Saving family histories in your parents' own words...

A friend was saying how her significant other's four kids had hired a professional videographer to record his family recollections -- of his parents, old neighborhood, various issues -- so that his grandchildren and family members to come would have that family history in his own words. Yes!


How I wish I had recorded my parents in their own words, but it never really crossed my mind until too late...I am often asking my aunt Libby and other relatives questions about my grandparents, my parents, various incidents/milestones, etc. And on my last trip to Stockton, I made a few short videos on my cellphone. But of my parents I have only photos and memories to remember them by, not their actual voices and own words..

1832 Berkeley Street

Once while we were driving around Miami, my Dad told me the whole story of how he and my Mom got their first house on Berkeley Street. I remember having that conversation, but not the facts (as I was, after all, driving!). What if he had told that story into a voice recorder so I had it now and his grandchildren could hear it some day?


Don't make the same mistake I did, especially since we can now make videos with sound on our cellphones at any moment.  Or you, too, can hire a professional videographer -- who can also turn your old VCR tapes and photos into DVDs, make a family movie, etc. There are many ways to save family histories, and, most importantly, in your parents' own words.

How did our Yiayias and Papous end up in and around Stockton?

Our forefathers came from Greece at the turn of the 20th Century to escape economic and/or political hardship, sometimes with the proverbial clothes on their backs and all the money their families could scrape up in their pockets. We often forget that Northern Greece, for example, was still part of the Ottoman Empire until World War I. Think about it.

Greek immigrants settled in many parts of the U.S.A., usually following family members and/or people from their village. Why, you might ask, did our yiayias and papous gravitate to the Stockton area?

A 1915 advertisement placed in Sunset Magazine by the San Joaquin County Chamber of Commerce was entitled: "How Far is it from San Francisco to the Heart of San Joaquin County?" It was 2 hours and 36 minutes away by train. The ad went on to extol The Delta as "the most productive land in America"..."Here one may see the most highly developed of orchards, alfalfa farms, truck gardens, poultry farms, stock ranches, grain ranches, etc."..."This county is wide-awake, progressive, and prosperous."  Business leaders from Stockton, Tracy, Manteca, Ripon and Escalon signed off on the message.

And there you have it.  My papou George Sarris had many of those things right in his own backyard on Alpine Street: vegetable/fruit garden, grape arbor, and poultry/rabbits (then somewhat problemmatic for a little girl who often refused to eat her "pets"). There was an ingrained quality of self-sufficiency that I did not fully understand until living in Greece some years after Papou had passed away. Many of his peers were equally industrious. Mr. Hlebakos even made his own retsina, which I also came to appreciate much more while living in Greece..
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Greeks may have come to the San Joaquin Valley because it seemed like home, but they did not always become farmers.  Around 1920, Bill Demakopoulos opened his Palace Candy Store and Fountain/Restaurant along with his wife Sophia (Papou Sarris' sister). It was located on Main Street near the Fox Theater. My Papou was the cook/candy maker, and my Yiayia boxed bon-bons.  I am still in search of photos to stoke dreamy memories of my grandparents, hand-made chocolates (think See's Candies, started around the same time!) and special lunches with my Mom.

By 1927, there were at least 15 food-type businesses owned by Greeks in Stockton alone (Galanos, Spanos Brothers, Sperry, Trachiotis, Bobotas, to name a few Greek pioneers) -- a fact verified by the 1927 Stockton City Directory which can be found on the second floor of the Cesar Chavez Central Public Library on El Dorado Street.  The directories are a veritable gold-mine of information, but just one piece of the Stockton Area Greek-American puzzle. The Stockton Record is there on micro-fiche -- and chronicles not only the comings and goings of our families, but also their many contributions to San Joaquin County.


About 100 years and counting -- many things have changed, but others have stayed the same. Stay tuned.

Remembering "Rigani Bread" on New Year's Day

Happy New Year, and Happy Nameday to my brother Bill! (I won't bore you with how he seemed to always "win" the quarter in the family vassilopita. Very fishy...)

Here in Barra de Navidad, Mexico, one could indulge in any number of food delicacies during the holidays, like the goat stew we had for dinner last night (Take Out, by-the-way), along with a Greek salad of sorts (w/avocado) and toasted bread.

