This article contains assorted information written by Vivian, both genealogical, stories and such, obtained from various sources. My father Andreas Dritsas was named after Andreas, father of Odysseus, because of his great strength, physique, and manliness.
In the old days in the villages the family ate at a low round table. They sat on wooden stools about 10 inches high. The food was served in the large round, shallow clay dish called a kavátha (Καββαθά) and each person had a wooden spoon.
This information is from Koula Siraka Dritsas (Sissy). These old days are not so old because I, personally, remember well my father telling me about eating this way, which he remembered was the way his family ate when he was a boy.
The Dritsas’ house in Melissonas was left by Andreas John Dritsas to his son Gregory, who in turn left it to his son, Síderis.
It is now owned by Síderis son, Gregory.
This is a story I heard from Kitsa and then from Antigóni (in Marmari). I remember well this Andreas from 1953. The phrase “boy good” was one used by Kitsa & me to describe him. This was during my first trip to Greece, when my father took me and Stephen and Mom, back. He had not seen his family in 35 years. I spoke no Greek at the time and Kitsa spoke only a little English, but we managed to communicate just fine. I was 15 and Kitsa was 17 years old.
Andrea Pappandreou also known as “boy good”, came (back), to Greece, (to Marmari) in 1994. He spoke with Antigoni about Kitsa and learned that she and Dimitri had separated. He had been married at least once in the USA.
He told Antigoni that he married once to get the US citizenship. Kitsa also thinks he was married once and divorced. Sissy says “I don’t know, he was married in America two or three times and divorced”
In any case he never got over Kitsa. In 1994 Antigoni says he was looking well, but he was too thin and his color was not good. In retrospect they realized that he must have been sick.
He told Antigone that Kitsa shouldn’t worry about anything, she was a good girl, and she shouldn’t have worries. He was going to return to Greece the next summer (1995) and Kitsa shouldn’t worry for anything.
Way back when, sometime after 1953 , Andreas tried to get romantically involved with Kitsa. I think she did like him. I know that he wanted to marry her. His mother was going around saying that her son was going to marry Dritsas’ daughter. Anyway , I believe it was Uncle Jimmy who broke the whole thing up, before it actually got started. My opinion is that Andreas really was in love with Kitsa, and never got over it. I have pictures of him on the old movies from 1953 and maybe on some of the old slides. He worked at that time (it was summer) at his families produce stand. After it was clear that there was no hope for him with Kitsa, he left for America and lived in Astoria. This I know because when Kitsa came over in 1980, she told me this and was contemplating calling him, which I don’t believe she ever did.
It is very hard to forget about someone who has stated , as Andreas did, “there is no other woman in the world for me but Kitsa Dritsa”, or words to that effect.
Manolis and Anthi Zervas are the neighbors who’s house is on the terrace of our house in Marmari. (Kitsa sold them the air space several years ago.) and they own the store beneath their house.
Antigoni’s maiden name is Zouberis.
The 1st 2 houses Pappou built were the house YiaYia lived in which was at the back of our garden (perivóli). (Koula Dritsas)
The house on top and the store (that Pappou bought) were 100 years old, according to YiaYia, when Koula and Tackys were married. (1956) Pappou bought the store with the house on top. It was already built. (Koula Dritsas, YiaYia told her this.)
Pop (Andreas Stamatiou Dritsas) was born in Ayio Konstandinos in the house of Katsabara. (This is from my 1st cousin Tackys Dritsas. And he says that this family still lives up there.)
The contract for the purchase of the house in Marmari was written in 1914. “A store and the space behind it ( Patåri = loft ) (Tackys was reading the contract for the sale of the store below our house to the Kékis.)
Koula says they bought the Perivoli, which had a long stable-like building at the back. The town cut the roads through and Pappou fixed up the stables into three houses. This was after the purchase of the store.
Tackys got out the contracts for the sale of the store to Kekis (they are 2 brothers) and the dates are from the contract. 1914 (Pappou bought it ) no month or day given.
After discussion (between Tackys, Koula and me), it seems that Pappou bought the waterfront store and a space behind it which was about……rest on tape.
30 Aug, 1929, Pappou gave 1/2 of the house to Uncle Mitso.
29 Dec, 1946 Pappou died and Uncle Jimmy inherited the whole house.
May 10, 1969 sold the store, below the house, to Keki.
Sometime before May of 1969 my father turned over all of his interest in the family properties to his brothers. Uncle Jimmy had, of course, the waterfront house and store.
YiaYia’s house at the back of our perivoli was given to Angelos, who promptly turned around and sold it. Angelo also, (I found this out during this last trip), had a lot in the perivoli, which he sold to Kekis. It is directly opposite the eastern exit from the alley that runs between our house and Kolombaris house, and has not been built on. It is probably not large enough to build on, and Kekis are using it as a dump.
The reason the family sold the perivoli and the store was to finance Tackys house on Solomou 19 in Nea Erithraia.
And while I’m on the subject, after Pappou died in 1946 Uncle Angelo got his gun, and of course later on he sold it. It shows, hanging on the wall, in the pictures from 1953.