John Lagoulis
Life can be so unpredictable. Today, I am going to tell you a true story about a historical event most of you are familiar with, and how this event affected a local woman and her family.
This particular event took place almost a century ago, in April 1912.
During 1912, the fierce and terrible Balkans War of Europe, which preceded World War I, was well under way. Millions of people were affected, and many fled their countries, among them an 11-year-old girl named Jenny Niarhos. Her father fled with his three daughters and rushed them out of the country to avoid the massive slaughtering that was going on.
He announced to them that "A ship is in the harbor, and it will take us to America. We must go now. Hurry! Hurry and place all your personal belongings in your blanket and hurry!" They barely had time to gather a few personal belongings, which they each folded up into a blanket and tied with a rope. Quickly, they were off and boarding a Greek ship named The Macedonia. Their journey to America had begun.
Their first stop was Cherbourg Harbor, France. There they awaited the ship, Titanic, which was scheduled to arrive from England. The Titanic was to take on some of their passengers in third-class berths, the lowest of the accommodations. No one knew who it would be.
Upon the arrival of the Titanic, the porters immediately lined up the passengers. By the wave of the porters' hands, the separation was made in the crowd of passengers as to who would board which ship. The dividing line was drawn in front of young Jenny Niarhos. The three sisters with their father were directed onto the Greek ship.
Jenny turned 12 years old on this journey. One night, while out on sea, a huge ship with colorful lights passed them up. It resembled the Titanic that departed from France after them. It had caught up with them and passed them. They continued on, never knowing what really happened to the Titanic until they reached Philadelphia.
Neither of them spoke or understood English, and to their amazement when they landed, they were told that the Titanic had sunk on April 15.
Sad as it was, the terrible fate of the people on the Titanic was something that stayed on Jenny's mind forever. It could have been them on that ship.
Of the three passenger grades, third-class passengers, who were berthed in the lowest decks of the ship, had the highest death rates. Some 63 percent of first-class passengers survived, while only 25 percent of third-class passengers survived.
From Philadelphia, Jenny and her two sisters and their father boarded a narrow gauge train to Boston. When they arrived in Boston, they were still wearing the same clothing they had on when they left. They now needed up-to-date clothing.
They were advised to go to a large department store in Boston where immigrants would get outfitted and receive modern clothing. They each received new clothes of the day — including their father — and the department store gave them a complimentary family photograph. Their father paid the store with one of the three small gold coins he carried with him on the long journey to America. That actual family photograph with its personal story written on the back hangs today in Salisbury, in the home of Jenny's granddaughter, Dr. Joan Lagoulis.
From Boston, they made their way to Haverhill and Newburyport, trying to locate Greek people who had come to America before them. Eventually, the three sisters married. Jenny Niarhos became Jenny Lagoulis, and she resided in her beloved Newburyport for 85 years until her demise at the age of 97.
Life's turns are so unpredictable. Wouldn't you agree?
¢¢¢
John Lagoulis is the son of Jenny Niarhos Lagoulis. John is a World War II combat veteran (1942-1945). He is a graduate of Newburyport High School Class of 1938. John is now a nonagenarian, resides in Salisbury and enjoys documenting an original, authentic history of the entire 1900s through his writings as they relate to his beloved Newburyport.