Eating the bread, I found myself describing what we considered as children to be a great treat anytime the opportunity presented itself: "Rigani Bread." Yiayia Sarris made this for us using stale (as in rock hard) French bread, which might have gone to the birds in other homes.

In the Greece of 1920 or so before my Yiayia emigrated or during The Great Depression, such a staple was most likely due to getting by when times were tough. But throughout her life, she continued to make "Rigani Bread" -- wetting the bread, sprinkling it with olive oil and red wine vinegar, and finishing it with rigani (oregano). It was to die for...and we never got enough.

When my brother Bill and I visited Yiayia's hometown of Koroni, Messinias, circa 1977, we asked for some. Yiayia's sister Panayiota 'bout died of barely-disguised embarrassment, while ignoring our request and bringing out even more dishes of food. Did we think they were poor?

Lesson learned. But we still love "Rigani Bread...and anyone can make it, any time!


Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

St. Basil the Great was amazing, and lucky, too!

Surely St. Basil's parishioners remember when the relic of St. Basil was brought to the church by Father Luke and blessed by the bishop. I was very lucky to be in town. St. Basil the Great was an amazing person whose many achievements/qualities included serving the poor and underprivileged, after having been born into wealthy family -- an important example for all.

Many parishioners also probably know that the church was named for St. Basil by lottery on December 7, 1930 (presided over by the bishop of that time). Stockton area Greeks bought tickets for $5 and wrote the name of the saint they favored right on the ticket. The winners were Stamatia and Emmanuel Xenakis...and St. Basil, of course.


But have you actually seen winning ticket #447? While in Stockton rummaging wherever I could for historical information about my family, Eleni directed me to photo albums in the church's Fireside Room by saying, "There are more in the cardboard box on the floor." Voila!

One of those albums has the winning ticket, plus a few other historical documents relating to the consecration of the new church. A letter gives witness to the fact that my Papou George Sarris was one of the founding Board members.  Rows of little slips of papers for each family included the names of current family members and those deceased -- much like the slips turned in today for special prayers by the person who baked the andithoron.  My best guess is that each family turned one in for blessings when the church was consecrated in 1932.  In any case, each slip contains important historical information.

There is a lot of information in those albums -- one with community obituaries, some with Festival pictures/articles, and others carefully organized/donated by parishioners who wanted to memorialize some Church milestone or other activities as the church was the gathering place for all things Greek. Others are just waiting for someone to come along and reorganize them, to create that comprehensive history of St. Basil's and the Stockton area Greek-American Community.  Will that be you in 2014? KALI HRONIA!

Church music to my ears...

I recently came across a dog-eared, mimeographed (yes, I said mimeographed!) copy of the "Troparion Kassianis," a hymn sung during Holy Week and my mom's favorite. Many notes have been darkened with a pen, and there are some handwritten directives.  Some might remember the Good Tuesday duo of Angeline Xanttopoulos and Dorothy (Trachiotis) Henning.  Mom was a stalwart of many services at St. Basil's, often playing the organ and singing at the same time. When she died, the monies contributed to the Memorial Fund in her name were used for an icon that graces the choir loft today.

Long ago, there were a few Friday nights during Holy Week when my mother and I were the only ones up in the choir loft on Stanislaus Street.  There were other special hymns, like "Soma Christou" (my personal favorite).  And for the Christmas season, the various "kalanda" with wishes for KALI HRONIA. Those tunes are indelible, and I continue to sing along from my pew whenever I attend services in Stockton or anywhere else -- much like you probably do.

The family tradition of singing during St. Basil's Church services goes back to my Yiayia Sarris, who, having not been allowed to join the convent in her village of Koroni, continued her religious ways in Stockton. She often filled the role of "psalty" (cantor) at St. Basil's in the early days...and later sang along from her pew.
   


Perhaps this is why I have been especially touched in recent times to hear Demetria Veziris chant during services. Her sweet renditions of prayers and hymns remind me of my Yiayia.  And there are not that many women cantors. So I am thankful each and every time I am able to hear her. But I can't be in Stockton often enough...anyone have a recording they can send me?