Two days ago, I was thrilled to find the name of my 3rd great-grandmother: Panagiota. For too many years, her entry on my family tree was "Mrs. Spyridon Lerikos." Born around 1810 in the village of Agios Ioannis, Sparta, she grew up and married during the Ottoman occupation of Greece. Thus, no Greek records exist for her.1 Even the Sparta Marriages 1835-19352 collection begins after her marriage around 18293.

When 18-year-old John Nicholas Doukas (Ιωάννης Νικολάος Δούκας) stepped off the S.S. Obdam and onto the Ellis Island pier on April 12, 1892, he had no concept of the dramatic turn that his life would take. Arriving with 12 compatriots from the rural settlement of Fregkras, Greece,1 he had $1.252 in his pocket. He knew no English and had no family in America.

Standard genealogical research methodology just doesn’t work for me. As a Spartan Greek, ancestral research is extraordinarily challenging. Using “low-lying fruit” to find my ancestors is impossible. Census records, military registrations, city directories, the Social Security Death Index, tax lists and obituaries simply do not exist in Greek records—either in accessible repositories or online. DNA testing? A great tool, but only if people take a test.

by Panagiotis  D. Christofilakospublished in The Faris Newsletter, Issue 83, December 2025, page 27 Marriage constituted and continues to constitute one of the most important events for community life in our villages and especially for the families and relatives of the newlyweds. The institution of the dowry was a prerequisite for the creation of marriage and at the same time became a special event with the habits and customs that accompanied the dowry.

The Society of Lakonia Studies organization fulfills a vital role in documenting and preserving the history of the prefecture of Lakonia. The organization brings together historians, archaeologists, linguists, cultural specialists and other professionals who present their research at the annual conference of the organization. Their research papers are subsequently published in the Journal of Lakonia Studies, which currently consists of twenty-three volumes and numerous supplements.

Around 1925 in Greece, Registry Offices for Municipalities were created for the purpose of maintaining civil birth, marriage and death records. These offices are also known as Ληξιαρχεία / Lixarcheia. Village priests retained the responsibility of keeping church books to record baptisms/births, marriages, and deaths in their specific congregations. I have received requests from people asking where they should write to obtain an ancestor's birth certificate.

My dear friend and colleague, Gregory Kontos, founder of GreekAncestry, was honored by Forbes magazine as one of “30 Under 30″ entrepreneurs in Greece. This award brings me great joy. I…

My dear friend and colleague, Gregory Kontos, founder of GreekAncestry, was honored by Forbes magazine as one of "30 Under 30" entrepreneurs in Greece. This award brings me great joy. I have been friends with Gregory for over ten years and have watched him work with diligence and integrity to create GreekAncestry and guide it to its premier place in the genealogy community.

by Panagiotas / Tinia Georg. Kalkanis – Argyripublished in The Faris Newsletter Issue 82, July 2025, pages 13-15 In the villages of our region, as in almost all the villages of the non-urban areas of the country, until the end of the previous century, their economy was and remained almost self-sufficient and based on exchange among the households as well as the craftsmen of the area.

I can be a pretty determined person, especially when it comes to seeking out ancestral places. In 2019, I wrote a post about my futile attempt to drive to the deserted village of Perganteika: a settlement near the summit of the towering Taygetos mountains. At 5 km above the already-ridiculolusly-high village of Anavryti, Perganteika may have been a temporary residence of my great-grandfather, Andreas Kostakos.

In October 2024, I delivered the first twelve of twenty-three volumes of the Lakonia Studies journals to the Library of Congress. Last week, I delivered volumes thirteen through twenty-three. They are now housed in the European Reading Room under the supervision of Dr. Nevila Pahumi1 who oversees the Greece and Cyprus collections.

The brilliant Mediterranean sun flooded the room with light as people trickled into the open, airy office of the General State Archives (GAK) Archives of the Prefecture of Laconia, located in Spart…

The brilliant Mediterranean sun flooded the room with light as people trickled into the open, airy office of the General State Archives (GAK) Archives of the Prefecture of Laconia, located in Sparta. We came to meet the staff and learn about the resources available to trace our Spartan ancestry. All had family roots in the ancient nearby village of Amykles and were part of the first-ever Amykles worldwide reunion.

Nestled at the foot of the mountain leading to the village of Pellana is the simple, unpretentious house of Peter Adamis. Over the years, he modified and improved the dwelling which had been built …

Nestled at the foot of the mountain leading to the village of Pellana is the simple, unpretentious house of Peter Adamis. Over the years, he modified and improved the dwelling which had been built by his grandfather, and made it his second home. Home of Peter Adamis, Pellana, Lakonia, 2017 However, nestled on this piece of land are more than just a house and a vegetable garden; it also holds the inspirational and emotional Hellenic ANZAC Memorial Gardens.

The juxtaposition of old and new is becoming more evident every time I visit Sparta. It is personified in the vibrant and enthusiastic colony of young artists who are exploring contemporary ways to embrace and perpetuate our ancient culture. Sharing their talents with residents and travelers, these artists reveal how personal expression can be intertwined with history to explore new perspectives of the Spartan landscape.

