Nicolas Pericles (Pericles) Zarifi

Notes:

Twenty beds in La Vieille-chapelle, villa 'Le Ruisselet,' were endowed by the Fondation de la Colonie Grecque de Marseille, of which Nico Zarifi was listed as an honored member, Livre d'or / de l'Assistance aux convalescents militaires, rattachée au Ministère de la guerre, XVe région, 1916, Marseille, p. 210.

Birth:
His birth certificate was signed by his grandfather Theodore Emmanuel Rodocanachi, 67, merchant, allees des Capucines 14, Marseille, and Theodore Paul Rodocanachi, 41, merchant, cours Pierre Puget 1, Marseille.

Died:
Sturdza says 1941


His estate was handled by Westminster Bank Limited, Trustee Department, 53, Threadneedle Street, E.C.2 London (London Gazette 25 Feb 1949).

Buried:
Cemetery 1940 register carré 10, north Grand Allee, no. 15, 55 years old, entry 9501

Notes:

Pericles Zarifi participated in Marseille's Greek church deliberations in 1876 & 1877 (Calapodis).

Calapodis, citing the Zarifi private archives: "Jamais Périclès Zarifi n'acheta ni n'autorisa ses enfants à acheter une propriété, une maison, de beaux bijoux, des oeuvres d'art, des valeurs mobilières mais jamais un are de terrain."

He was a witness to the marriage of Catherine Negroponte and Hector Demetri A. Economo, Paris, 21 Jun 1893.

Buried:
Cemetery 1927 register north carré 2, no. 15, 83 years old, Gambetta, entry 6251.

Pericles married Fanny (Theodore) Rodocanachi on 24 Jan 1871 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur,France. Fanny (daughter of Theodore (Emmanuel) Rodocanachi and Cleopatre (Georges) Zizinia) was born on 01 Sep 1849 in quartier Saint Giniez, Marseille 8e, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur,France; died on 29 Oct 1925 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur,France; was buried in St. Pierre Cemetery, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Fanny Zarifi appears on the 1896, 1897, 1898 Kensington North parliamentary division, Kensington and Chelsea county/borough electoral lists, Great Britain.

Mme Pericles Zarifi is listed in the 1920 membership list of the Entraide féminine, Marseille.

Birth:
Signatory witnesses to her birth included her grandfather, Georges (Menander) Zizinia and her uncle Paul (Emmanuel) Rodocanachi.

Notes:

Occupation: merchant; founder of Zafiropoulo & Zarifi

They had five children but only those who are spouses to bloodline Agelastos are included on this website.

Greek citizenship 1830; left Greece 1843; directed Ottoman finances and Greek-Turk affairs.

Georgios Zarifi sought refuge in Odessa with his parents in the time of the Greek War of Independence and that he attended the Lycee Richelieu. He returned to Greece in 1830 and settled permanently in Constantinople in 1843.

The late Georges Zariphi, merchant, Constantinople, was a donating member, Association for the Encouragement of Greek Studies, Paris, France

George Zarifis is listed among the 11 greeks who were bankers in Constantinople from the 1840s.

G. Zarifi, Constantinople, is listed among the diaspora Greeks donating 3000 [Ottoman pounds] to a fund for the Thebes earthquake in 1853.

His brother-in-law was Étienne Zafiropoulo, a leader of the second generation of Greek merchants in Marseille.

Christopher Long notes: Occupation -- Founder in Constantinople the vast bank and trading house of Zafiropoulo & Zarifi (Z&Z) with his father-in-law Dimitrios Zafiropoulo and brother-in-law Stephanos, with branches in London, Marseille, Danube and Odessa. Education -- Tsar Alexander l gave him free entry to the Lycée Richelieu (Lyceum Richelowski), Odessa. Returned to Constantinople in 1831 despairing of the chaos in Greece. Entered Dimitrios Zafiropoulo’s cereal trading house, married his daughter and took over as partner. Great benefactor of Greek Communities in Constantinople and Philippoupolis. He and Stephanos Zafiropoulo founded Turkey’s most important banking and commercial company which, as Z&Z, extended to Marseilles, London, Odessa and Romania. Looked after the Constantinople headquarters for 40 years while Stepanos Zafiropoulo developed the Marseilles branch and Zarifi brothers developed other branches. Banker to his friend Prince Abdul Hamid who unexpectedly became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire when his brother went mad. Established the Ottoman Debt Company to relieve himself of the Sultan’s financial demands. The Sultan gave him 150,000 acres on the Mesopotamian River in Baghdad and as collateral for loans granted him the customs duties in many Turkish ports. George refused membership of parliament as he would have had to renounce his Greek nationality. He was a patron and benefactor on a colossal scale of innumerable Greeks and Greek institutions throughout the Ottoman Empire - his reputation was world-wide and rehearsed in The Globe (16-04-1881) and in his obituary in The New York Herald (1884).

Georges Zarifi is among the 15 bankers who signed an agreement with the Ottoman government in Nov 1879 to ensure sufficient capital, A. Du Velay, Essai sur l'histoire financière de la Turquie : depuis le règne du sultan Mahmoud II jusqu'à nos jours, Paris, 1903, p. 400.

