Chapter 2 SOURCES for GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH Where to Look for Information and What to Look For
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Chapter 2 SOURCES FOR GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH Where to look for information and what to look for Harikleia I. Skavatzou-Vlahopoulou Filippos G. Stalounis Athens, 1898 1. RECORDS Greek state was established in 1825, the church officials became state employees, RECORD KEEPING charged with keeping censuses and other record keeping. Thus, the recording of births Greeks are basically a record keeping people. and deaths was done both as a religious Registration of vital information were kept responsibility and as a civil responsibility. even in the smallest communities of no more Today the old records of the Church of Greece than one hundred to two hundred people. may be found in diocese archives and the local Records are often kept in great detail and are General Archives of Greece. They may also well cared for. be found in local civil registry offices. There is evidence that many civil records have At the same time, Greeks tend to be secretive been copied from church records. about the extent of their record holdings. Throughout the centuries of Ottoman rule, Since the records were kept locally by the 1453-1821, Greeks constantly had to protect municipality/community for civil records, and themselves from oppression. For example, the diocese for church records, it is very there was a constant threat of Greek boys important to know the name of the being abducted to be trained as janissaries municipality to which the town you are (Turkish soldiers), never to return home. interested in belonged at the time period you are interested in. It is also important to know The Greeks developed a distrust of foreign what the name of the municipality is today authority that still causes them to distort and where are its offices located. Reading in information they will give to outsiders about Chapter 4 about the Administrative Structure their records. of Greece will help you learn more about this subject. Keep in mind that the municipality Up until the twentieth century, there was no has always played great role in record clear distinction between church and civil keeping. records. Under Turkish rule the Orthodox Church officials were, by virtue of their office, For a definition of the word municipality see government officials. Then, after the Modern Appendix A Glossary, p.147. - 9 - TYPES OF RECORDS Certificates that the person mentioned is not married [Πιστoπoιητικά (For samples of records see pp.32-44.) Αγαμίας] Divorces [Διαζύγια] There exists a variety of different types of Deaths [Θάvατoι] records in Greece where your ancestor may Permissions for burials have been recorded. These records were kept Parish Members listed by families for various reasons by different types of [Κατάστιχov Εvoριτώv]. In most record keepers. Records kept by the church cases this type of record includes four are called church records, and records kept by generations of each family, and 100% the government are called civil records of the population of small towns. although complete separation did not occur Parish Residents in Welfare until 1925 when the national government Parish Members and their Donations organized a department for government registration of vital records. This department List of certificates issued.Records of is called Ληξιαρχείov [Lixiarheion]. Its Clergymen [Κατάστιχov Kλήρoυ]. offices, as well as the records themselves are This record gives the original names of also called Lixiarheion. each clergyman (when ordained they usually take a new given name), Civil registrations of births, marriages, and birthplace, year of birth, education, his deaths are conducted at mayor's offices (or family members and their birth dates. community president's offices before January Also comments regarding each 1999) in smaller towns, and at special registry clergyman. offices in larger cities. Prayer Rolls of living and of dead. These contain names of living and a. Church Records dead members of a family. They were submitted to the parish to be read Church of Greece during services. The dead were listed The official name of the Orthodox Church in separately, usually marked with a cross Greece is: Εκκλησία της Ελλάδoς [Ekklisia tis on the top of the list. Ellados, Church of Greece]. Do not be surprised if you find in diocese archives civil records such as Records of The records of the Church of Greece are Family Status [Δελτία Οικoγεvειακής usually Diocese Registers and very few Parish Καταστάσεως] or Town Register Registers. This means that the churches in [Δημoτoλόγιov], or List of Voters [Εκλoγικός each town will not have old records. The old Κατάλoγoς]. records are found in the Iera Mitropolis [diocese] which is located in a large city, Each Diocese has jurisdiction over an area usually the capital of the nomos [county]. similar to a county but not always the same as a county. For example the Mitropolis These