{"id":87,"date":"2014-01-27T17:14:10","date_gmt":"2014-01-27T17:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.alfiers.com\/?page_id=87"},"modified":"2023-12-25T23:36:23","modified_gmt":"2023-12-25T23:36:23","slug":"87-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/?page_id=87","title":{"rendered":"Beginnings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>John (Ioanni) Alfieris and Maria (Marigoula) Chlentzos-Alfieris<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1883-John was born in Kytherian village of Potamos, the capital of the island.\u00a0 He died in Oakland, California, in 1966, at age 83.<\/li>\n<li>1881-Maria was born in the Kytherian village of Christofornianika.\u00a0 She died in Concord, California, in 1968, age 87.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/new.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/YP.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-102\" alt=\"Y&amp;P\" src=\"http:\/\/new.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/YP-292x300.jpg\" width=\"292\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/YP-292x300.jpg 292w, https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/YP-997x1024.jpg 997w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 292px) 100vw, 292px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Potamos and Christofornianika are small\u00a0villages\u00a0dotted with many stone and mud dwellings. \u00a0Because of the many earthquakes in Greece, most have fallen or are in disarray and totally uninhabitable.\u00a0 This is a 2005 photo of the Alfieris family home in Potamos where John lived until he immigrated to America.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/new.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PapouHouse2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-88\" alt=\"PapouHouse2\" src=\"http:\/\/new.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PapouHouse2-300x225.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PapouHouse2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PapouHouse2.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/new.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PapouHouse3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-89\" alt=\"PapouHouse3\" src=\"http:\/\/new.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PapouHouse3-300x225.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PapouHouse3-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/PapouHouse3.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Maria and John were both from large families.\u00a0 Of all his siblings, John was the only one who came to America.\u00a0 Some stayed in Greece; most of the others went to Australia.<\/p>\n<p>Maria and John\u2019s fathers were farmers, as were most men on Kythera.\u00a0 The mothers cooked, cleaned, and raised their families.\u00a0 Bread was an important staple; the women baked in a community oven that was built outdoors in the central square of each village.\u00a0 The only available food was what they could raise on the island, so they had an abundance of fruits, vegetables, chicken, goat (for meat and milk), and wine.<\/p>\n<p>The summers on Kythera are wonderful; from April to September it&#8217;s a warm, Mediterranean island with gentle sea breezes and endless pristine beaches.\u00a0 But the winters are harsh\u2014cold and damp\u2014so the islanders had to preserve the food they gathered in the warm months for the winter.\u00a0 By our standards, it was an extremely difficult life\u2014no running water, no indoor plumbing, no electricity until the 1920s.<\/p>\n<p>The Greek Orthodox religion played a central role in their lives.\u00a0 Every single village (there are a lot of them on the island) has its own tiny church, built by hand by the men of each village.\u00a0 Religious holidays played a huge part in the villagers\u2019 lives\u2014they were in church almost every day. The seated child in this photograph is Maria, age 9 or 10.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/YayaChild.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-252\" alt=\"YayaChild\" src=\"http:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/YayaChild-199x300.jpg\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/YayaChild-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/YayaChild.jpg 425w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Maria and John were minimally educated and did not progress past grammar school, but both could read and write Greek.\u00a0 They were savvy, innately intelligent and deeply religious. \u00a0Family came first, always.\u00a0They instilled in their children and grandchildren the value of unbreakable family cohesion and loyalty, and their progeny maintain those bonds to this day.<\/p>\n<p>Maria and John married at age 19 and went to Alexandria, Egypt for a few years.\u00a0 During those years, they had three children:<\/p>\n<ol start=\"1\">\n<li>Giorgio (George) born in Alexandria, Egypt, who died at age 3<\/li>\n<li>Konstantino (Gus) born in Alexandria, Egypt 1905<\/li>\n<li>Spyrithoula (Lula) born in Alexandria, Egypt 1907<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>John came to America alone \u00a0in 1903 to earn money for the passage of Maria and their two remaining children, Konstantino and Spiridula, pictured below. \u00a0He went directly to Oakland where he had a sponsor for his immigration. \u00a0Maria and the two children followed in 1907.\u00a0 They all came through Ellis Island.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/new.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1908YPwithGusLula.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-98\" alt=\"1908YPwithGusLula\" src=\"http:\/\/new.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1908YPwithGusLula-300x221.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1908YPwithGusLula-300x221.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1908YPwithGusLula-1024x757.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1908YPwithGusLula.jpg 1711w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In America they added five more children, making a total of seven in all.