George married Eleni (Dimitrios) Zafiropoulo. Eleni was born on 07 Jul 1817 in Tzoubali, Phanar, Constantinople/Istanbul Turkey; died on 18 May 1910 in Constantinople/Istanbul, Turkey; was buried in Sisli, Sea of Marmara, Constantinople/Istanbul Turkey. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

She appears in a 1905 photograph with her daughters and daughter-in-law (Akylas Millas ‘E Prinkipos’ Athens 1988). She was astonished to find herself pregant around the age of 50 (Christopher Long).

The Ottoman Sultan gave her a silver bidet and jug with matching bathroom accessories which all fitted into a mahogany case. Eleni never travelled without it and in 1994 it remains in the family! (Christopher Long)

Named ‘Mother of the Orphans’ by the Sultan because of the numerous homes she provided for them: e.g. The National Orphanage for Boys, Prinkipos and the Central Girls’ School, Pera. (Christopher Long).

“Most of my photos show her old but upright amidst her progeny with a Victorian bonnet on her head... plain of face, tall, slim, impeccably attired, imposing and relaxed. Her husband George remained devoted to her all his life...” (Christopher Long).

Birth:
The French obituary published in Simeonoglou says she was born 1813. George L Zarifi repeatedly implies she was borin in 1817. Sturdza says 1820. (Christopher Long).

Died:
Helene Zarifi, widow, Constantinople, Turkey, died 25 December 1905. Her estate a half century later was handled by Maxwell Batley & Co., 65, London Wall, London, E.C.2, Solicitors (John Howgate). (London Gazette

Notes:

Theodore Rodocanachi was involved in establishing the Greek community organization Syllogue in Marseille, founded 1871.

Died:
His estate of £36110 5s. 7d. was administered by Emmanuel Michel Rodocanachi, attorney of his daughters Fanny Zarifi and Isabelle Skouses.

Theodore married Cleopatre (Georges) Zizinia on 20 Jan 1848 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur,France. Cleopatre (daughter of Georges (Menander) Zizinia and Zambelou (Toumazis) Galati) was born on 06 Aug 1825 in Ile des allees 24, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur,France; died on 18 Feb 1891 in allées des Capucines 14, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur,France; was buried on 20 Feb 1891 in St. Pierre Cemetery, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Residence: at DOD, allee des Capucines [??]

Birth:
DOB from birth certificate.

Died:
DOD from death certificate.

Buried:
grec no. 4

Notes:

Married:
Marriage witnesses included Theodore Etienne Rodocanachi, his uncle; Michel Petrocokino ( Michael (Dimitrios) Petrocochino); her uncle Georges (Menander) Zizinia; and Andreas Nicolas Argenti.


Kardasis suggests this marriage helped bolster the power of the Marseille branch of the Rodocanachi operations, which had originated in Russia.

Notes:

French naturalization (see particulars)

He arrived Marseille in 1820, one of three men primarily responsible for the building of the orthodox Greek church (along with Emmanuel P. Rodocanachi [Emmanuel (Paul) Rodocanachi or Emmanuel (Pandely) Rodocanachi], and Michel D. Petrocochino [more likely Michael (Dimitrios) Petrocochino rather than Michael (Dimitrios) Petrocochino); as Greek Consul he was involved in the establishment of the Greek hospital.

He was a signatory witness to the 1861 marriage of Constantine Negroponte and Angelique Zizinia.

In Marseilles the issue of Greek independence saw a division between the "‘patriots’ who, following the Orthodox priest unambiguously supported the Revolution, and the ‘realists’ composed of most of the leading traders took a more cautious stand because of their economic interests. Such a division reached its peak in 1825, when the Orthodox priest publicly excommunicated the trader George Zizinia; ruling at this time one of the most flourishing Greek commercial houses of Marseilles, he was accused of having betrayed the “national cause” by agreeing to commission warships for the Egyptian bey, at this time an ally of the Ottoman sultan. After a trial of strength between the priest and Zizinia, the latter finally, and unexpectedly won the confrontation, obtaining the priest’s resignation and his own total reestablishment."

His nomination as Greek consul in Marseilles was controversial.

Birth:
Month and year indicated in his French naturalization.

Georges married Zambelou (Toumazis) Galati. Zambelou (daughter of Toumazis (Andreas) Galati and Angeliki (Michael) Negroponte) was born on 01 May 1803 in Chios, Greece; died on 24 Feb 1884 in boulevard Dugommier 5, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur,France; was buried on 26 Feb 1884 in St. Pierre Cemetery, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Residence at DOD: boulevard Dugommier 5, Marseille, France.

Name:
Her name, as listed on the death certificte of her daughter Aglae, is Galantienne Zambelous

Died:
Name on death certificate and in burial register reads Elisabeth.

DOD from death certificate.

Buried:
Cemetery 1884 register line entry 1531 midi carré 2, ter grec, no. 6, residence boulevard Dugommier 5.