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Chapter 1 - The Beginning |
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The Story of the Sabbagh Family
By Ernie Michael
As a major part of the story, it is important to understand the origin of the surname Sabbagh. The word Sabbagh means dye maker and was used to identify the occupation of the father of the family. This was usually sufficient in those days in small communities as the way of explaining to whom a person was related. When a person is asked the name of the family, the surname was not used as much as the occupation or the first name of the father. In the case of our great, great, grandfather, the name of John Samuel Sabbagh, the dye maker, has been used as the family surname ever since our grandfather came to the United States. When Jida arrived here from Syria he used his father’s first name to identify the family name. He would say, “I am the son of John and John translated into Arabic is “Hanna.” Therefore, in the United States the Sabbagh surname changed to Hanna and the Sabbagh surname was never used again except among the elders of the family. You may ask the question that, if Sabbagh was only the occupation of the father, what was the real name of the family? According to our grandfather when he sat down with my brother George Michael on a day in New Castle eight or nine months before he died, he outlined for George the hierarchy of the family. The names that were used in our blood line starting from our grandfather going back five more generations from father to father are as follows: Slaman Hanna, Hanna Samuel, Samuel Abdullah, Abdullah Chakur, Chakur Abdo, and Abdo Chakur. We will never know whether they all remained dye makers. Some members of the family believe that Chakur was the real surname but who can tell. We will never know. Having explained that, the story really begins in the year of 1755 in the city of Homs, Syria. Homs was and is a fairly large town located in the center of Syria. Abdullah Sabbagh, my great, great, great grandfather lived in Homs with his wife, five sons and three daughters. Abdullah, the dye maker, was recognized throughout Homs for his skill in combining ingredients into a dye that was second to none in retaining colors. It was a tried and true formula, skillfully made from berries and herbs, combined with a very carefully hidden ingredient that made it colorfast. This dye became the family secret formula that made the Sabbagh Family rather special right from the very beginning. (This concept is very interesting because it seems that our aunts of today always seem to leave one ingredient out of their recipes when sharing a recipe with someone. We believe that that is the only way that they can keep their recipe as “the best recipe.”) Ask our cousin Barbara. Abdullah and his wife, Zabae, maintained a comfortable living along the eastern side of the Syrian dessert. The eight children helped their father in the business because his employer required long hours and the demands on him were great. Abdullah Sabbagh, a God-fearing man, attended church religiously, as did his entire family. As Orthodox Christians, they lived among Mohammedans and other non-Christian groups in their part of the city. Many of the women of that region covered their faces and their bodies and were forbidden to be seen publicly. Abdul’s three daughters were young and attractive and did much of their daily shopping in the town’s market place. Although Christian women were not required to cover their faces as the Mohammedans were, they were just as conservative in their dress as the other women in the area. Because the three daughters were obviously very attractive, aggressive men in the square constantly pursued them during their shopping hours. In fact, the suitors were so bold that they often followed the girls into the Sabbagh neighborhood. This aggravated Abdullah and his sons so much that they attacked the molesters with reckless abandon. It got so bad that the entire family had to flee Homs in order to prevent a disastrous conflict. Abdullah and his family gathered their belongings and departed the
city under cover of darkness. During their travel, they came upon a
caravan of camels going east to the market place to sell their wares.
It was during this time that their oldest daughter, Mary, was abducted
by a band of thieves from the caravan, never to be seen again. During
those days attractive women were often abducted and then sold as slaves.
The family had no recourse but to continue their travels. They went
southeast by foot until they reached Shiekhm’vdviade, which unlike
Homs, was a very small town. With the reliability of his dyes, Abdullah
had little difficulty finding work, but the size of the town limited
the volume of work available that he needed to sustain the whole family.
As the story goes, Abdullah, his wife and the two remaining daughters
stayed, but the five sons went their separate ways. The oldest brother,
Abdullah, went to Shektaba. Braheem, the second son went to Beino.
