I have no intention whatsoever of raising the issue of the inheritance which is probably now something like 50 years old. I just want to know who was grandfather - supposedly also Manthos' father.
On the matter of the ressemblance, I look very much like my father and the similitude with Angelo is probably just superficial (particularly if as I suspect we are in fact not - at least closely - related).
Do I understand correctly that Angelo passed away?
Yes Stelios' boutique was called Shiraz as early on Stelio was a steward on Olympic and was often on the Tehran line from where he brought a lot of antiques. I went several times to the boutique and have only known the one in Voukourestiou. My elder daughter was there about 5 years ago and the people in the neighboring boutique told her he had passed away. So you knew him?
I dont have the slightest clue as to why Angelo did not want to have any contact with me. The last time I saw him was something like 60 years ago. Angelo also had a daughter I believe. Angelo and my sister had stayed in touch for many years but never met again. The last time any of the members of my family saw him was about 60 years ago. I know my mum sent him money when he was studying in Rome.
Yes indeed I want to know who is Manthos Fortunas' father whom I suppose to also be my grandfather. My theory - which may be totally false - is that although Manthos and my mother (Anastasia) had a common father, Marianthi Capetaniou, my grandmother, was not Manthos' biological mother but probably took care of him in his youth. It is just a theory. It is Manthos who told me that their father (the man I want to identify) was from Zakinthos and a sea captain, but actually my research has shown me that the only Fortuna in Greece are Mantho and his descendants. Fortuna is an Italian name and there are many Fortuna and I have been in touch with many of them including because I had a colleague called Fortuna and she was pure Italian.
A lady I met on a plane once, who was from Zakinthos, went to the town hall when she returned home and told me there was no recored whatsoever of any Fortunas. His first name, by the way, was Gregorio.
Julie thank you for all your interest and assistance.
Well, Michael I have mentioned in my yesterday's message that Angelos has passed away and I was too sad to find out that this happened only some months ago, as it is a long time that I wanted to have his news, but was too busy to do any research. So, after your message, as I recalled about his antiquaire brother, I took a big effort to remember the name of his shop. I do not recall having met him, just Angelo's talking about him.
And at that particular moment as memory has started to flash again, when remembering a shop's name that I had never visited, this is exactly what relally upset me: the time passing and the irremediable of it. Angelo has been an important friend for me many many years ago, before I left Greece and we'll never have the opportunity to recall our conversations and jokes again together. I even contacted a friend of mine who had met him to find out if she remembers how we had met -as after twenty years so many new thigs have put on layers to the older ones.
Anyway, I do not really understand why I tried to reach him at this particular moment and how I happened to come across your message and so on. This is supposed to mean something for somebody, but do not know yet for whom. A closure maybe or an opening?
It is reassuring, at least I trust your saying that you are not looking for inheritance matters.
This week I am not at my office on daytime so it is difficult to make the necessary calls and find the way to locate the registry and eventually your family records. Let usonly hope that there will be some trace and that the registry had done their job at those early times.
Anastasia is a name of some nice cousins and friends of mine. What is your daughter's name? Angelo had only spoke about a son. Never heard of a daughter.
Another Fortuna is in Volos Thessalia I think, as trying to locate Angelo's number. Zakinthos, does not remind me of anything.
Your father could also have the proper data (at least the 3 identities, as a basis to look upon firstly) about your mother.
I do have the three identities of my mother (with three diffefent nationalities) but they were all fake just as the Greek passport my mother carried with us on it was a 'true-fake'. I did very extensive research. My godfather was Alecos Vogas who was the military attache at the Greek embassy in Cairo and I was able to trace information both through my father (who has now passed away) and the Greek defense ministry and it appars that my mother was an intelligence operative. Her last identity was Anna Kapitanaki. As I said there are a great number of bizarre things and the more I dug the more surprising things came out - such as two identities for my grandmother when she passed away. I even was in touch with the Archbishop of Alexandria. Before dying my mother destroyed all her documents, including her passports.
Although my dad was with my mother in the 30's looking for her father in Greece, she actually never told him his name other than 'Gregorios'. Perhaps she did not know it either? My father said that as far as he knew my grandmother had eloped with this man when she was a minor and became pregnant with my mother and he settled her in Egypt until the moment he just vanished in thin air. Actually my mother had a recollection that he had gone to fetch her at school kept her in a hotel for 2-3 days which she said were the happiest in her life, then brought her back to school and simply vanished.
I have two daughters and a son: my elder daughter from a first marriage is Rosemary and a headhunter here - she is 43 - and then a son - Peter - who is 14 and a second daughter who is 7 - Ekaterina.
On her deathbed my mother thought I was her father which may be an unconscious reason for my search although there is also the challenge of finishing a search that m mother was unable to carry out.
What a story! The episode of your mother passing some time with her father, who then vanished, reminds me of something I have read recently. It seems that Isadora Duncan had a similar experience with her father.
But was it her real father or the one who had married your grandmother. It seems so complicated.
If you have done such a profound research where did you get stuck exactly? Of this pell mell, which thread exactly would you expect me to pull?
Thank you for your message. I really appreciate your interest.
It was her real father and, if my hypothesis is correct, also Manthos' father but according to my mother, Manthos by that time was in Greece studying music (he was an hautbois player). Manthos was 13 years older than my mother. Which also led me to think that if they have a common father, they probably do not have a common mother.
As I said the only thing I want to know is the name of this man - in fact my grandfather.
I got stuck because my mother's records are fake and there is no record of her baptism in Egypt (although she had a baptism certificate signed by the Archbishop himself which is rather surprising according to the Archbishop's secretary. The baptism certificate is dated 1952) so I have no way of knowing his name. There was a voluntary will from my mother to hide what she knew about him and I have no idea why. From then on all hypotheses are possible - he was a criminal, he was still married, etc.
Some things that I forgot to comment. I just remembered, the name of the antiques shop had something to do with a persian city or with the rose it is not clear.
Well, I find the whole thing very itriguing so after writing my previous message I tried to find the telephone number ofangelo and talk to him after so many years, as I would never do anything that he would not approuve.
Alas, he passed away only four months ago! I am very sad to find that out, as it would have been so nice to talk to him again. I always had in mind to try and contact him by facebook or sth like that but always been busy.
Anyway, these are the sad news, I think he was a lot more than 70 years old.
Sorry I have to leave you now, if it matters to you to find your roots I could help you.
I think that the site is messing a little bit up the messages and they do not appear in the right order.
In my last message I was asking at what age your mother was baptised, as you mentioned that the baptism certificate was dated on 1959.
As I also mentioned in a message yesterday, this week I am not at the office in the morning, so do not have the occasion to reach for the registry and try to ask about ways of discovering someone's ancestors.
As soon as I find this information, I'll let you know how to proceed.
As I mentioned, the name my mother assumed - Anna Kapitanaki - is not in any registry and although she used to travel with a Greek passport on which my sister and I were also it was a fake, probably a 'real fake'.
When I first started traveling to Greece on business, I was afraid I would be stopped at the airport for military service. But thta never happened. About 10 years ago I regularly came to Greece to teach and one of my students was a captain in the army and he did some research - my name appers nowhere.
