Click here to sign up for Meridian’s FREE email updates
“Work with What You Have”
By Carol Kostakos Petranek
With enthusiasm and confidence, I started the day at my computer just knowing that the Spirit of Elijah would fill me with instant inspiration. For 25 years, I have had limited success in finding my Greek ancestors, but I was determined that today would be different. Staring at my pedigree chart, which fit neatly on only one screen, it took but a few minutes for my hope to disintegrate into a mixture of sadness and frustration.
Pedigree Chart – All photos can be clicked to enlarge.
I had been over these names and notes dozens of times. Focusing my research in Greece , I had sent countless letters to mayors’ offices in ancestral villages, yet there generally was no response. Internet searches were fruitless as Greek records are not posted online. Even my visit to Sparta – exciting as it was – yielded limited genealogical success.
Yet I am as stubborn as my Spartan grandparents – over the years, I have steadfastly refused to give up. As the only member of the Church in my family, I feel a keen responsibility to find my ancestors. Sometimes I lie awake at night, wondering how I’m going to fulfill the promises I know I had made to them. Other times, I look at the few photographs I have and silently plead for help from these hard-working, determined people who made it possible for me to experience mortality.
Maybe today wouldn’t be different after all, I reluctantly acknowledged that morning. Feeling no inspiration, I began to shut down the computer and prepared do something with tangible results – like clean the house – when a strong thought suddenly entered my mind: “work with what you have.” I froze, and the thought came again. “Work with what you have.”
Recognizing the unmistakable imprint of the Spirit, my mind began to whirl. What do I have? I have almost nothing on my direct-line ancestors in Greece. But, I did have names of other relatives who settled in New York City.
With renewed enthusiasm, I rebooted my computer and searched for family members who had died in the U.S. Over the next few weeks, I hunted for every one of them. I explored the Ellis Island website, using the Steven Morse One-Step method and found many who had traveled back and forth to Greece. Often, there were several who went together, thus giving me names of additional relatives.
Ellis Island Ship Manifest. Lines 7, 8 & 9 list my grand-uncle, Grigorios Kostakos, with his two daughters, Kalliope and Stavroula; his wife, Maritsa, and their village, Agios Ioannis (St. John’s) are named in the far right columns.
I then began searching for Petitions of Naturalization, as the 1930 census noted whether each person was naturalized – and some of mine were! A trip to the National Archives in Washington , D.C. yielded the index cards for my people, but their original Declarations of Intentions and Petitions for Naturalization were at the National Archives in New York City . I also found some at the website of the Italian Genealogical Society, which has indexes of New York naturalization and other vital records. After I printed every relative’s index card, I successfully recruited my husband into taking me to Manhattan.
The morning we left, my prayers for help and success resulted in a very strong manifestation of the Spirit. I sensed that we would not be alone on this trip. Because I had done so much homework, we had everything we needed when we arrived at the Archives – names, petition numbers and dates. For the Eastern District of New York, records prior to 1937 were on microfilm and those afterwards were the original papers. While the staff began pulling original records, Gary and I started searching microfilms. The first record we found was that of my godfather, Peter Aridas. The moment I saw his Petition with his picture, I became so emotional that tears filled my eyes and my heart swelled with love.
Peter Aridas
The thought, “Oh, Uncle Pete, I found you – you are such a handsome man!” rushed into my mind. I had such a difficult time controlling my emotions that it took me a few minutes to pull myself together and get back to work.
As we pulled up records one by one, faces and information came flowing to us. For the first time, I saw pictures of individuals who had been just names on my database. These documents revealed the name of each person’s spouse; date and place of marriage; names, birthdates and birthplaces of children – everything needed for temple submissions. Also listed was each petitioner’s village of birth; date of entry into the U.S.; name of nearest living relative in Greece; and other facts that provided clues for further research.
My grand-uncle, Christos Aridas.
Note the different information found in the Petition and the Declaration.
I left the Archives with a soaring heart and a briefcase filled with information. We had found records for over a dozen family members! Each of them is now very “real” to me. Once, they were part of my grandparents’ lives; now I can be part of theirs as we journey together to the temple.
My research days are different now. Rather than discouragement, I have renewed patience, faith and trust. I know that if I will work with what I have, the Lord will provide me with more in His own time and way.
Family history is a journey that takes us to places near and far, and connects us to individuals who share our genes and our dreams. How has your heart been turned? What words of encouragement or stories of inspiration can you share with our readers? Please consider sharing your comments and stories by submitting them to: [email protected].
Click here to sign up for Meridian’s FREE email updates
