As a child, I loved learning about my Greek grandfather, Georgios, and hearing fascinating stories about his life. My mother, Athena, was his oldest daughter and she loved her Greek heritage, as did I. In fact, I was nicknamed “Greek” and it has stuck with me to this day.

When my grandfather came to the United States in the 1920’s he changed his name from Georgios Thymaras to Georgios Spetsas.  He was the only member of his family to immigrate to the United States.  Due to war and the Depression of the 1930’s, he eventually lost contact with his family.

Georgios married an American woman, Pearl Jane Gritton. They had eight children, none of whom had ever met their Greek cousins, grandparents or distant family members.  Today, that generation of the family has nearly ended -- of the eight children, only two are left.

Throughout her life, my mother kept hoping to find a connection with her family in Greece but was never able to. The week before she died in 1997, she said she did not want to pass away until she found her family even though she knew she could not hold on much longer.  She had suffered for five years with cancer and the disease was winning the battle.

I knew the one thing I could do to honor my mother’s memory was to find her family.  Even though I had always had a desire to know our relatives, the desire now became overwhelming.
 
After my mother’s death, I found an old letter dated 1946 in her papers. It had been written by Panagiota Thymaras, the daughter in law of Stamatina Thymaras of Spetses Island. Stamatina was looking for her son, Georgios.

While researching online at Rootsweb.com, I came across a death notice for Paniogita Chronie Thymaras, wife of Panagatiois Thymaras. I thought this must be a connection! My heart raced, hoping it to be true. I looked up the names and addresses of the family members listed in the death notice and learned they lived in Canada. I wrote to each of them.

When they responded, I discovered they were first cousins to my mother. We had no idea that there was family living in North America. At our first family gathering in October 2001, these cousins told me what my grandmother’s last name was before she was married and where she was from.  Her name was Stamatina Harami and they said she was from Crete. Up to this point, all I had known was her first name.

One day I received a phone call from a man with a very thick Greek accent. Although I did not know him, I felt inspired to just listen to him. He introduced himself as Peter Petropoulos and said he was married to Stamatina Thymara who was my mother’s first cousin! Stamatina spoke very little English and I spoke very little Greek, but Peter translated for us. Stamatina cried as she told me they had looked for us all of her life. They had even come to Salt Lake City several times with the hope of finding us, but to no avail.

The Lord knew when the right time was to bring our families together. I believe that sometimes when we lose family members in death, they can actually be of more help in this work when they are on the other side of the veil.

I was excited to learn that I could make contact with family members whom I have never met and who lived so far away.  I began corresponding with people from Greece, Australia, Ireland, England, Canada and the United States.  All are so willing to try to help me in my search.

Margarita Dounias, whom I met online, was so very helpful.  She sent me a picture of the girlhood home of my great-grandmother, Stamatina Harami, who was from Kremetsi. Margarita had spoken with a couple of people who had known Stamatina and I was able to learn a few details about her life.  Stamatina was sent to Spetses to work as a house servant. She fell in love with Dimitri Thymaras and married him, and they had four sons.  This wonderful woman took in her grandchildren when her daughter-in-law was taken prisoner of war by the Germans and her husband was in the Army.

Margarita is a professor at a university in Athens.  She was doing a summer project on the island of Kremasti for her doctorate degree. She had decided to do an art show on immigration and asked if she could use some of my family pictures for the display.

She exhibited a picture of my great-grandmother, Stamatina Harami as well as other members of my family. Then something exciting happened as people from the island toured the art display. Some recognized my great-grandmother’s picture, remembered her well and had known her in her youth.  They were very interested in knowing more because the people in the pictures were from the United States and were her descendents. At this point Margarita related Georgios’ immigration history.

Another person who has helped me is Marina Harami of Athens, who taught me about the area of Kremasti and about Greek culture.  She and her father have co-authored a three volume set of books on the Haramis family and she wanted me to have a set of these books. Because of the cost of shipping, she arranged with a woman from Pennsylvania who was visiting Greece to bring the books back to the U.S. and mail them to me. Here another miracle took place.  The box had only part of my address on it, but the books got to me anyway.  It was as though this family history was meant “to be delivered into my hands.”  The Lord had directed the situation once again.

Though I have not yet been to Kremetsi, I look forward to the day when I can go and meet my family. We will then be able to sit down together and enjoy each other’s company.

I have learned that when you meet family for the first time, it feels like you have come home.  There is a familiarity as if you had always known one another. However, even if you cannot meet, technology is introducing new ways to communicate. There are many wonderful people on the internet who are willing to help families who have been lost to find each other. The world-wide web helps to make the world a smaller place.

Internet sites such as Facebook make it possible for families to reconnect and stay in contact. It also brings together people with common interests. While on Facebook I came in contact with Carol Petranek through the “Greek Mormons” group.  I told her that I recently had an article published in a newspaper in Greece on the effects of immigration on families and she asked if I would share it with her. I did, and thought no more about it. When I came home one evening and checked my email, Carol had written and asked if she could share the article with Meridian Magazine readers. As I read further, I literally felt chills come over me.  The date for the article to be published was July 17. This date holds a special meaning for me – July 17 was my mother’s birthday! For this article to be published on her birthday is one of those tender mercies in which the Lord lets you know He is aware of you and that He recognizes when we are involved in His work.

I have a testimony that the Lord opens the way for us to do what He wants us to do.  If you cannot communicate in a foreign language, someone will come into your life who does and who is willing to help.  Documents that verify your ancestors’ lives will fall into your hands. Through the use of the internet, not only are families united, but numerous resources become available to you. All is dependent upon the desires of our hearts.

There will be a new museum in Magna, Utah that will be dedicated to those early Greek immigrants who settled in the Western United States. For more information regarding the museum you may contact Dawna directly at yankeegreek@aol.com or visit the website at www.westernhellenicancestry.com.