Kotta and Kottas from Macedonia

Searching for ancestors and descendants of the Kottas / Kotta family.  The family sailed from the Port of Piraeus on board the S.S. Megali Hellas, and arrived in New York City, New York on April 22, 1920.  On the ship manifest are;

Ioannis Kottas, age 39 years

Viktoria Kotta, age 25 years (his wife)

Naoum Kottas, age 6 years (their child)

Soultana Kotta, age 18 years.  [listed as their child, but believed to be sister to Ioannis]

They list their nationality and race as Greek, their last permanent address as Florina, Greece, and their place of birth as Tyrnevan Servia.

All four are listed as able to read and write in Greek.  Ioannis’ occupation is listed as “shoemaker”, Naoum’s as “scholar”, and both Viktoria and Soultana are listed as “housewife”, even though the manifest makes clear that Soultana is unmarried.

The family states their destination is Ioannis’ brother, Periclis Kottas, 23 Wall Street Boston Mass.

*Ioannis states that he has previously been in the US for six years- from 1913-1919.*

On the same ship, on a differant page of the manifest are listed;

Stavros Kottas, age 33

Ourania Kottas, age 26 (his wife)

Stavros states that his brother Pantelis is still living in Salonica.  Their destination is his brother, Periclis Kottas, as listed above.  They list their place of birth as as Salonica Greece.

Also on board is the Kondyli / Kondylis family.  It is believed that Constantina Kondyli is Ioanni’s sister.

After settling in the US, the Kottas family name changes to Naoum, and the Kondyli family name changes to Condell.

On later applications for social security numbers, the family states their name, birth, names of parents and places of birth as follows;

Periclis Naowm, b. 1893, Monastir Serbia, to parents Kotas Naoum and Chrysanthe Anne

Soltana Kottas Butcaris, b. 1902, Turkey, to parents Naowm Kottas and Santa Anney

Peter Naoum, b. 1896, Monastir Macedonia Turkey, to Nahum N. Kotas and Santa Anni

Stavros Naoum, b. 1887, Monastir Turkey, to Nahum Kottas and Chrysanthy Anna

The mother and father to Ioannis, Stavros, Periclis, Peter and Sultana did not come to America.  According to living descendants of the Kottas line, the father’s name was Naum and the mother’s name was Santa.  Naoum was a widower with three daughters (Constance, Virginia and Blaga) when he met Santa.  Santa was also a widow and had one son (Pandu).  Another family name may have been Gegas.  Naum and Santa lived in Monastir, on the outskirts of what is today known as Bitoli Macedonia.  Naum was the caretaker of a Greek Orthodox Church.  According to descendants who visited the area back in the 1980s, the village had been destroyed during war and only the church still stood.