Once a year on August 15--and only on that day--the doors of the historic church of Agios Ioannis, Sparta, Koimisi tis Theotokou, are opened to commemorate the Dormition of Theotokos. Second only to Easter in the Orthodox Church, this national and religious holiday is a time of joy, not mourning, as it marks the "falling asleep" and taking into heaven of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.1…

by Tasou D. Voltipublished in the Faris Newsletter No. 66, July 2017, page 11Author Note: In issue 64, there is an interesting retrospective on the old means of road transportation. There, testimonies and memories are mentioned concerning the appearance of the first automobiles in our village, Xirokampi. To this valuable account and presentation by Stratis S. Solomos, I will add some of my own references with supplementary details on this fascinating topic of that era…

On a clear and lovely day this June, Nicholas Prevas took me to the sacred and historic resting place of the earliest Greek immigrants in Baltimore, Maryland. We were welcomed by flocks of geese as we drove the gently winding road past a rippling lake to the "Greek Circle," situated at the pinnacle of Woodlawn Cemetery. So named because the 1,000 square foot parcel of land is in the shape of a circle, this hallowed ground holds the stories of families who left their rural villages and thrived in the teeming city of Baltimore in the early 1900s.

by Stavros Theof. Kalkanispublished in The Faris Newsletter No 68, July 2018 NOTE: In Greek villages, empirical (self-taught) or folk doctors treated all types of medical conditions during the 1800…

by Stavros Theof. Kalkanispublished in The Faris Newsletter No 68, July 2018 Our family’s oral tradition also refers to empirical (self-taught) doctors among its members, both before and during the Revolution of 1821. Vasileios (Vasos) Nikitas Kalkanis (1903–1983) passed on to my father and brother the information that our great-great-great-grandfather Georgios Kalkanis, who was the elder if Gorani during the Revolution, took care of the wounds of his fellow villagers using empirical knowledge and practices he had learned from his father.

by Georgiou V. Nikolaoupublished in The Faris Newsletter December 2007, Issue 44, pages 3-5 The conquest of the Peloponnese by the Venetians (in 1685/87) had very serious consequences for its inhabitants, both for Christians and for Muslims. One of these was the Christianization of about 4,000 Muslims, mainly in the regions of Gastouni and Mystras, where the presence of the Turkish-Muslim element was more intense than in any other region of the Peloponnese, during the period of the first Turkish rule.

The concept of "chain migration" was firmly established during the great wave of immigration in the early 1900s. In a post which I wrote for the website of my village, Agios Ioannis, Sparta, many villagers traveled together on the S.S. Themistokles from Piraeus to Ellis Island. Among the emigrants were my paternal grandmother, Harikleia Arida. Please read the post here.

When our Greek ancestors left their rural villages to escape poverty and pursue opportunities in America, they entered strange and bewildering new worlds in cities such as Chicago and New York. Those who left first, the "pioneers," paved the way to assist their compatriots who followed. They learned rudimentary English, found employment and housing, and determined how to navigate legal systems and political alliances.

by Christos P. Kapsalispublished in The Faris Newsletter Issue 81,  January 2025,  Pages 15-16 [NOTE: In his remembrance, Mr. Kapsalis refers to the invading army as Αραπάδες, which translates to &…

by Christos P. Kapsalispublished in The Faris Newsletter Issue 81,  January 2025,  Pages 15-16 War, enemy invasion, and scorched earth constitute the grim scenery in Ukraine today. Somehow this reminded me of a story told to me by the late Ilias Kokkoros, known also by the nickname "Tsaparis," from Potamia, in the 1970s. We would go to Potamia with my parents on our donkey from neighboring Gorani, my village, to gather olives from the olive groves we had there.

by Tasos Kon. Frangispublished in the Faris Newsletter, Issue #77, December 2023, pages 20-21 In the previous issue of our newspaper, we devoted a few pages from the Spartan Journal of 1900, an annual publication with information, studies, statistics, and other topics about the Province of Lacedaemonia at the beginning of the twentieth century. Today, it constitutes an important source for historical research.

A modern miracle has upended traditional Greek genealogical research. Now, for the first time, a comprehensive collection of birth, marriage and death information from many rural Greek village churches in Lakonia has been made available on the internet. Greek church records are historically not found outside the village. Normally, you would have to visit the village in person, locate and then meet the priest, and convince him to allow you to look at the books.

by Charilaou N. Stavrogiannipublished in The Faris Newsletter Issue 74, July 2021, pages 8-9 The area around Konstantinos Plainos’s house down to the Rasina river was called Mylovagena becaus…

In late October, my husband, Gary, and I took a road trip to Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Maspeth, Queens, New York. A huge cemetery, it commands a stunning view of the midtown Manhattan skyline. The inf…

My colleague, Georgia Stryker Keilman of Hellenic Genealogy Geek and I have thoroughly enjoyed creating the video series, “Bite-Sized Greek Genealogy.” These short presentations are our…