Tracing Lebanese Roots in Bsharri and El Mina
Summary
In r/Lebanon, a visitor preparing to trace Lebanese ancestry asks about family roots in Bsharri and El Mina. The post seeks advice on Maronite birth, marriage, and death records from before 1920, along with local knowledge of the Rahme, Kayrouz, Arida, Diab, Rafoul, Gibran, Sarkis, and Hashem families.
Visiting Lebanon to trace my Lebanese ancestry (Bsharri, El Mina)
Hi! I will be making my first trip to Lebanon in a few days, after doing about a year of research into my grandfather's background. For reference, he was a Lebanese-Australian but his parents never taught him Arabic and he unfortunately never got the chance to visit.
My grandfather's paternal lineage was from Bsharri and his maternal lineage was from El Mina. Both parents were Maronites.
The Bsharri families he descends from are: Rahme, Kayrouz, Arida, Diab, Rafoul and Gibran
The El Mina families he descends from are: Sarkis and Hashem
I am very curious to see if I can find any birth/marriage/death records. Do the Maronite parishes keep these records from before 1920?
My family has not really had any ties to the country (cousins, contacts) since the 90s, so I won't have anyone to meet. If anyone knows about these towns, families or has advice, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
Post Author: /u/-r-e-d-d-i-t-is-cool
Content Warning: None
