HHGA Guidelines for Posting Queries
(Adapted from National Genealogical Society guidelines)
Note to researchers: Surnames may be cross-listed under village/city, county, prefecture or province, and region of origin (also diaspora communities), making queries more effective. Multiple listings take advantage of close village and regional associations, relationships so integral to Hellenic culture; persons from the same village or area may possess knowledge of the target family.

The political organization of the Greek countryside has changed dramatically over the last few years in response to fiscal belt-tightening. Many former municipalities (dimoi) and eparchies, among other self-governing administrative units, now find themselves integrated into larger adminstrative areas. Our queries pages were designed while Greece was following the Kapodistria administrative plan, allowing for many more small and self-governing bodies. Since that time, the Kallikrates plan has been implemented. Nevertheless, we will continue to post queries as though the Kapodistria plan were still in effect, unless we see clear evidence that implementation of the Kallikrates plan will not be reversed in the next couple of years and unless we see evidence of a type of redistricting.

Thus far, most of the changes that have taken place are simply downgradings of the level of self-government. For example, a former village with its own self-governing village council, has now probably become a municipal precinct with just an advisory body or a council with diminished decision-making capability. Likewise, an independent municipality may now seen as a precinct within the larger prefecture. Administrative decision-making has, in effect, been bumped up the chain of organization as the status of each level of administration has been downgraded. And this means that the relationship of a small village to surrounding larger towns and cities has been rather preserved, with changes made only to the level of decision-making (and of course, to the level of funding). As of December 2012, we have seen very few instances of re-organization of villages and cities, a re-combining of these units into new groupings, i.e., changing the relationship of a village with its former municipal seat to become a member of a different municipality or municipal district. If reorganization of the queries should be necessary as a result of marked changes in Greece, we will continue to follow our philosophy of cross-listing queries in as many administrative units as possible. ---12 December 2012, edd
  • Try to be brief and to the point.
  • Try to include a name, a village/locality, and a time period.
    For example: "KALLITSIS, Panayiotis, Ag. Petros, Kynourias, 1840s."
  • Clearly state the information you are seeking. Do you need information about Panayioti's ancestors, his descendants, his spouse, or his siblings? For example: "Need parents of Panayiotis KALLITSIS." Or: "Need names of siblings of Panayiotis KALLITSIS."
  • Try to include enough information to identify your ancestor.
    For example: "Need parents of Panayiotis KALLITSIS, born ca 1845 Ag. Petros, Kynourias, Arkadias, Greece." Or: "Need name of husband of Maria KALLITSIS, born ca 1865, dau of Panayiotis KALLITSIS, Ag. Petros, Kynourias, Arkadias, Greece."
  • Try to limit query to one genealogical problem or one family. Queries with long lists of surnames generally bring no results.
  • Place surnames in all capital letters.
  • Follow most commonly seen spelling of surname with variants separated by slashes. For example: "KALLITSIS/KALLICHES/CALLITSES, Panayiotis, . . ."
  • Use only abbreviations that can be understood, ones following standard practice.
    See our list at right.
  • Be sure to leave your own email and/or postal mail address
    for a follow-up reply.
  • Proofread your query.
    Ask another person to read it for clarity.
  • Send your query to us in an email, including the information that you have written up and reviewed. Please send to hellasgenealogy@papcoholdings.org and be patient with us as we gather queries to post several times yearly. If you don't see your query online in 6-8 weeks, please send our volunteers a gentle reminder.

Sample Queries from November/December 2001 Issue of
National Genealogical Society Newsmagazine

ARNOLD. Seek info on Humprey James Parker Arnold (s/o George W. and Sarah Arnold) b 2 Jun 1870 Iowa m ca 1899 Sadie ? b Mar 1881, IA. One son known: James Arnold b Jun 1900, SD. Last known location Lyman Co, SD. Lola Weber, 106 Victoria St., Longview, WA 98632-5834; email: hunter1@kalama.com.

