2- The Golden Generation of Saidnayan Immigrants to South America; By Ghassan Keriaky

Two weeks ago, I wrote an article about the Saidnayan immigrants who went to the USA. Today, I am writing about those who went to South America; particularly, Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela.

As I wrote previously, the immigration to the Americas took place over three periods. The first was from 1880 to 1924 when most of the Saidnayan immigrants went to the USA, the preferred destination.

During this period, some of the Saidnayans ended up in South America due to one of two reasons:

Some immigrants misunderstood to what America the captains of the ships were referring. They simply asked to go to America not knowing the difference between North and South America, and ended up on the ships that were going south.

While other immigrants were denied entrance to the USA at the immigration center in NYC for various reasons, such as sickness; and instead of returning to Syria, they decided to go to South America.

The second period took place between 1924 and 1965 when the USA closed the door on new immigrants from the Arab world. In this period, South America became the preferred destination to the Saidnayans. Some of the families that immigrated during this period include the Lutfi’s and the Simon’s.

The third period, from 1965 to the present, has witnessed another wave of immigration but this time to all over the world. Saidnayans are immigrating to the Americas, Europe and Australia among other destinations. 

This list includes only those who immigrated to South America during the first two periods (1880- 1924) and (1924-1965). And because I have never been to that continent I had to rely on the e-communication with Saidnaya descendents who live there to complete the list.

Most of the names mentioned here were provided by Mr. Mansur Lutfi (son of Jose Dib Lutfi and grandson of Nicolau Mansur) and Mr. Dario Saba (grandson of Jorge Saba). To them I owe a great deal of gratitude.

“In spite of all the effort to complete this list, there is still some missing information. I am asking all of the Saidnaya descendents if they find any missing info or any mistake to please notify me and I will make the proper addition or correction.”

Here is the list: 

(In total, I counted 41 men and 23 women from 19 different families.)

Name (Maiden Name): [Name in Saidnaya]; Spouse's name (Maiden Name); Country

Abou Samra (?), Assaf (?): [‘Assaf Abou Samra]; Marital status unknown; S. Ameirca (unknown country)     
Abou Samra (?), (?): [? Abou Samra (‘Assaf’s brother)]; Marital status unknown; S. Ameirca (unknown country)
‘Assaf and his brother immigrated to South America and their where about is unknown.
They had a brother, Sulaiman, who stayed in Saidnaya. Their family was nicknamed as (Butros or 'Eesa)

 Allam, Abraão José: [Ibrahim Yusef Allam]; Spouse: Laurinda Kuba; Brazil

Az-Zain Farha: [Farha Al-Zain]; Spouse: Jorge Lutfi; Brazil    

Barbara, Jorge: [Jurios Barbara]; Spouse: Esmeralda Name; Brazil

Barbara, Nadra: [Nadra Brabara] Spouse: Maria [Unknown maiden name & country]; Brazil
Barbara, Bahjet: [Bahjat Jurios Barbara]; Spouse; Victoria Barbara [Brazilian woman]; Brazil     
Barbara, Camel:  [Kamel Jurios Barbara]; Spouse: Malka Jabase [Arab-Argentinian woman]; Brazil      
Barbara, Chehde: [Shehadeh Jurios Barbara]; Married twice; Brazil  
Barbara, Mariam: [Mariam Jurios Barbara]; Spouse: Arab-Argentinain man from “Jabase” family; Brazil
Barbara, Odette: [Odette Jurios Barbara]; Spouse: Jorge Mansur Filho; Brazil         
Barbara, Salua: [Salwa Jurios Brabara]; Spouse: Joao Sahagoff [Brazilain man]; Brazil
Barbara, Fauzi: [Fowzi Jurios Barbara]; Spouse: Mariana Matur [Syrian woman from Antakya]; Brazil  
Bechara, Farid: [Farid Jurios Barbara]; Spouse: Warde Bechara; Brazil
Bechara, Warde: [Warda (maiden name unknown)]; Farid Bechara; Brazil  
Jorge had 8 children in Saidnaya before immigration (Chehde, Camel, Bahjet, Farid, Mariam, Fauzi, Salua and Odette).They immigrated in three groupss 1914, 1918 and 1922. 
Farid, son of Jorge Barbara, used the last name Bechara in Brazil.
Jorge and Nadra were brothers.
Mariam’s husband and Camel’s wife were cousins.

