Part 7: New Beginnings Together 1915-1922

When Pete and Pota were first married in 1914, they lived above the candy shop on H Street, and the two of them worked together making candy and ice cream in the basement. Their first child, Catherine was born in April 1915, a discreet nine months after their marriage the previous summer.  George was born exactly a year later. 

Pota with a hand on each of her children 1918.

As the first born male, George Peter was named for his paternal grandfather and his father, which was the Greek way of doing things and why so many names are repeated in Hellenic families.  Nicholas Peter, their last child, came along in April 1921 leaving me to speculate that my grandparents religiously celebrated their wedding anniversary in July.  (Either that or they were fervently patriotic.) Catherine was another Panayota, but I am guessing her parents thought her life would be easier with a more American sounding name even though the family was still resoundingly steeped in Greek traditions.

In 1916, Pete bought a new three bedroom row house two blocks from his brother Adam at 909 11th Street N.E. It had a mansard style tin roof and a kitchen in the basement which was a typical practice at the time. George recalls that his father liked the house because of the “Greek” columns holding up the porch roof.  This is where my father was born. 

The house is still standing; above is a photo from about 1919. We took the photo below many years later.

The census of 1920 finds Pete, and his brothers Adam and Alec all living near or above the candy store on H Street NE. Alec drifted between the brothers, but my father remembered his uncle living with them most of the time. William, the brother who popped up in 1910 census seems to have gone back to Greece.

Pete, Pota, Katy and Adam with little George @ Hains Point 1920

In 1921, St Sophia’s finally started having services in their own building at Eighth and L NW. The congregation included a robust Sunday school. Catherine is standing in the front row, second from the end.

In other family news, Pete's cousin and business partner, the ever adventurous James Cokinos, pulled up stakes in 1921 and moved his family to Red Oak, Iowa to open a candy store. His brother Daniel Cokinos remained working and living on 8th Street SE. Daniel's first wife, Angelika died, probably during childbirth, with their second child. Daniel married again in June of that year and started a second family with Pota Kapsalis.  Pete's brother Adam bought a house at 1217 11th Street NW. The candy business was booming.

That fall, George started kindergarten at Wheatley Elementary on Neal Street N.E. He remembered his older sister Catherine dragging him to school by the hand. He cried all the way. Once there, the teacher repeatedly asked George his name, and he kept telling her “Yorgo,” not George. He was the only Greek boy in the class, and had to catch up quickly in the language department. The only friend he could recall from those early school days was Harry Chase who lived up the street and did scary shows in his basement. (Isn’t there always one?) Another boy named Paul used to chase George home from school every day and beat him up. When Pota figured out what was happening, she somehow lured Paul into the house and gave him a good going over herself. That was the end of that. 

Nick Kendros, another relative from Agoulnitsa, was still living on 8th Street with his Uncle Daniel, Aunt Bertha and their four children. Nick's daughter Ruby later told me that he slept on a cot in the back of the candy shop. When Nick was well into his twenties, my grandmother Pota decided to play matchmaker. She introduced Nick to Angelika, a girl from her home village, St John- near Sparta. "Kiki" was in her late teens and living in Annapolis with her parents Harry and Bertha Tagalos. 

With a wedding in the works, Nick took St Sophia's priest to Annapolis, and the two were married in September 1922 in the Oddfellows Hall. I'll bet our entire Cokinos family was there. Alec Cokinos was one of the groomsmen. Nick brought his wife and her parents Harry and Bertha Tagalos to live at 808 K St NE, two blocks from Peter and Pota. Nick went on to own the Woodward Sandwich Shop at 1422 H Street NW, and our families were close for many years.

from left to right Pota (Daniel's wife), Nick Kendros, Kiki, Pota, Pete, Katy, unknown

Catherine Cokinos standing with bow, George P Cokinos

Penelope. Koula, Thelma, Mary ( Daniel's children) Bill Maofis with Nick Cokinos in lap,

Kiki's father Harry Tagalos with Ruby in lap- probably Hains Point 1925