Dragomi

In circa 1404, a man named Dragomi and a group of family members and followers came riding east from the direction of what today is Albanian territory. They settled a village that bore the name Dragomi in NW Greece near the Ionian Sea. Some six to seven decades later, the Dragomi group's descendants moved east to a point near what is now the village of Vogatsikon. Since that time, Vogatsikon has been the ancestral home of the Dragoumis family for 635 years.

Two major modern wings of the family are identified, with Athanasios I. Dragoumis ((1790-1880) as the common ancestor. One of his children, Demetrios A. Dragoumis is the progenitor of the wing from which the author and his family were derived. Another child of Athanasios I., Nicolaos M. Dragoumis (1801-1879) is the progenitor of another wing of the Dragoumis family. This latter wing produced a number of historically important members, including Stefanos N. Dragoumis (1841-1923), his children Philip St. Dragoumis (1890-1980), Ion St. Dragoumis and Natalia Melas, herself a person of achievement as well as the wife of Pavlos Melas a great hero of the Battle of Macedonia against the Ottoman Empire. Philip was a high ranking Greek government official, Ion a famous political leader and government official. Their grandfather and great grandfather also achieved positions of great prominence.

A Dragoumis genealogy, including a comprehensive genealogical chart, is presented. Starting in 1710 much detailed genealogical history is presented.

Against the backdrop of the Balkan Wars, the story of Andreas (Andrew) D. Dragoumis is told, including his childhood in Vogatsikon and Thessaloniki, his escape from attempts to conscript him for the Turkish Army and emigration to the US in 1910.

Andrew's establishment in the U.S., his return to fight the Turks in the Second Balkan War and resettlement in the US are described. Andrew's marriage, children and their stories are related for three successive generations. The early lives of Andrew's sons Paul and James are described. Following that the autobiography of Paul and the biographies of his family are detailed for an additional two generations. Much of the text is devoted to that material. The author's career and those of his spouse, Maria William Dragoumis and his children Ann M. Murtlow and Andrew P. Dragoumis, are described.

In the final chapter, Reflections, the author sets forth his view as to how one can live an enjoyable and fulfilling life.