. Some of the establishments here belonged to the Hatzikomninou, Mazemas, Sergis (Yiannifou), Hetrelezis, Samatatzis and Kondylios families.
The square was almost entirely obliterated by the bombing of 1943 and the fire of 1944. All that remains today are some of the large paving stones that adorned the square. These can still be seen around the monument.
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Jul 15, 2009 11:01:32 GMT 10
Evidence of past ownership through dowry contracts is a common way for people to establish title to family property. While it is not always determinative, Greek law does recognise that the dowry system which existed on the island prior to the war vested title to real estate in daughters on their marriage.
However, the issue has been complicated by two matters. First, the registry that was held by the municipality prior to the war into which these transfers of property were recorded was lost/destroyed after the island's hurried evacuation in 1943. This has meant that people need to rely on the dowry contracts themselves (the originals still exist in Rhodes for the period 1896-1930), which, naturally, do not record what occurred after they were created. For this reason, what is contained in a dowry contract is not always an accurate reflection of the ownership status of a particular property.
Second, the last twenty or so years have witnessed a spate of adverse possession claims on the island, by both locals and expatriates. These are known as hrisiktisia which basically means title through use or occupation, something akin to what is colloquially known as 'squatters rights' under English law. This has meant that people who have sought to claim via a dowry entitlement are often disappointed to find that the property of their ancestors has passed to a third party because it was conveyed to the third party by the person making the hrisiktisia claim (the person making the claim is obliged to transfer the property).
I would therefore recommend that legal advice is taken on the specific matter you have in mind and that you proceed with caution. It is definitely not a straightforward process!
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Jun 14, 2009 13:24:40 GMT 10
Maria,
You should receive the dowry contract during the course of this week. I am currently in Perth, but will return to Sydney later today.
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Jun 10, 2009 11:41:09 GMT 10
mariasal,
It seems that we have therefore found the correct document!
I will scan the contract and e-mail it to the address you have provided to the Forum. I hope you can read poorly written Greek!
I doubt that there is any marriage certificate in existence, but the birth records of the children would still be with the municipality on the island, though they are never easy to access!
Good luck with your further enquiries.
Nicholas
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Welcome
Jun 10, 2009 11:37:13 GMT 10
Post by Administrator on Jun 10, 2009 11:37:13 GMT 10
I have started a new thread for this marriage - please see under 'Kahayias/Alexandroglou'.
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Jun 10, 2009 11:34:09 GMT 10
Please see below a recent exchange regarding the above union that took place on Castellorizo in 1908:
Thank you for a wonderful site and service. i am trying to obtain any information possible on my grandparents and father, all born on Kastellorizo. My grandparents were Vasili and Maria ( nee Dondas) Kehayia. they married in 1908. had two children Chrysanthi (born 1909 ?)and Michael born 4/12/1914. My grandfather Vasili died in 1915 in florida, USA while deep sea sponge diving. My grandmother, aunt and my father left the island in 1926 and migrated to Egypt. my grandmothers parents were Emmanuel Dondas and Katerina Papayioannou. would the marriage dowry contracts give any information on their family history. Any assistance shall be greatly appreciated. thanks mariasal
mariasal,
Thank you for your enquiry regarding your grandparents' marriage details.
I think I may have found their dowry contract, though there are some discrepancies.
The contract I have before me is between a Vasilios Apostolou V Kehayias and a Papadia Emmanuel Alexandroglou. It's dated 15 February 1908 and it says that the wedding was to take place two days later on 17 February 1908.
Now, 'Papadia' was frequently used as an alternate for 'Maria', particularly if there was a priest in the family. Additionally, the bride's widowed mother is named 'Aikaterini' which ties in with your 'Katina'. The two discrepancies are the bride's surname - Alexandroglou, is it familiar to you? - and the first son of the marriage who one would imagine would have been named 'Apostolos' (middle name of groom) rather than 'Mihail', as you have described.
Let me know what you think.
Nicholas
thank you Nicholas. my grandmother was known as "papadia". her original maiden name was Alexandroglou. which somehow became Dondas
Our surname of Kehayia was originally KIZALLA.
am i able to see a copy of the marriage dowry contract?
am i able to obtain a copy of the marriage certificate?
were the births of children born on Kastelorizo registered?
my fathers name was Michael Kehayia. His slightly older sister was Chrysanthi. She married another Kastellorizian in Egypt named Constantine Samatazis.
i sincerely appreciate the effort to trace our Kastellorizian ancestors and history.
i have only just started this journey after receiving my grandmothers Certification Registration as an Alien from the National Archives of Australia.
