Michel (Pandia) Agelasto

Notes:

Residence: 1824, 37 Montgrand; 1826-1831, 8 Rue Canonge; 1835-53, 45 allées de Meilhan, known as 45 allées des Capucines. 49 allées des Capucines is likely the 1862, 1864 business address. The 1840 business directory lists: 47 allées de Meilhan and 45 allées des Capucines (commercial insurance).

Occupation: merchant, insurance broker, accountant. 1820: Zizinia, Petrocochino & Agelasto founded. "It began with Smyrna for cotton, Retimno [Crete] and Hydra for oil. In 1821 it received several products from Livourne and cotton from Alexandria, a little before the dissolution of their company, then the formation of Zizinia & Co. and Petrocochino-Agelasto, two houses that played an important role in Marseille commerce, during and especially after the Greek War of Independence" (Echinard). 1850-52: 47/49A allées des Capucines. After his death the company was known as Agelasto, Michel & Fils (1855-). In 1870, it moved to 1 Rue Beaumont; in 1872, 23 allées des Capucines; in 1884, 9 Rue de la République; in 1895, 2 boulevard du Nord; in 1900, 11 Cours du Chapitre; there in 1907 with phone no. 1.72; in 1915, 137 Rue de Rome; in 1920-33, 15 Rue Gustave-Ricard; in 1950, 5 Cours Honoré d?Estienne d?Orves. The company was run by his sons and eventually his grandson Theodore.

Origin: Chios. He and his business partner, Michel Petrocochino, struggled and finally obtained French naturalization (Echinard). Granted French naturalization, 15 May 1834. File N°6012, Série 9, tome 5 states he arrived in France 1819, was in business as "Petrocochino & Agelasto" and that he first expressed his desire for French citizenship: "…transporté a Marseille, depuis treize ans, son établissement de commerce [connu] sous la raison Petrocochino et Agelasto. En 1822 frappé dans ses affections les plus chères par suite des calamités de sa patrie, le soussigné a depuis longtemps renoncé à y retourner et décide de passer sa vie en France." The petition was initially rejected and Michel was required to renounce allegiance to the King of Greece (provided by Michel Calapodis). French naturalization (see particulars). He is cited in reference to streamlined immigration procedures for the earliest Greek immigrants.

Dictionnaire historique des Rues de Marseille, Edition 2001, in describing Rue Agelasto, 9e arrondissement, Marseille, says Michel Pandia arrived in Marseille in 1819.

Ralli & Agelasto operated in the silk trade in Marseille in 1860-61. See, Gregorii Valerianovich Melgunof, Das südliche Ufer des Kaspischen Meeres oder die Nordprovinzen Persiens (Adamant Media Corporation, 2004), p. 286.

He was a signatory witness at the birth of his wife's nephew, Eustratio (Michel) Petrocochino, the brother of Demetrius M. Petrocochino.

He was a signatory witness to the births of Marigo (Petros) Vlasto and older brother Jean Vlastos.

The 1841 Marseille census for 45 allee de Meilhan lists for the Agelasto household: Piarius [Michel], 48, merchant; Agarith [wife Arghyro], 39; Spar (clerk), 17 [Pandia]; Demetriu, 14; Thermistocle, 10; Theano, 5 [Despina Theano]; Lucise, 2; Bethzi, 1, and two domestic servants. The latter two Agelasto have no registered Marseille births or deaths.

Michel Agelasto, 52, merchant, allees de Meilhan 45, was a signatory witness to the 19 Dec 1848 Marseille marriage of Michel Zygomala and Marie Metaxa.

Michel Agelato [sic], 52, merchant, allees de Meilhan 41, was a signatory witness at the 5 Sep 1846 Marseille Marriage of Jean Demetrius Apalyra & Despinou Scaramanga, along with Michel Petrocochino, George Sechiari and Paul Rodocanachi.

Michel Agelasto is referenced as one of the 1822 massacre refugees who arrived in Marseille (Echinard); This Michel arrived in 1819.

