News

Aug 26, 2012

Reuniting the Alkazins

Welcome to our guest blogger, Marjorie Merod who contributed this post! Many families were divided in the course of immigration. David Alkazin left the United States in 1900 with his eldest daughter Rosa, and son Elias. It was a full six years before their mother and his wife, Mariam followed with the younger children. Mariam… 

Aug 13, 2012

Peddler’s license

An 1897 article in a Wilmington newspaper titled “The Peddlers License: A Word or Two About How To Many Peddlers Fake It” details the perception of Assyrian peddlers. Today, many families have ties to first-wave immigrants arriving in North Carolina from the 1880s to 1940s.  Many of these immigrants made money as peddlers. This article… 

Aug 8, 2012

Lebanese-Americans abroad

Many Lebanese-Americans–first or second wave immigrants, second or third generation–consider North Carolina their home, but don’t lose sight of the important work to be done internationally. Wael Abou-Chakra spends much of his time to volunteer work in Romania and other countries. And the late Shafick George Hatem (affectionally referred to as “Uncle Shag”) dedicated his… 

Aug 3, 2012

Patrick and his grandmother

Dorothy Findelin’s eldest son, Patrick who now lives in Virginia with his family, recalls a few great memories of his 95-year-old grandmother, Alma Parker, who currently lives in the Triangle. Born in 1917 in Edgecomb County and married to Shikralla Doumit Farris in 1941, she remains a strong member of the community.   When we… 

Aug 2, 2012

The Mack family bible

Like cherished photographs, artifacts, family trees, home movies and heirlooms, family bibles are generational treasures that offer a glimpse into the lives of everyone who touched it. The Mack family bible is no exception. Threadbare and yellowing, the bible is a constant tangible reminder of their family connection. Take a look at the photos below.… 

Jul 31, 2012

120 years in North Carolina

For a quick primer on the history of the Lebanese community in North Carolina, check out this video below. It’s also available on our YouTube Channel. Thank you to Danica Cullinan for the video contribution. 

Jul 23, 2012

Wine and Olive Diet

In 1896, the Fayetteville Observer noted (about halfway through the article) that “a number of Syrians… received a case of wine and olives from Damascus.”  “To the unitiated,” they reported, the olives were “not so nice tasting.” Of course, North Carolina is home to so many restaurants that started out by serving “the unitiated” masses.… 

Jul 20, 2012

America Ya Hilwa

On July 14, 1916, Lebanese-American composer and pianist Alexander Maalouf wrote Letter to the Editor of The New York Times, announcing a new national anthem that he composed called “For Thee, America.” You can listen to more of his songs on our website or at the Library of Congress. 

Jul 20, 2012

Calling on FDR

In September 1928, Mr. Michael Norman Mansour of Goldsboro, North Carolina, the owner Mansour’s Department Store (later called Hub Department Store) received two letters while in New York City on business from Franklin Delano Roosevelt urging him to support New York Governor Alfred  Emanuel Smith in his race for Presidency.  Having been a long supporter… 

Jul 19, 2012

Cedars in the Pines: The Lebanese in North Carolina

Thank you all for your support during the premiere our full-length documentary, Cedars in the Pines: The Lebanese in North Carolina at the North Carolina Museum of History. Directed by Danica Cullinan and co-produced by Cullinan and Neal Hutcheson of the North Carolina Language and Life Project with Caroline Muglia as archivist and researcher, over 700 people…