My father was named Michael because he was born on Saint Michael Name Day of 8th November 1914. This was requested from my grandfather Vasili who was away in Florida, USA at the time. He died 3 months later in early 1915.
any info will be greatly appreciated.
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Welcome
Jun 9, 2009 18:08:03 GMT 10
Post by Administrator on Jun 9, 2009 18:08:03 GMT 10
mariasal,
Thank you for your enquiry regarding your grandparents' marriage details.
I think I may have found their dowry contract, though there are some discrepancies.
The contract I have before me is between a Vasilios Apostolou V Kehayias and a Papadia Emmanuel Alexandroglou. It's dated 15 February 1908 and it says that the wedding was to take place two days later on 17 February 1908.
Now, 'Papadia' was frequently used as an alternate for 'Maria', particularly if there was a priest in the family. Additionally, the bride's widowed mother is named 'Aikaterini' which ties in with your 'Katina'. The two discrepancies are the bride's surname - Alexandroglou, is it familiar to you? - and the first son of the marriage who one would imagine would have been named 'Apostolos' (middle name of groom) rather than 'Mihail', as you have described.
Let me know what you think.
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Jun 9, 2009 8:34:08 GMT 10
Thank you for your very interesting post.
I have long sought information on the Turkish population of Castellorizo. Are you able to tell me more about your husband's grandparents and the great aunt you refer to? Among other things, I would be fascinated to learn more about their names, the work they did on the island, where they lived and when precisely they left for the mainland.
The Ottoman census of 1881-82 recorded that there were 225 adult Turks on the island at the time. A very rare history of Turkish settlement on Castellorizo published in 1911 on Rhodes cites the following principal family names: Karagul, Tchomez, Kodja Mustapha, Youssouf Khavadja, Madmudlar Wallahdji, Achdji, Hadji Assan, Redwan Deli Suleiman, Kopouk, Kara Khalil, Kodja Khalil. Are any of these names familiar?
I would also be greatly interested to know if any photographs from the island still exist in your husband's family. Our forthcoming photo history of the island will include a number of images of the pre-1913 period that show members of the island's small Turkish community. If you have any more, I would be delighted to see them.
Thank you again for making contact via our Forum.
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on May 26, 2009 10:07:35 GMT 10
Forum Members, Thanks to the generosity of another good friend of the Forum from Italy, Antonis ('anvex'), here is another wonderul postcard, this time of the harbour in 1902 while it was still brimful with three-masted ships. According to Antonis, the image was taken by Stavros Economou and posted to his family in the form of a postcard in 1928 after he had migrated to Cairo. Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on May 19, 2009 9:45:54 GMT 10
Amanda, Here is a photograph from the late 1920s of the Cathedral of Sts Constantine & Helen. You will note the local woman in traditional dress walking in front of the church. Also note the iron reinforcements that were inserted after the 1926 earthquake. Remarkably, the Cathedral has hardly changed to this day. Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on May 14, 2009 15:25:30 GMT 10
Thea,
The information I have posted earlier on this thread is all the information I am able to glean from the available dowry contracts.
My grandfather's sister, Anna Yeorgiou Papanastasiou, married Yeorgios Konstandinou Protomastorou in 1900 on Castellorizo. Anna died of an infection in 1918 and their two sons, Kostas and Yeorgios also died in early middle age. Their only daughter, Evdokia, married a certain Malaxos Malaxos, a Castellorizian who hailed from Beirut, in 1932 and nothing more was heard of her after she settled there.
The names of Yeorgios' two first children (Kostas & Evdokia)accord with the names of the parents of the Protomastorou siblings, so in all llikelihood he, too, is another sibling.
Further information is welcome.
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Apr 27, 2009 12:58:01 GMT 10
Allan,
I doubt that the Antonios you mention (who you say took on the adopted 'Livissianos') is part of this family - from what I have seen, there was no strong connection to Livisi. The towns where the Stamatiou family were represented were mainly Antifilo and Finika, though, of course, there may have been exceptions.
The 'Hatsantonis' (Antonios) who was the son of Nikolaos Stamatiou (1835-1905) married Avra Nikolaou Kondyliou. Avra died aged 28 in 1917. Hatsantonis was the youngest of Nikolaos's many children.
Not sure about the Stamatis you mention - could you give me more details? Mihail Nikolaou Stamatiou's daughter (Eleni) married Panagiotis Karayiannis, but I don't think this is who you are referring to.
Let me know.
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Apr 26, 2009 9:12:41 GMT 10
Allan,
The Stamatiou/Stamatoglou clan is indeed one very large extended family comprising various branches that stem back to a 'Stamatios' who was originally from Antifilo (modern Kas). One of the branches of this clan also goes by the name of 'Kontouzoglou'.
