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Workshop in Hellenic Genealogy
 November 15, 2003

A free introductory workshop on Hellenic genealogy was held at Lowell, Massachusetts, on Saturday, November 15, 2003 at the Pollard public library. It was sponsored by the Lowell Hellenic Heritage Association and the Hellenic Culture Society in conjunction with their historical series on the Greek community in the Lowell area. The third exhibit, “Acropolis of America, 1940-1974,” was on display until January 28, 2004 at the Patrick J. Mogan Cultural Center in Lowell. Check our on-line representation of this exhibit: Acropolis of America III: passing the torch, 1940-1974.

Led by Hellenic Historical and Genealogical Association (HHGA) founder Mary Papoutsy, participants explored introductory-level topics and received packets of articles and handouts produced by HHGA. The workshop was specially designed for research into Hellenic ancestry, focusing on two key goals: finding the full, original Greek name of one’s immigrant ancestor and the name of his or her ancestral village. Participants learned about completing family trees, guidelines for conducting research, techniques for transliteration, and about the unique challenges of investigations into Greek ancestry. Papoutsy introduced a final portion of the workshop centered on research in Greece, with techniques for locating information and a display of a Greek village registry.

Formed as a nonprofit entity in 2000, Hellenic Historical and Genealogical Association has been established through a grant from the Christos and Mary Papoutsy Charitable Foundation to promote the importance of Greek ancestry through educational programs and volunteer projects. Membership is free and open to all persons interested in learning how to research Hellenic family roots. HHGA has produced a number of educational articles and maintains a website hosted by Hellenic Communication Service at http://www.HellenicComServe.com/genealogy.html.

Mary Papoutsy's teaching experience includes both secondary- and collegiate-level instruction in Greek and Latin. She later reactivated the Maine Classical Association, received an appointment to the New Hampshire Humanities Council, was named a trustee of The Greek Institute of Boston, and founded the Hellenic Historical and Genealogical Association.