It was never determined where Slyman and Elias finally settled. John
Samuel, the youngest brother and my great, great grandfather, went
to Safita. Safita is the city where the Sabbagh family tree actually
begins. Agea, one of Abdula’s daughters, stayed on in Shiekhm’vdviade
with her parents and eventually joined John Samuel in Safita. She will
enter the story a little later. Since it is not known what happened
to the family members who were not in Safita, the stories of Abdullah
the elder, his wife, Zabae, Braheem and Abdullah and the others were
lost in the sands of time. There is a story that is still being told by our family in Safita about the fortress that was built at the top of the city. Safita is cobble stoned, with all streets leading to the top of the mountain-like city. Originally, about a thousand years ago, the fortress was built and controlled by the Turks. It was a building of about the height of a six story building. It had no windows and only one door at the base in the middle of the structure. While I was in Safita in 1974 visiting our family, I was taken to that fortress by one of our cousins named Essa, the eldest son of Haddo, to see the view from the top. We climbed up a circular stone staircase which had been deeply grooved and worn over the ages. It was an extremely difficult climb, but the reward came at the top when we looked out over the city and on that very clear day could see the Mediterranean Sea. While we were at the top enjoying the view, I asked our cousin to verify a story that my mother, Elmaza, had told me, which was also verified by my Dad and our Grandfather. You may not believe this story, but it has been told to many generations before us. It was after one of the many Turkish/Arab wars when two of the holiest of holy men of each country stood at the top of the fortress to determine who was to take control of the very beautiful building. During the declared peace each wanted it to be used as their place of worship. It was decided that each was to drop a raw egg from the top of the building to the cobble stones below. Whose ever egg was not broken by the fall would take control of the fortress. Today it is the Syrian Orthodox Church for the Christians who live in Safita. I asked my cousin if this was a true story and he smiled, saying “You must believe what you want to believe, but I have passed on the same story to my children.” So now I pass this same story on to you. Chapter II John Samuel was a likeable individual who befriended everyone he met, but getting a job was something different. John was having a very bad time. He moved quietly from one section of the town to another looking for employment. One day while he was breaking bread with a group of friendly people, he mentioned to them that he came from a family of “dye makers.” It was rare to find someone in Safita who had the training to dye clothing. He told them of the special, secret formula that his family had kept secret for many years. As they were discussing this, their conversation was overheard by a group of people who were also having lunch. This was fortunate as they were no ordinary group of people. They represented the political leadership of the City of Safita. Among them was the sheriff. His name was Sharic, the Sheriff.
“
I come from a family of dye makers” said John with pride. John Samuel Sabbagh turned to him indignantly with pride and responded, “I am John Samuel Sabbagh, the son of Abdula, the best dye maker in all of Syria.” The sheriff looked at John in a skeptical, but serious way, hoping that John could back up his claim. “
Again, young man, what skills do YOU bring to this grand City of Safita,” asked
Sharic. “ Very well, John Samuel Sabbagh, then dye these white pantaloons. My dye maker has attempted to dye them many times, but has been unsuccessful in retaining the colors. And if you can do it, I will give you my house,” he chuckled looking for support from his colleagues. The witnesses to this challenge by the sheriff were stunned by the comment and began to laugh. They really did not take him seriously. The sheriff was really joking because he thought that there was no possible way that this young man would be able to dye the pantaloons if his dye maker had failed so many times. John got up to leave, stopped in front of the sheriff and said, “I shall return in five days and will move into your house on the sixth day.” John Samuel Sabbagh left that restaurant a very happy young man. In five days, John did return with a pair of purple pantaloons to collect his bounty. The sheriff had his man servant take the pantaloons to the river to wash out the dye. His man servant worked and worked to beat the dye out of the pantaloons with wooden paddles. He washed them over and over again, but the dye remained. On the sixth day, John Samuel Sabbagh moved into the sheriff’s house. The news of the challenge and the take over was the talk of the town and John became a celebrity. He was known throughout the community. Of course, this did not hurt his dye making business at all. The year was 1865 and John Abdullah Samuel Sabbagh, our great grandfather, continued to live in the sheriff’s house in Safita, Syria and make it his home for many years. During the early years, he visited his brother in Shaktaba and his parents in Bahid occasionally and tried to encourage them to join him in Safita, but was not successful. As a result, family information about them was lost. In order to research this, one would have to go to Safita to ask our living cousins some serious questions about our great, great uncles and great aunts. There are obviously many, many cousins still living in and around those two towns, in addition to those now living in Safita. John Sabbagh lived to be 114 years of age and from the time
that he migrated to Safita and during the next ninety-six years,
he
became a dye maker and farmer within the Safita community.