The Stavros Stamatoglou you refer to was one of the sons of Nikolaos Stamatiou, one of the island's great benefactors in the late 19th and early 20th century. Nikolaos married twice and his sons were Stavros, Evangelos, Mihail, Emmanuel (some of his descendants are in Perth), Antonios ('Hatsantonis') and Stamatios.
As the name Stamatios (colloquially 'Stamatis') recurs regularly in each branch of the family, care should be taken when comparing names.
Let me know if you need more information.
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Apr 6, 2009 8:10:51 GMT 10
Allan,
Antonios Nikolaou Koutsouros married Despina Vasiliou Hatzikoinia some time prior to 18 February 1906 which is the date of their dowry contract that refers to the marriage already having occurred.
The bride's family appears to have originated from Myra, given that they possessed landholdings there.
The adopted surname in Australia is undoubtedly a remnant of Antonios' father's name, Nikolaos.
Nicholas
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Gemenis
Mar 17, 2009 15:51:38 GMT 10
Post by Administrator on Mar 17, 2009 15:51:38 GMT 10
Allan,
Ioannis Antoniou Gemenis married Evdokia Konstandinou Koutsoukou on Castellorizo on 18 January 1915. Ioannis' elder brother, Vasilios, married Panagiota A Tsakouni a short time earlier, on 2 November 1914.
As you observe, there were 3 other siblings, two sons and a daughter, Chrysafina, who married Konstandinos Yeorgiou Kavouras. I am unable to find a record of this marriage which probably means that it did not take place on the island.
There are also records for the line of Anastasios Gemenis who appears to have been a brother of Ioannis' and Vasilios' father, Antonios.
Hope this helps.
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Feb 24, 2009 13:26:04 GMT 10
Dear Vicky and Esther,
Dimitrios Ioannou Koutsoukos married Panagiota Yeorgiou Christofi on Castellorizo on 24 July 1927, as recorded in their dowry contract signed two days earlier.
It is difficult to know where precisely their children were born in the absence of accessing the birth records on the island. Birth and death details are retained by the local municipality on the island, though one has to be a little persistent to view them!
The only published account of the Castellorizians of Brazil does not list Dimitrios, though this may be explained by his relatively short stay. I would imagine that his death was also registered on the island and that the details of his death exist with the local council.
I will keep an eye out in my trawls for any further information. It is quite possible that more comes up...
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Feb 21, 2009 8:37:03 GMT 10
Dear tmolnes,
It is wonderful to hear more about the important work of Sigbjorn Nedland on Castellorizo in the late 1920s and 1930s.
Thanks to the generosity of another member of this Forum, 'ingerid' (your cousin - please see her posts), we have learned about his good deeds and, most importantly, about his role in the introduction of electricity to the island. I have also received further information directly from Ingerid and from her uncle in Norway, including various photographs.
Let me know if you already have access to this material. With their permission, I will gladly share it with you.
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Feb 9, 2009 7:39:38 GMT 10
Alan,
Perry Kailis, who died in Sydney in 1995 after long and committed service to the Castellorizian community, was indeed one and the same as the Paraskevas Nikolaou Kailis who married Mary Peronis to whom you refer.
Paraskevas was the son of a doctor, Nikolaos Paraskeva Kailis, who had married Maria Ioannou Kalafata on Castellorizo in 1916. Nikolaos was to die suddenly at a young age in the early 1920s.
Paraskevas' siblings were a sister, Polyxeni, who died very young in 1919 and a brother, Ioannis, who died in 1991.
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Feb 2, 2009 13:03:01 GMT 10
Alec,
Thank you for your two most recent posts.
Sadly, there is no dowry contract for your grandfather who, it would appear, probably married prior to 1896 (the earliest dowry contract we have is dated 4 October 1896).
The only contract that would give us a clue about the parents of the Protomastorou siblings is the one for Eleni in 1905. This is because grooms always signed in their own right, whereas the bride's family usually entered into contracts through the father of the household or, in his absence (through death or travel) by the bride's male siblings or even the widowed mother.
Eleni's contract was signed for her by your grandfather on 28 January 1905. This probably means that both parents had died earlier, though it is possible that their mother was still alive at the time. In coming days I will e-mail a copy of the contract to you, together with the other Protomastorou documents you have requested.
Interestingly, apart from instances where Nikolaos signed as a municipal employee (and there are quite a few of these), he is also referred to from time to time in other dowry contracts where descriptions are given of the location of dowried homes, for example, when Maria Hatziyeorgouras married Evangelos Hatsatouris in 1903, the house she was given as her dowry was described as being 'next to the house of Nikolaos Konstandinou Protomastoros'. Similar references may be found in the contracts for the marriages of Nikolaos Magriplis to Irini Agapitou Atzemi in 1913 and Nikolaos Stavrou Stamatoglou to Aikaterini Evangelou Kontou in 1914.
