Legacy of the Chiot merchants: A global family reunites in London

The fascinating story of the Chios merchant families lies conscionable beneath the headlines of nineteenth period globalisation, astir hidden successful plain sight. Agile, cosmopolitan, and cohesive families survived a holocaust and roseate to the commanding heights of commerce connected 4 continents, while nurturing and supporting their long-suffering homeland, adjacent arsenic their very successes blended them into their diaspora societies.

Still a spirit of household and root remains, peculiarly an attachment to their ancestral island, whether they unrecorded successful Richmond, Paris, London, Melbourne, oregon Athens.

Even if they nary longer speak Greek, oregon confess the Orthodox faith, they are speedy to recite their intertwined genealogical trees and birth, marriage, oregon resting places from Bombay, to Taganrog, to Vienna, Trieste, Alexandria, Syros, Manchester, oregon New Orleans. Theirs is simply a quiescent pride, passionate yet not easy stirred, an absorbing operation of Greek occurrence with British reserve. But it is there, and connected a semi cloudy September Saturday, it was evident.

For my publication probe connected the Chios fabric merchants, I person traveled astir Europe and the United States, gathering descendants whose surnames filled Greek past books and erstwhile held the world’s commercialized newspapers and bourses successful awe. One of my contacts, Andreas Argenti, from 1 of the oldest Chiot commercialized families, kindly forwarded maine accusation astir an lawsuit called “Family of Families,” a gathering of descendants from Chios and Constantinople scattered by commerce and authorities to the 4 corners of the earth. I was touched by his suggestion and recommendation, and aft receiving confirmation from the organisers, Christopher and Sarah Long, that I was welcome to attend, I booked my trip to London. Americans often subordinate Britain with excessive pomp and circumstance, something retired of “Bridgerton” oregon “Downton Abbey” but having lived there arsenic a banker for three years, I cognize that the existent Britain is usually elegant understatement, a spot where the Archbishop of Canterbury rides nationalist transportation.

Christopher Long, household historian, erstwhile journalist, correspondent, and Vlasto household descendant, with Alexander Billinis. Photo: Alexander Billinis

The lawsuit was held astatine West Norwood Cemetery, successful the southwestern suburbs of London, astir an hour’s travel by London Underground and suburban obstruction from my West End edifice adjacent London’s iconic Greek Orthodox Cathedral, St. Sophia.

The cemetery has a “Hellenic Enclosure,” implicit with a mausoleum built successful the style of a Classical Greek temple, where astir 250 people, sporting the educated accents of England, Scotland, Provence, Paris, Athens, Chios, and the American East Coast and South, walked among the mausoleums and crypts of their ancestors, gathering relatives whose names were known but faces were not. Names similar Ralli, Agelasto, Argenti, Mavrogordato, Rodocanachi, Petrocochino, Caralli, Vlasto, Vagliano, Scaramanga, Schilizzi, Zaccaria, and others, erstwhile ubiquitous successful the halls of bourses and trade, arsenic well arsenic successful Greek history.

After a radical photograph connected the steps of the Classical Greek temple, containing the crypts of respective members of the Ralli family, the guests walked to a adjacent Episcopal Church conscionable extracurricular the cemetery enclosure. There, we were welcomed by the section politician of Lambeth municipality, together with a fewer words by Sir David Ralli, and Nicholas Long, earlier the main event, a well-organised lecture by Christopher Long, household historian, erstwhile journalist, correspondent, and Vlasto household descendant connected his mother’s side.

The stunning and unique Pyrgi is 1 of the largest villages connected Chios, located successful the southern portion of the island, 25 km south of the island’s capital. Photo: Depositphotos

Long’s lecture, “Who are your People?,” was astir 70-minutes of contextual accusation astir their ancestral island, Chios, the commercialized diaspora centered connected the Kambos families, the Chios Massacre of 1822, and their resurrection abroad, from India to New Orleans and each points successful between. To travel the lecture, the religion hallway was filled with video monitors to supply the full assemblage with maps, pictures, and portraits, names to spell with faces, and names the assemblage (and immoderate student of Greek and commercialized history) would recognise.

Delivered successful a sonorous accent, the presumption struck that uncommon equilibrium betwixt the wide story for those little acquainted with the subject and the granular specifics sought by experts. As I told Long aft his speech, I had a intelligence representation of hitherto bare footnotes successful my publication being filled by his accusation and sources.

After closing remarks by different section councilor, we enjoyed a portion arsenic newfound relatives exchanged interaction accusation and goodbyes. With my friends the Argentis and Agelastos from America, together with their British relatives, we had a meal successful the country earlier each scattering again.

I felt a large privilege to beryllium included successful an lawsuit some historical yet familial—this quiescent and urbane acceptable of families sought bureau successful commerce, and successful so doing, wrote the playbook for those subsequent immigrants and shipowners who followed. If my publication needed an epilogue, I recovered it astatine this event.