Hanna, Moises Elias: [Mussa Elias Hanna]; Spouse: Juria (Mansur) Hanna; Brazil

Hanna, Ghandura Diba: [Ghandoura Fiod Hanna]; Spouse: Jorge Mansur; Brazil
Hanna, Juria (Mansur): [Juriyyeh Ne'meh]; Spouse: Moises Elias Hanna; Brazil
Ghandura was a daughter of Fiod Hanna & Diba.
Juria was Nicolau Mansur’s and Aziza Mansur Kuba’s sister. She had another sister (Handouma) who became a nun in Saidnaya.                             

Khabbaz, Rajah (Or Ragil) Ech-Chahin: [Rajeh (or Raja') Shaheen Khabbazeh]; Spouse: Nemere Nahas Nahra (unknown nationality); Brazil

Khoury, Cheade: [Shehadeh Al-Khoury]; Spouse: Dibe (Saba) Khoury; Brazil         

Khoury, Dibe (Saba): [Dibeh Saba]; Spouse: Cheade Khoury; Brazil
Dibe was Jorge, Filipe, Toufic and Salma’s sister.

Kuba, Aziza (Mansur): [Aziza Ne'meh]; Spouse: Nicolau Kuba; Brazil

Kuba, Laurinda: [Watfa Al-Kubba]; Spouse: Abraão José Allam; Brazil      
Kuba, Nicolau: [Niqula Al-Kubba]; Spouse: Aziza (Mansur) Kuba; Brazil
Aziza was Nicolau Mansur’s and Juria Mansur Hanna’s sister. She had another sister (Handouma) who became a nun in Saidnaya.

Lutfi, Abdalla: [Abdalla Lutfi]; Spouse: Maria Mansur; Brazil   

Lutfi, Fuzia: [Fauziyya Lutfi]; Spouse: Nakle Bassil Khoury [Syrian man From Maalula]; Brazil
Lutfi, Helena: [Helaneh Lutfi]; Spouse: Moises Abdalla; Brazil 
Lutfi, Jorge: [Jurios Lutfi]; Spouse: Farha Zain; Brazil   
Lutfi, Jorge Khalil: [Jurios Khaleel Lutfi]; Spouse: Maria Apparecida [Brazilian woman]; Brazil     
Lutfi, Nicolau Khalil: [Niqula Khaleel Lutfi]; Never married; Brazil
Lutfi, Diba Khalil: [Deeba Khaleel Lutfi]; Spouse: Ibrahim Maamar; Brazil  
Lutfi, Fauzi Dib: [Fauzi Deeb Lutfi]; Married twice: Esmeralda Zaher / Atie George Maamar; Brazil   
Lutfi, Jamil Dib: [Jameel Deeb Lutfi]; Spouse: Nacima Maamar; Brazil         
Lutfi, Jose Dib: [Yousef Deeb Lutfi]; Olinda (Mansur) Lutfi; Brazil    
Abdalla’s wife is the daughter of Jorge Mansur.
Jose Dib’s wife is the daughter of Nicolau Mansur.

Maamar, Abbadia: [Abbadia Ma'mar]; Spouse: Anisio Nemer Zaher; Brazil

Maamar, Anisio: [Anees Ma'mar]; Spouse: Francolina [Brazilian woman]; Brazil
Maamar, Atie George: [Atiyyeh Jurios Ma’mar]; Spouse: Fauzi Dib Lutfi; Brazil
Maamar, Ibrahim: [Ibraheem Ma’mar]; Spouse: Diba Khalil Lutfi; Brazil
Maamar, Nacima: [Naseema Ma’mar]; Spouse: Jamil Dib Lutfi; Brazil        
Maamar, Pedro: [Butros Ma'mar]; Never married; Brazil
Aniso, Pedro and Abbadia are siblings and Nacima is their cousin.

Maari (?), Antonio (?): [Mtanios Maari]; Married with children; Brazil

His brother Zakhour traveled with him to Brazil and then went back and lived in Saidnaya.

