The Greek American Community of Essex County, New Jersey

About the Book

   This book is about Greek Americans who have lived or live in Essex County, New Jersey. Greeks first started to immigrate to the United States in large numbers after 1900. This book gives the stories of individual Greek American families. It gives a cross section of the Greek immigrants who come to America between 1900 and 1930. And it gives a cross section of the children of these immigrants.

  A Greek American community is synonomous with a parish of the Orthodox Church. In Essex County the community consisted of four churches. These churches are St. Nicholas, St. Demetrios, St. Fanourios, and Sts Constantine and Helen. The priests who served these churches and their period of service are listed in the book. The churches’ religious services and Sunday and Greek schools greatly participate in shaping the moral character of the people.

   This book contains the biographies of individual families of the community. The biographies are arranged alphabetically, except that biographies about children or grandchildren of a particular family immediately follow the root family biography, so as to maintain the continuity of that family.

   The chief characteristics of the first immigrants were their high moral character and their industriousness. They passed these good characteristics onto their children. These immigrants were also highly supportive of education, and saw to it that their children received a good education. Because of all of these factors, today the immigrants’ children and grandchildren are leaders in commerce, industry, education, and government. They have accomplished what their parents desired for them. Truly they have achieved the American dream.

About the Author

   John Antonakos is a retired electrical engineer who holds degrees in physics and electrical engineering. He was employed as an electrical engineer for over forty years, thirty-two of which were with the United States Army at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.

   He has always been interested in history, biography, linguistics and ethnography, and has read widely in these fields. Being of Greek background, he is especially interested in exploring his roots.

   In connection with these interests he has written the books Noted Greeks of Antiquity and Noted Greeks of the Middle Ages, and has translated the book Mani and the Maniates.

   In his book, Life’s Objective, he presents his philosophy of life. Using his life’s experiences he explains how one should conduct his life. Love guided by logic is the proper way of life. He believes that by developing in love more and more man ultimately achieves theosis- unity with God.

   In this book, The Greek American Community of Essex County, he compiles the lives of typical Greek Americans of his home region. These biographies show that the early Greek immigrants were of a good moral character and very industrious. This book also shows that these immigrants produced children and grandchildren that are exemplenary citizens who excell in their fields of endeavor and who serve their fellow man.