1835, Petrocochino & Agelasto, Marseille operated the Pegasus, 198 tons and the Chariklia, 155 tons. In 1850, handling 13 ships, the firm imported a total of 2,255 tons: from Tarsous 585,066 ocques sesame, 88,000 ocques linseed, 42 bales wool, 183 bales cotton; from Odessa, 4,055 chetwerts wheat; from Berdiansk 6,574 chetwerts wheat, and from Cyprus 201 bales cotton. 1850: 30 rue Sénac. In 1860 it imported 2,165 tons by 10 ships A History of Greek-owned Shipping).

Michel Agelasto was among the twenty-one founding members of the Greek church, Marseille, in 1836, a group which also included Paraschewa Sechiari, Emmanuel Rodocanachi, Andre Argenti, George D. Zizinia, Michel Dromocaiti, Michel Petrocochino [probably Michel Dimitrios Petrocochino, rather than Michel Andre Petrocochino,] George M. Zizinia, Jean Baltazzi, George Petrocochino and George Grimanelli (Echinard 284). Michel Pandeli Agelasto participated in church deliberations in 1875 & 1876 (Calapodis). Through his company Zizinia, Petrocochino, Agelasto, he contributed to the church. In 1830 Michail Agelastos was elected a curator of the Greek Orthodox church on the rue de la grande-Armée, Marseille.

M. Agelaso, Marseille, is listed among the diaspora Greeks donating 300 fr. to a fund for the Thebes earthquake in 1853.

He took in his sister Zenobie around 1829. According to the charity who was taking care of her sons, Michel: “He himself, like his whole family, was also a victim of Turkish atrocity but managed to flee to Marseille, where he is now living in destitute conditions.” "Madame Sagrandy is living since her arrival in Marseille with her brother Michael Ageletto, a good man, father of a number of children, living himself in very difficult conditions." (footnote p. 33)

The commercial house Zizinia, Petrocochino, Agelasto was founded by the brothers Pandia and Etienne Zizinia, arriving Marseille in 1813/1816, Michel Petrocochino and Michel Agelasto, both arriving Marseille in 1819. Its initial 1823 location was rue Third Calade 31. After the Zizinias' departure, Petrocochino Agelasto located to rue Montgrand 37 bis in 1825. By 1831 it was located at rue Canonge 8. In 1851 it was at rue Mazagran 51. Michel Agelasto is listed as negociant at various addresses: (1836, 1841) Allees des Capucines 37; (1845 as negociant/assureur, 1851) Allees des Capucines 45; (1851) rue Senac 30.

M. Agelasto & sons contributed 100 francs to a group of hospitals in Marseille, (J. Gazan, Rapport au Préfet et Compte-rendu administratif de l'hopital Saint-Louis et des autres établissements hospitaliers créés par la Commission nationale des secours aux blessés à Marseille, 1872).

Pandia married [Agelasto]. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Mentioned in the Latin Codex for Chios in 1746. Strange that he had sons Pandia and Pandely who each had a son Michael.(Christopher Long)

Michael married [Agelasto]. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Mentioned in the documents of the Evangelical School of Smyrna in 1743, 1764 by Zolotas. He and his wife pay at the Moundon Monastery to have their names included, along with that of Ioannis Agelasto in the Friday evening and Saturday morning memorial sermons (Codex of Monastery of Moundon, about 1746).

Argenti gives him the title "Chadzi". Chatzi derives from the arab word hajj, which means the pilgrimage to Mecca. The Christians´pilgrimage was not to Mecca, of course, but to the Holy Places in Palestine. For an orthodox Greek it was, in former times, a great honor to be able to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Places and, to make things perfect, to be baptized in the Jordan River, like Jesus. This made him then a Chatzi and he was so proud of it that he added this term to his name. Some put it in front of their Christian name ("Chatzi Dimitri Agelasto"), others combined it with their surname. Even in our days there are countless Greeks with surnames of the sort "Chatzikonstantinou", "Chatziapostolou" etc. (George Agelasto)

Pandelis married Maria [Agelasto]. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Mentioned in the documents of the Evangelical School of Smyrna in 1743.