Mansur, Jorge: [Jurios Ne'meh]; Married twice: Guandura Diba Hanna / Saleme Gebran Sayar [Lebanese Woman]; Brazil   

Mansur, Nicolau: [Niqula Ne'meh]; Spouse: Alzira (Nakhel) Mansur; Brazil
Mansur, Alzira (Nakhel): [Nazira Yousef Nakhel]; Spouse: Nicolau Mansur; Brazil
Jorge Mansur and Nicolau Mansur were first cousins.
Nicolau’s mother was Nahar Ne'meh while Jorge’s mother was Mariam Riziq.
Nicolau and Aziza Mansur Kuba and Juria Mansur Hanna were siblings. They had another sister (Handouma) who became a nun in Saidnaya.
Mansur was a nickname. Their grandfather’s name might have been Mansour Ne’meh and he had five children: Nicolau’s father, Jorge’s father, Esmeralda (Jorge Barbara’s wife), Helaneh (Niqula Saba’s wife) whose children immigrated to both Americas, and Farha or Felomena (Nemer Zaher’s wife) whose son, Anees (Anisio), immigrated to Brazil.
Jorge & Ghandura immigrated in 1907 and had five children in Brazil. They went back to Saidnaya in 1919 where they had two daughters (Elza & Helena). In 1925, they traveled back to Brazil and stayed permanently.
Alzira was a daughter of Yusef Ibrahim Nakhel & Juriyyeh Yusef Nakhel and had two brothers in Saidnaya: Ibrahim and Shehadeh Nakhel.

Name, Esmeralda: [Zmorrod Ne'meh]; Spouse: Jorge Barbara; Brazil
Esmeralda was Jorge Mansur’s and Nicolau Mansur’s Aunt.

Risk, John: [Hanna Riziq]; Never married; South America (unknown country)     

Hanna was George Risk’s and Frances Risk Eid's brother who immigrated to the USA (Indianapolis, IN)

Saba, Rasheed: [Rasheed Saba]; Argentina

Saba, Milad: [Milad Saba]; Marital status unknown; Argentina
Saba, Roumia: [Rumiyyeh Saba]; Argentina
Saba, Saleem: [Saleem Saba]; Argentina
Saba, Fortunato: [Assad Saba]; Saida (unknown country); Argentina
Saba, Filipe: [Saleem Saba]; Spouse: Alice; Brazil
Saba, Jorge: [Jurios Saba]; Amelia (Fiad) Saba [Lebanese woman]; Brazil
Saba, Salma: [Salma Saba]; Never married, Brazil
Saba, Toufic:[Toufiq Saba]; Fernandina Mensaque de Saba (Fernanda) [Spanish woman]; Brazil
Saba, Tamer: [Tamer Saba]; Argentina
Fortunato (in Argentina), Filipe, Jorge, Toufic, Salma and Dibe (Saba) Khoury were siblings. One sister, Jamile, stayed back in Saidnaya (She was a nun). Another sister, Nesley (Saba) Risk, went to the USA. Their father Niqula Saba was married twice. Filipe, Fortunato and Jamile were from his first wife Hanneh Keriaky, while the other five children were from Helaneh Ne’meh).            
Toufic went first to Argentina where he got married. Then, he moved with his family to Brazil.
Rasheed and his children Milad, Roumia and Saleem went to Argentina. His other two daughters, Salma (Saba) Corey and Mary (Saba) Maria, went to the USA, while his other two sons, Khittar and Dib, stayed in Saidnaya.
Rasheed was Niqula’s brother. They had another brother, Isber (George Saba), who went to the USA with his two sons, Hanna (John Saba) and jurios (Peter Saba). Their father was Azar Saba.
Tamer was a distant cousin.

Simon, Abadía: [Abdalla Sim'an]; Venezuela        
Simon, Asaad: [As’ad Sim'an]; Venezuela   
Simon, Simon: [Sim’an Sim'an]; Venezuela
Simon, Asaad and Abdalla were brothers and distant cousins to the Simons who went to the USA.

Sirhan, Antonio: [Mtanios Sirhan]; Brazil   

Sirhan, Rajah: [Raja' (or Rajeh) Sirhan]; Brazil    

Sirhow (or Sirhan), Mariam (Farris): [Mariam Za'roor]; Spouse: (full name is unknown); Argintina
Mariam Went to the USA first. Her siblings: Asaad, Habib, Fahada (Farris) Corra and Eva (Farris) Corra immigrated to the USA.
Her husband might’ve been a relative of her Aunt helaneh Za’roor who was married to Salim Sirhan. (Sirhan maybe was mis-spelled as Sirhow)

Zaher, Anisio Nemer: [Anees Nemer Zaher]; Spouse: Abbadia Maamar; Brazil         

Zaher, Esmeralda: [Zmorrod Zaher]; Married twice: Fauzi Dib Lutfi / Elias Gattas; Brazil
Anisio was a son of Farha Ne'meh and Nemer Zaher. He was Nicolau Mansur’s and Jorge Mansur’s first cousin.
Esmeralda was Anisio’s daughter who was born in Saidnaya.

Zain, Farha: (see Farha Az-Zain above)