LAU. Seek to document first four generations of descendants of Michael W. Lau. Will share data. Judith E. Burns, 2758 N St. Rd 17, Rochester IN 46975-8734.

BENTON. Seek sib/par of Aquilla Benton b 1789 Robeson Co, NC. Edwin Benton, 3203 Tallahassee Hwy, Attapulgus, GA 31715-2407; e-mail: bentone@mail.tds.net.

Sample Hellenic Queries Developed by HHGA

KALLITSIS/KALLICHES/KALLECHEY. Seek par/sib of Maria Kallitsis/Kalliches/Kallechey b abt 1865, Ag. Petros, Kynourias, Arkadias, Greece, mar Giorgios Lekouses/Likoussis/Lykoussis, b Ag Petros, ch: Efstathios, b 20 Sep 1889; Sarantos, b abt 1891; Panayiotis, b abt 1893; Konstantinos b bef 1889; Eleni b bef 1889; Athanasios, b bef 1889. F? Panayiotis Kallitsis of Ag. Petros, b abt 1845. Bro George Kallechey b 27 Jan 1869, Ag. Petros, em to U.S., settled in NH. Bro? Theodore Kallitsis/Callichy b abt 1860 Ag Petros, Kynourias, m Kaliope Protoppas, ch: Peter [Panayiotis?] b 1883 Ag Petros; Maria; Eleni; Rigina, b abt 1885, em to US 1911; Soterios b 25 Apr 1896 Ag Petros. Parat unk. Contact Mary Papoutsy: email hellasgenealogy@papcoholdings.org.

KALLITSIS/CALITSIS. Seek par/sib of Athanasios Calitsis, b abt 1888 Ag. Petros, Kynourias, Arkadias, Greece, single upon arr in U.S. on 2 Mar 1907, bro? Sotirios Calitsis of PO Box 517 Reading, MA in Mar 1907. Parat unk. Contact Mary Papoutsy: email hellasgenealogy@papcoholdings.org.

KALLITSIS/CALITSIS. Seek par/sib of Photios Calitsis, presumably from Ag Petros, Kynourias, Arkadias, Greece, addr in US Mar 1907 was 144 Stuyvent St., New Rochelle, New York. Parat unk. Contact Mary Papoutsy: email hellasgenealogy@papcoholdings.org.

DEMERIS/GOUDOUROS/MIHALAKAKOS. Seek obit and desc of Alexandra Goudouros Mihalakakos Demeris, b 14 Mar 1903 Parasyro, Gytheion, Lakonias, Greece, em to US early 1900s, d 7 Feb 1981, bp Los Angeles Co, par Dimitri Mihalakakos and Fotini Scandalarou. Contact Mary Papoutsy: email hellasgenealogy@papcoholdings.org.

Abbreviations for Genealogical Queries Following Formats Used by National Genealogical Society

abt=about
aft=after
aka=also known as
anc=ancestor/try
arr=arrived
b=born
bap=baptized
bef=before
bd=birthdate
bpl=birthplace
bro=brother(s)
bur=buried
ca=circa
cem=cemetery
cen=census
ch=child(ren)
Co=County (of the
United States)
d=died
dau=daughter
d/o=daughter of
dpl=death place
desc=descendants(s)
em=emigrated
esp=especially
exch=exchange
f=father
fam=family
fr=from
g=grand
h=husband
info=formation
imm=immigrated
incl=includes
liv=lived
m=married
m1=married first
mo=mother
mov=moved
poss=possibly
prob=probably
r=resided
re:=regarding
rel=relationship
s=son
sib=sibling(s)
sis=sister
s/o=son of
par=parent(s)
vic=vicinity
w=wife
wid=widow

Additional Abbreviations Developed by HHGA


godf=godfather
godm=godmother
godp=godparent(s)
kmb=koumbaros (best man)
kmba=koumbara (matron, maid of honor)
GOC=Greek Orthodox Church
Orth=Orthodox
Fr=Father (Reverend)
parat=paratsoukli (family nickname)
Ag=Aghios/ia (Saint)

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