He was married
to our great grandmother Sugar Sabbagh and raised a family.
The names of his children were Nusta, Haddo, Slaman, Hannie
and George.
The
house
that was given to him by the sheriff on a bet was getting too
small for him and his family, so he was forced to buy several
lots across
the street. The house that was erected was actually built with
the $500.00 insurance money received by the family as the result
of the
death of the Haddo’s younger brother, George. Uncle George
died while working on the railroad in Smithton, Pennsylvania.
The original
house that my mother Elmaza and our Aunt Millie were born in
is still there, but has never been used since it was vacated
and a newer house
built. Our great-uncle Haddo was the first born and our grandfather, Slaman, was second born in 1887. Our Great Uncle Haddo continued to live in Safita raising his family until he decided to take a trip to America. Shortly after he came to America, his wife of many years died. His purpose in coming to America was also to raise enough money to bring families. His younger brother George went with him at the age of 21. The year was 1907. Uncle Haddo never returned to Syria. During my visit with our family in Safita in 1974, I visited our second cousins Essa, George and their three sisters. Haddo’s oldest son, George, had five sons all of whom were in the construction business and to this day are working and living in Safita. Cousin Essa also has a large family of three daughters and a son. If ever you get to Safita, Syria, for a visit, you will have an unforgettable experience with our family in a different dimension. You would love them and their traditions in the same way that you experience the love at our family reunions. Chapter III In 1909 when our grandfather was in his mid 20’s, he came to the U.S. to work. His first job was in Smithton, Pennsylvania, working for the railroad. His older brother, Haddo and younger brother, George, had been working for the railroad for a couple of years. Haddo remarried Mike Esper's sister-in-law, Hona, and relocated to live in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Haddo, Jida and Mike Esper were first cousins. Jida continued working for the railroad for three years and finally raised enough money to bring his family to America. It was during that period that our Great Uncle George died in a shocking death after that being hit by a freight train. At the time Uncle George was a supply supervisor for the railroad. He was in his early twenties and very good looking with blue eyes and light brown hair. (Shades of the Crusades)
He quickly returned to the States and soon made final arrangements for his family’s passage. But, there was an additional problem. Jida’s father John Samuel Sabbagh and his wife Sugar did not want them to leave. They do not want to be left alone. He negotiated with Jida and he agreed to leave my mother, Elmaza, in Safita to take care of them during their old age. Our great grandfather and mother were 84 and 82 respectively. The year was 1912. Elmaza was four years old. The deal was set and Jida sent passage money so that they would board a ship in Tripoli for America. Sita was again pregnant with our Aunt Effie when they boarded the ship and sailed to New York City’s Ellis Island for processing. You can imagine how scary was for a prospective mother and three year old child traveling alone across the Atlantic Ocean on a 30 day journey. In those days, the accommodations they could afford left a lot to be desired. The next stumbling block was when our grandfather found that he could not make the trip to Ellis Island to pick them up. Therefore, he made an arrangement with Mike Esper, his cousin, and Uncle Harry Abbot, Sita’s brother, to do the honors. When Sita and Aunt Millie arrived at Ellis Island, the officials would not allow them to be picked up by Mike Esper. Mike Esper was not authorized to sign the documents as a sponsor. When Harry Abbot did not show, Mike Esper had already signed the documents. Immigration rejected entry because the wrong person signed the forms. Everyone was very upset. You guessed it; they made them return to the ship. The authorities sent our grandmother, pregnant with Aunt Effie and our three year old Aunt Millie back to France. Jida was fit to be tied because he could not depend on his own brother-in-law to pick up his own sister.. Mike Esper tried to cover for him, but it just did not work After staying in France for six months, our grandmother was so angry with Jida that she had written a letter showing her impatience. The year was 1912. She put her foot down, saying, “If you are chewing, don’t swallow before you come to get me. If you are shaving, don’t finish shaving before you come to get me.” Jida made a special effort and arranged to have Sita brought back to the U.S. from France. This time he made it a point to pickup Sita himself. Shortly after they arrived, now 1913, Aunt Effie was born in West Newton, a small town outside of Pittsburgh. Eleven months later our Aunt Mary Alice was also born in West Newton. After Aunt Mary was born, Jida moved his family to New Kensington and went to work at the local foundry. While working at the foundry he had chiseled a block of stone that was 20 inches square and 10 inches high for my mother. For years she used to use it for mashing meat for making kibbee. It’s