records include: Halkidos covers the county Euvoias. It also covers the district Skopelou which belongs to Births/Baptisms the county Magnisias. In other cases one [Γεvvήσεις/Βαφτίσεις] county is covered by two separate Mitropolis. Marriages [Γάμoι], or Marriage In the case of the Diocese Rethymnis vital Licenses [Άδειες Γάμωv ], or records of small towns were all kept together sometimes called Πρωτόκoλλov in one book, and records of the city separate in Συvoικεσίωv [Protokollon another book. The same diocese also kept Synoikesion] together records of two districts, and even two - 10 - counties, as in the case of the counties the time your ancestor lived there. The old Rethymnis and Irakleiou. books bear the name that the municipality had at that time. Also it is important to know to Some church books were kept on a parish which municipality the town you are level, or town level. Most of them were kept interested in belongs today, because the old on a district level (including all towns of one books are now stored at the office (Town district [eparhia]). For addresses of dioceses Hall) of the new municipality. That see chapter 7, p.80. Some of these records information is included in the book Greek have been microfilmed and are available at the Gazetteer by Lica H. Catsakis (see chapter Family History Library and the Family 6, p.72). History Centers upon request. The boundaries and names of many counties Catholic Church have changed throughout the years. For The records of the Catholic Church in Greece example the county [nomos] Argolidos with are written in Latin or Italian. Some of these the county Korinthias in previous years was records have been microfilmed. The members one county named Argolidokorinthias. It of the Catholic Church are Greek citizens; would not hurt to check whether the old therefore they are included in Greek civil records of Argolidos include records of records. Korinthias, although today they are two different counties. We need also to remember Armenian Church that many towns had foreign names due to Records of the Armenian Community in foreign occupation of the land. Eventually the Greece are written in Armenian. Some of towns took back their original Greek name or these records have been microfilmed and are received a new name. Most of these changes available at the Family History Library and of names took place during the second and th the Family History Centers upon request. The third decade of the 20 century. Since the members of the Armenian Church are Greek most of Greek emigration took place during th citizens; therefore they are included in Greek the first decade of the 20 century, most civil records. immigrants would refer to their birth place by its old name. You can find the new name of Jewish Synagogues the town searching through books (gazetteers) Rabbis in Greek towns were instructed by the which list changes of names of towns. (See Greek government to keep records of the chapter 6, p.73). members of the Jewish community. When the Male Register [Μητρώov Αρρέvωv, Greek male registers were constructed, Rabbis Mitroon Arrenon]. Usually they start from participated in the committee that was 1830, but are retrospective (compiled on a assigned this task. Those Jewish people who later date). These records were were born in Greece are Greek citizens; constructed for drafting and voting therefore they are listed in the Greek civil purposes. It is advisable to always check records. the date a record was compiled. If your ancestor had left that town or died before b. Civil Records the record was compiled, he may not be included in that record. The δήμoς [dimos], meaning municipality, has Female Register/Male and Female played a great role in record keeping in Register [Μητρώov Θηλέωv/Μητρώov Greece. Therefore it is very important to Αρρέvωv και Θηλέωv, Mitroon Thileon/ know to which municipality (government of Mitroon Arrenon kai Thileon. This list is towns) the town you are interested in belonged similar to the Male Register, only it - 11 - includes females as well. This type of which your town belonged at that period record was kept later, from about 1860. of time. It is not recommended that you Town Register [Δημoτoλόγιov, check the municipality name because the Dimotologion] is a list of residents by names of municipalities were changed in families, similar to a census record, 1912, unless you do know what the name compiled by the Mayor’s office. of the municipality in which your town Available in Town Halls are usually the belonged at that particular time. (For ones compiled in 1887, in 1914, and in explanation of the word municipality see more recent years. Refugees that came to Appendix A, Glossary, p.147). The Greece in the 1920's became residents of information included in this type of record the cities in which they settled, and their is: full name (including father’s given names were added to the Town Registers name or initial), age, permanent residence, as Supplemental recordings, titled occupation, and property value in “Συμπληρωματικά” [Sympliromatika].