Regarding the reference to your family in the short entry on Ayios Yeorgios tou Vouniou and the work of St Anthimos on Castellorizo, this comes from an article on the construction of the monastery by the late Nick Stefanou of Athens that was published some years ago in Greek in the journal Dodekanisiaka Hronika. It is my intention to post a copy of this article on the website in due course.
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Jan 29, 2009 12:40:04 GMT 10
Alec,
The Yeorgios Protomastorou I have referred to is Yeorgios Konstandinou Protomastorou who married Anna Yeorgiou Papanastasiou, my grandfather's sister, on 16 January 1900. They had two sons (Konstandinos - who it seems died very young - and Yeorgios - who died unmarried in Rhodes of an embolism in c.1939) and a daughter (Evdokia) who married Malaxos Malaxos, another Castellorizian who had returned to the island from Beirut for the marriage.
Both Yeorgios and Anna also died quite early, Anna in August 1918 of an infection.
From the records I have at my disposal, all the members of the Protomastorou family appear to have been connected at the turn of the twentieth century. Yeorgios appears to have had a brother, Dimitrios (who married Eleni Fotiou Sergi in 1907) and a sister, Eleni (who married Konstandinos K Kelletzis in 1905). Filippos may have been another brother - he married Christina Karazepouni in 1901, though he appears as Filippos Konstandinou Nikolaou Protomastorou, so he may be from another branch of the family, if there was one.
Additionally, a Nikolaos Protomastorou appears in many of the documents as a witness in his role as a municipal employee in the 1916-1920 period. There is no record of his marriage in the relevant period.
Of course, I am just surmising from the documents and you may be able to add considerably more. From which branch are you?
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Jan 29, 2009 11:59:15 GMT 10
Allan,
They both married as 'Karasavvas' and this appears to have been used commonly as their respective surnames.
The name 'Efrosynis' is not a name that appears in the archive of dowry contracts, though it is known (rarely) on the island. I will keep an eye out for you...
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Jan 29, 2009 7:47:17 GMT 10
As you probably know, the Amiral Charner was one of the French naval vessels involved in the taking of possession of Castellorizo on 28 December 1915. However, on 8 February 1916 she was sunk by a German submarine east of Castellorizo with the loss of 500 lives. The only survivor was to achieve almost celebrity-like status in France.
The sinking sent shockwaves throughout the French navy. On Castellorizo, the new hospital built by the French was named after the doomed ship.
Let me know if you need more details. A convenient summary of the ship's role in the occupation of Castellorizo is contained in Near Eastern Dreams (Halstead Press, 2005) which is available through the Literature page of this site.
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Jan 29, 2009 7:33:02 GMT 10
Allan,
Konstandina Agapitou , who married Diamantaris Yeorgiou Kailis on 28 January 1901, had a brother Nikolaos who signed for her on her dowry contract. This probably means that her parents had died at the time of her marriage. I do not believe there is a connection here to the Karasavas clan to which you are attached.
The details of the marriages of the Karasavas brothers are:
Malaxos married Despina Theodosiou Paspali on 28 April 1913.
Mihail married Anastasia Alexandrou Tsakouni on 19 February 1922. The bride's father, Alexandros Tsakounis, had died at the time of the marriage leaving his widowed wife, Aikaterini, to sign on the family's behalf.
There does not appear to be a dowry contract for Evangelos.
Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Jan 23, 2009 16:23:23 GMT 10
Thanks to our good friend from Brazil, Kostas Kotzias, here is a photo of the wedding of Ioannis Dimitriou Kotzas and Christina Spyrou Theodorou which took place on Castellorizo on 4 November 1912. Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Jan 21, 2009 7:57:43 GMT 10
Alan, Here is the best I can do at present... The date of the wedding is 19 February 1922. Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Jan 10, 2009 12:25:15 GMT 10
Antonio,
Thank you for pointing out this error to the Forum. If you like, please send to my private e-mail address the photo of your mother's sister which you refer to and I will post it to the Forum, as you have asked.
Thanks again, Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Dec 17, 2008 13:10:16 GMT 10
I am re-posting this photo with all the names I have to date. Other contributions are welcome. I am mindful that one of the names I have been given differs from kritikos' post above. If kritikos is certain, I will remove the name I have been given. Nicholas
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Post by Administrator on Nov 29, 2008 19:59:10 GMT 10
Thanks to the Forum's good friend in Italy, Camillo Pariset, here is another Italian postcard, this time of the interior of the Cathedral of Saints Constantine & Helene. Nicholas
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