now on display at Buzzy and Pat Bitar’s house in New Kensington. He continued working at the foundry until he could afford to open his own coffee shop. Later he was able to add a pool room as an additional draw for local business. Chapter 4 We have come a long way in this narration, but the interesting part of the story is about to begin. The relatives that I shall talk about from now on will be known personally by most of the people who read this manuscript. There will definitely be a keen interest in these stories. We could say that New Kensington is the Capital City for our family in America. This is where the American roots for the Sabbagh or Hanna or Chakur Family started. The objective will be to give each member of the family the opportunity to tell his/her story about their branch of the family tree. This approach will be taken later in this book after all thirteen children of Jida and Sita are born and after their families have had a chance to take form. But for now, there is still much to be reviewed as background to our family. In 1913 the population of New Kensington was about 18,000 people. The town was robust and bursting with energy. This was the home base for companies like Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh Plate Glass, and Allegheny Ludlum Steel. The city was created as a result of the great Allegheny River’s movements as it rotated and slashed its power side to side to form the valley. The valley was no more than two square miles with the Allegheny River being its greatest landmark. The river was used for cheap transportation of goods and services for industries on each side of the river. The Allegheny was part of a network of navigable rivers connecting with the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Everyone who needed a job was working and where there are working people, services are needed. Jida’s coffee shop-pool room flourished because he had the reputation of being a good and honest man. Above all he was fair to all who entered his place of business. Even then location, location, location was very important. His coffee shop was located just around the corner of the entrance to the Aluminum Company of America. He provided services to people before and after their work. Our grandfather was a very religious man. He taught every member of the family the rules of living by example. The family all attended St. George Orthodox Church on Kenneth Avenue in New Kensington. Father O’fiesh was the name of the priest. Jida quickly became a leader in the church and served as the President of the Church Council. The Hanna house was located right behind the coffee shop on Second Avenue. Sita stayed home most of the time taking care of their three daughters Millie, Effie and Mary. Our grand parents were like many of the families during those years and had a lot of children. Sita and Jida had one child almost every year during their early married life. This obviously meant that what he earned was totally for the support of his family. Sita, of course, had her hands full with kids, washing, cooking and cleaning the house. The next twelve years went by very rapidly with New Kensington’s economy booming and the Hanna family establishing itself within the community. New Kensington became the melting pot for immigrants from all over Europe. They segregated themselves into ethnic groups because of the built-in advantages in language, economics, religion and education. Arabic people from all over the Middle East, Namely from the cities of Buzbina, Kafroon and Safita lived in a two-block area. Polish, Italian, and black people occupied other nearby area. These ghettos were very close to the aluminum and steel mills, glasshouse, and other factories, all of which were located on the river. The children of these groups ran around in gangs and were tyical of kids lacking anything to do but run in the streets and swim in the river as their pastimes. The smell of meat cooking on the coal-burning stoves, with sweet bread and cakes a daily event and a real treat. In the summer, the heat was sweltering, which made it hard to sleep. Many people stayed up late, ate their leftovers from dinner and whiled away their time listening to Suspense, Lux theater, and the Lone Ranger on the radio. In the winter, it was to cold for adults to go out, but the kids played in the snow and skated from place to place, hanging onto the rear bumper of cars on the soles of their shoes. There were coal-burning, pot-belly stoves in the kitchens of most homes. They provided the heat in the kitchen, but the rest of house was usually freezing. Life was good during those days, because the streets were safe and most people left their doors unlocked. The Arabs helped the Italians, the Polish helped the Arabs, and black people assisted wherever and whenever they were asked. For the most part, the homes wre kept clean, but roaches and rats ran in the cellars and attics. Most were kept under control in the very old buildings of the ghetto in the latter part of the 19th Century. Some were condemned by the City Urban Development Department, but they were still lived in, because there were no new housing starts in the area and landlords would not spend money on renovations. Jida and Sita’s house was no different. In those days, families in all ethnic groups were large and everyone worked hard. By 