<\/p>\n<p>Haralambos (Harry) born in Oakland CA 1909<br \/>\nAspasia (Alice) born in Oakland CA 1910<br \/>\nEfrosini (Florence) born in Oakland CA 1913<br \/>\nEvangelia (Angie) born in Oakland CA 1915<br \/>\nMiltiades (Milton) born in Oakland CA 1922<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/1918onLog.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-320\" style=\"border: 3px solid black;\" alt=\"1918onLog\" src=\"http:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/1918onLog-175x300.jpg\" width=\"175\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/1918onLog-175x300.jpg 175w, https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/1918onLog.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 175px) 100vw, 175px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/1925GusHarry.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-322\" style=\"border: 5px solid black;\" alt=\"1925Gus&amp;Harry\" src=\"http:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/1925GusHarry.jpg\" width=\"183\" height=\"263\" \/><\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1919Alfiers.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft  wp-image-213\" style=\"border: 3px solid black;\" alt=\"1919Alfiers\" src=\"http:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1919Alfiers-300x168.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1919Alfiers-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1919Alfiers.jpg 521w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1916grapes.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-247\" style=\"margin: 1px; border: 5px solid black;\" alt=\"1916grapes\" src=\"http:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1916grapes-300x244.jpeg\" width=\"270\" height=\"220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1916grapes-300x244.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1916grapes.jpeg 556w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 270px) 100vw, 270px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1914YPGirls.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-211\" style=\"border: 2px solid black;\" alt=\"1914YP&amp;Girls\" src=\"http:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1914YPGirls-300x176.jpeg\" width=\"300\" height=\"176\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1914YPGirls-300x176.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1914YPGirls.jpeg 495w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1953Yard1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-207 alignleft\" alt=\"1953Yard\" src=\"http:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1953Yard1-300x287.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"287\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1953Yard1-300x287.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/1953Yard1-1024x980.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>1953. John and Maria in 1952, in their Oakland,California, backyard with all their children and their spouses just before they visited Kythera that year. \u00a0They only returned to Kythera once.<\/p>\n<p>Maria\u2019s faith was deep, unshakable.\u00a0 She insisted all her daughters be married in the Greek Orthodox Church.\u00a0 She participated for decades in church life and established lifelong relationships with many other Greek families in the San Francisco Bay Area.\u00a0 She was extremely social, as was John.\u00a0 He was continually asked to act as Master of Ceremonies at weddings and large gatherings (he was also a comedian).<\/p>\n<p>An example of Maria\u2019s faith: In 1960, just as one of her granddaughters was about to be married in the Greek Orthodox church San Francisco, Maria pinned a tiny cloth packet to the bride&#8217;s wedding dress where it couldn\u2019t be seen.\u00a0 She explained it held a clove of garlic to ward off the Evil Eye from people who would envy her granddaughter&#8217;s happiness and youth. \u00a0Her granddaughter didn\u2019t dare object. \u00a0Along with the fierce belief in God, Maria (and countless other Greeks) believed the Evil Eye came from the Devil himself, through people who could plant a \u201ccurse\u201d on anyone they envied.\u00a0 And this curse could only be countered with wearing garlic and\/or a cross necklace.\u00a0 If anyone succeeded in transmitting the Evil Eye, the recipient fell ill, sometimes even died.\u00a0 Maria and her peers knew many counter measures to kill off the Evil Eye. \u00a0One such strategy was to place a knife under the affected victim\u2019s bed and stay by the bedside praying for God\u2019s help, cursing Satan, and offering certain teas and foods until the victim recovered. \u00a0Maria related many of these stories to her children and grandchildren, and she was dead-serious.<\/p>\n<p>Years after they immigrated to Oakland, California, and were established in the Greek community, they, along with other Kytherian immigrants in the San Francisco Bay Area founded the Kytherian Society of California in 1950\u00a0<em>specifically<\/em>\u00a0to keep their island ties alive. \u00a0Many of their children belonged to that group during their lifetimes, and their children and grandchildren, along with their Kytherian cousins, keep the organization alive today.<\/p>\n<p>Photos of their children<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John (Ioanni) Alfieris and Maria (Marigoula) Chlentzos-Alfieris 1883-John was born in Kytherian village of Potamos, the capital of the island.\u00a0 He died in Oakland, California, in 1966, at age 83. 1881-Maria was born in the Kytherian village of Christofornianika.\u00a0 She died in Concord, California, in 1968, age 87. Potamos and Christofornianika are small\u00a0villages\u00a0dotted with many &#8230; <span class=\"more\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/?page_id=87\">[Read more&#8230;]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["entry","page","publish","author-kstathis","post-87"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/87","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=87"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/87\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":360,"href":"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/87\/revisions\/360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alfiers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=87"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}