1925, Jida and Sita already had ten children, eight daughters and two sons. Because of the size of the family, Jida worked at the Allegheny County Foundry as well as operating the coffee shop/pool room. After a while, he converted part of the pool hall into a poker room. He would rake a nickel from each pot. The poker games were run with honest rules and ran into the wee hours of the morning. This made it difficult for Jida, because he had to work in the foundry during the night. His cousin, Mike Esper, ran the poker games after midnight. As a result of sound management, they expanded the number of tables. With his revenue increasing, Jida was now ready to expand his holdings to include other rental property. During those days, two-storey houses in the ghetto sold for five to six thousand dollars. In 1924, Jida bought the house next door for $4500 and added a small mortgage to his obligations. The older girls, Millie at 14, Effie at 10, Mary at 8, and Marie at 7, moved into two rooms at the new/old house. The house provided more room and gave them more freedom, but Jida rented out the other three rooms to men who were working in the local mills. Because of their gestures and language, the male boarders frightened the girls. There was never an incident, but nevertheless, the situation made the girls very uncomfortable. At fourteen, Aunt Millie was a very attractive young lady and had
suitors from other Arab families. Young men from Pittsburgh, Irvin,
and West
Newton came
to ask Jida for her hand in marriage. Jida rejected all of them because the
tradition was that the oldest daughter had to get married first. The oldest
of the sisters was my mother, Elmaza, who was still in Safita. One of the suitors
was my father, Hanna Michael, who was also interested in marrying Aunt Millie.
Jida offered Elmaza to him instead, and he accepted. My dad wanted to marry
a young lady from a good family, but even though this was done sight unseen,
it was okay with him. My father had worked as a baker at the National Biscuit
Bakery on Eighth Street and Third Avenue in Parnassus, a suburb of New Kensington.
He had saved his money over the years and therefore had no problem paying for
Elmaza’s passage to America. Aunt Millie completed the eleventh grade in the New Kensington schools, but was not allowed to continue on to her senior year or to graduate. Our grandfather had the antiquated idea that too much education in a marriage wasn’t good, so he refused to let her graduate. Jida was very sensitive and bright, but his daughters resented him for that belief for the rest of their lives. Millie dropped out of school, only to take in washing and to do domestic work in the more affluent homes of the city. Only sixteen, Aunt Millie was not ready to get married, but Jida promised her hand in marriage to a man she did not know. In spite of her complaints, Jida was an honorable man and gave her away to man named Louis Zabec. Lou was a very good-looking, dynamic, bright and educated man with a good job working for the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA). He was also fifteen years older than Millie, but then, it was her turn. They got married in 1926. Tom Zabec was born January 14, 1927. The rest of the story will appear in the chapter entitled “Millie”. Aunt Effie was also academically gifted and led her class in high school. This was a moot situation for Effie, because she was also forced to quit school before she was able to graduate. Effie got involved in domestic work, baking bread, and baby-sitting. She didn’t make much money, but she wanted to stay busy. Aunt Mary was about 10 years old and showed signs of independence even then. She did not like the fact that Effie and Marie were deprived of the opportunity to finish high school. She swore that would not happen to her – she would graduate from high school. A woman of her word, she would not only graduate, but she would graduate with honors as her class Valedictorian in 1933. Mary continued her education by attending Westminster College to become a registered nurse. Things were going very well for the Hanna family during those early years in New Kensington. In September of 1927, Sita had her eleventh child, Ruth. Things continued to be positive until the summer of 1929, the year of the great stock market crash. It seems that with success come controversy, envy and revenge. We will never know which of the above instigated the incident that created a major dilemma and the biggest challeng in Jida’s life. It was the time of Prohibition, but New Kensington was a very open city in those years and but local law enforcement did crack down on the use of alcohol in public places. Jida did not serve alcohol in coffee shop, pool room or poker game. It was against the law and he did not believe in drinking. An anonymous tipster reported to the police that our grandfather was serving liquor at his evening poker games in order to stimulate business. The police arrived at his poker game a little after midnight to investigate. They seemed to know exactly where to look and found a half a quart of liquor under the table in the corner of the poker room. The police cuffed Jida and hauled him off to jail. He remained in jail for 30 days. The next few months were very difficult for Jida emotionally. He had his suspicions, but could not prove who set him up. At the age of 43, he did a lot of soul searching to determine what to do with his life, and more importantly, what to do for his family. This decision would be just as important as his decision to come to America some twenty-five years prior. He discussed his problems with Sita and finally, they made their decision. They would pull up roots and leave New Kensington. Jida decided to give up all the progress he had made in the town a businessman and good citizen. We would find out later that the whole family would regret his decision to pull up stakes in New Kensington and move. His decision was to return to farming, an occupation with which he was very familiar. He sold the business, his two houses and gave up his respected position in community and the Church. All his relatives and true friends tried to talk him out of it. He did not listen because, as an honorable man, he felt he was betrayed by a friend whom he trusted. If a friend did this to him, who could he ever trust? As a farmer, he would be dependent upon himself only. He would live and let live. Jida truly believed God would provide. He then moved quickly and made contact with some business people who had real estate in Butler County. After selling everything, he bought a team of horses and a large hauling wagon. A new era of his life began in 1930. The life of a farmer was an honorable occupation in America, just as it had been in Syria. Everyone wondered why he did it. It seems to me that there was more to the story than will ever by told – deeply-rooted things now lost in time. The important thing was everyone had trust and faith in this God-fearing man who lived his life based upon principle, conviction, courage and love. Our grandfather had his reasons I’m sure, but whatever they may have been, his family came first. Had he stepped up to fight the hostile business elements in the community, and those he now considered enemies, there could have been a neighborhood war, an irrevocable conflict. In his mind, Jida had made the best decision. Chapter V In December of 1930, Jida gathered some of the family’s belongings, loaded the wagon, and made the first of many trips to Prospect, the site of their new home on the farm. The trip by horse and wagon took approximately eight hours on a two-lane road, which, for most of the way, was shared with automobiles. Unfortunately, it was the dead of winter with snow on the ground and freezing temperatures outside. I was told you could hear the crunch of frozen snow under the wheels as the horses slogged through the winter weather. Jida’s first trip to his new home was made with his friend Barustom from the old country. Barustom was an entrepreneur who Jida his first team of horses, named respectively Danny and Dickie. Barustom was a cantankerous man of fifty who had five wives and several children, all of whom he had left in the old country. He left them behind in Safita until he was able to earn enough money to send for them. The last two miles driving the horses from the highway to the farm house was worst part of the whole trip because there really wasn’t any road. When the left the highway, they guided the team of horses along the tree line until they reached a hill that took them down to a three-room shanty alongside a spring. The spring was frozen over and unpainted shanty looked like an old woodshed you’d find in someone’s back yard. Even Barustom shuddered when he saw the structure, but did not question his friend. Jida knew what he was thinking. They unloaded the wagon and moved what furniture they had into the
old shanty, which had been used by the previous owners as a pig pen,
chicken coop and
for storage. They cleaned out the building the best they could. The small
house
had three bedrooms and a room that would eventually become the kitchen. They
returned to New Kensington the following day only to make another trip, this
time including Sita, Effie (by then 16), and Marie (13), there to clean up
the shanty and make it livable. Anne (11), John (9), Stella (7), Lillie (6),
Sam (5), Ruth (3) and newborn Albert made the trip on the third day. To say
they were overcrowded would be an understatement. Everyone just looked at
each other, realizing this was no joke. This shanty was going to be their
home. Jida taught Effie how to do the milking, which had to be done every morning and evening. This was a necessary chore that each child would eventually learn. The most difficult part of milking the cows was getting out of a warm feather bed to go out thorugh the cold, windy air to the barn. Everyone complained, but they all got used to it after a while. Although Effie, Marie and Anne had the biggest responsibilities, there was plenty of work to go around, such as making beds, sweeping floors, fetching water, preparing meals, retrieving eggs from the chicken coop, baking bread two or three times a week, cutting wood, washing clothes and ironing, etc. John, Sam, Ruth, Lillie and Stella, the five youngest in the family, were given many of these tasks. They all complained but everyone did their share. Uncle Johnny, though only nine years old, was most demanding in giving out instructions to others for the job he was instructed to do. Jida was pleased he was becoming a take-over kind of young man. This did not go as well with the others. At nine, Johnny was taught how to fire a .22 rifle by a neighbor, so that fresh meat would be brought into the house. Using this as a way of getting out of the more mundane work around the house, he went out hunting daily. After all, he was bringing in fresh meat for the table. At first, he wasn’t too successful, and many days, he would return without anything. He would then occasionally bring in a rabbit, a squirrel or a groundhog. As time went on, Johnny became more and more successful, often returning with five or six kills. Everyone enjoyed the fresh meat, but then the issue became who would be responsible for skinning and cleaning the animals. Johnny refused to get blood on his hands. Needless to say, this didn’t go over very big with his sisters, who ended up doing his dirty work. Jida, Sita and Albert slept in one room, while Effie, Maria, Ann, and Stella slept in the second bedroom. John, Sam, Lillie, and Ruth took the third bedroom. The rooms were wall-to-wall beds and adequate for the time being. Since it was December, the snows had come and it was very cold. Jida brought in several loads of coal and he used the firewood that had been cut for the winter by the previous owner. Jida installed a Franklin stove in the corner of the room that was to be used as a kitchen. The wood-burning stove would be used for cooking meals. Except for Albert, Ruth and Sam, all the children were of school age. They had to walk over a mile through the woods to get to school. Aunt Effie, the oldest on the farm at 16, had the most responsibility about getting everyone to school. After school, Effie worked at Powell’s General Store from 3 to 7 PM weekdays and all day on Saturday. At 13, Aunt Marie was responsible for getting her brothers and sisters home after school. After living in the city for most of their lives, the children found walking through the woods in the snow was a different experience and they had to adjust quickly. Aunt Marie was very bright and a very sweet young lady. The smiled all the time and made people feel good with her positive attitude. Her sisters loved her, but sometimes felt that much of her attitude was put on, too cute and not sincere. As Marie grew up, everyone found out that nothing could be further from the truth. She was a very hard worker who always did her share and never complained. She adored her father, who was always good to her, although it was probably very difficult for the man to deal with so many young females on a daily basis. At age 11, Aunt Anne was growing up to be another beauty. Like her sister Mary, Anne was also a free spirit. Although she was very bright, Anne did not fare that well in school. In fact, she hated school and dropped out when she finished the eighth grade. Anne also had a beautiful smile and was a playful, happy teenager who sang and danced. Everyone enjoyed Anne, because she was always up for a party. At age nine, Uncle Johnny displayed signs of high intelligence, which
inspired him to plan, manipulate and create problems for everyone.
He wanted attention
and demanded his way all the time. In fact, he would cry and have tantrums
if his parents and sisters didn’t cater to him. Jida and Sita let him
get away with a lot, because for a while, he was their only son. For years,
Jida had wanted another man around the house. John sucked them in, and got
his way much of the time, which angered his sisters for years to come. The following is a list of the Hanna children, including where and
when they were born: There is a lot more to the story. I shall stop here because of the lack of time and the additional research that is necessary to give justice to a wonderful story. I hope you have enjoyed it. There is more to come. |
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My mother Elmaza Sabbagh Michael (Jarjous) told this story to me.
This is the story of the Sabbagh Family, a family of dye makers in
the country of Syria. I have chosen to share this story only because
someone must. It is a matter of pride and heritage that it is committed
to paper. In this way the family history can be preserved and passed
on from family to family, so that the surviving families will understand
more about themselves and their roots.
“
Who is it who calls himself the “dye maker?” asked Sheriff
Sharic. John Samuel was a rather quiet young man, but one who was able
to hold his own with most people. His father had taught him well.
Jida and Sita had two children, my mother Elmaza, and our Aunt Millie.
They were three and two years old when Jida came to the U.S. to work
in the Pittsburgh area. He worked in the foundry in Pittsburgh and
saved every dime he could to bring his family to the states. When
he calculated that he had enough money, he returned to Safita not
to return
to the United States but to stay and use the seed money that he earned
for a new business. Then his plans changed dramatically because if
he did not do something quickly he was going to get drafted into
the Turkish army to fight a war that Syria had nothing to do with.
Politically
Turkey was in control of Syria and at war with Persia. He spent most
of his time out of sight and finally left Syria very quietly. You
could call him a draft dodger because he did not want to be seen
for fear
of being drafted. This was a very confusing time in his life and
he was very upset to say the least, but Sita was just as disappointed
because of the waiting and the promises.