Imigration Patterns from Ancestry.com
1825–1850 Syrian-Lebanese Life in the Levant
Syria was ruled by a Sunni Muslim amir who paid tribute to the Ottoman Emperor but governed the province independently. The next step down in the power structure were noble families, both Christian and Muslim. Below them were the farmers, tradesmen, and merchants (and their families) that made up the bulk of the population—many of them Maronite Christians or Druze, as well as other Christian and Muslim sects. Barter and trade were common means of exchange. Farmers and herders tended grain, livestock, orchards of fruit and olive trees, and vineyards, using the grapes to make both wine and a favorite local liquor called arak that is flavored with anise.
1850–1900 Syrian-Lebanese Silken Threads
A short civil war between the Druze and Christians left thousands of Christians dead and the Christian quarter of Damascus burned. Foreign Christian missionaries opened schools from Beirut to Aleppo, providing access to Western thought. In Mount Lebanon, people abandoned subsistence farming to plant mulberry trees and raise silkworms for the French market. Young women found work in silk spinning factories, and while people spoke Arabic, French became the language of prestige. However, the switch to silk left the economy vulnerable to setbacks like cheap silk from Japan and disease that struck silkworms and trees.
1900–1925 Syrian-Lebanese Leaving Lebanon
With population on the rise and silk demand declining, Syrians began to look elsewhere to make their fortune. Some left because of religious persecution (more than 90% of emigrants were Christian), political tension, or fear of forced military service. But tales of Amerka, cash sent home, labor agents called simsars, and poverty motivated most. In America they often started out as peddlers, selling clothes or housewares from Massachusetts to West Virginia. Settlers from Jdeidet Marjeyoun landed in Oklahoma, where earlier immigrants had come to take advantage of business and farming opportunities after the state’s land runs and could help newcomers get their start. Many early migrants were young men who planned to make money and return home.
1925–1950 Syrian-Lebanese Bringing the Mediterranean to America
In Lebanon, people were moving from rural to urban areas, and a second wave of immigration brought more women to America. Detroit’s booming economy attracted so many Syrian-Lebanese, one resident recalled seeing “a small family Syrian grocery on practically every corner.” Manhattan’s Syrian neighborhood was described as “a buzzing…Middle Eastern Bazaar”; Danbury, Connecticut, had its “Little Lebanon” and Toledo, Ohio, had its “Little Syria.” Syrians went from being peddlers to store owners, set up aid societies, gathered in cafes to drink strong Turkish coffee and smoke tobacco from argilehs (water pipes), and celebrated their food, music, and culture in mahrajan (festivals).
1825–1850 Syrian-Lebanese Life in the Levant
Syria was ruled by a Sunni Muslim amir who paid tribute to the Ottoman Emperor but governed the province independently. The next step down in the power structure were noble families, both Christian and Muslim. Below them were the farmers, tradesmen, and merchants (and their families) that made up the bulk of the population—many of them Maronite Christians or Druze, as well as other Christian and Muslim sects. Barter and trade were common means of exchange. Farmers and herders tended grain, livestock, orchards of fruit and olive trees, and vineyards, using the grapes to make both wine and a favorite local liquor called arak that is flavored with anise.
1850–1900 Syrian-Lebanese Silken Threads
A short civil war between the Druze and Christians left thousands of Christians dead and the Christian quarter of Damascus burned. Foreign Christian missionaries opened schools from Beirut to Aleppo, providing access to Western thought. In Mount Lebanon, people abandoned subsistence farming to plant mulberry trees and raise silkworms for the French market. Young women found work in silk spinning factories, and while people spoke Arabic, French became the language of prestige. However, the switch to silk left the economy vulnerable to setbacks like cheap silk from Japan and disease that struck silkworms and trees.
1900–1925 Syrian-Lebanese Leaving Lebanon
With population on the rise and silk demand declining, Syrians began to look elsewhere to make their fortune. Some left because of religious persecution (more than 90% of emigrants were Christian), political tension, or fear of forced military service. But tales of Amerka, cash sent home, labor agents called simsars, and poverty motivated most. In America they often started out as peddlers, selling clothes or housewares from Massachusetts to West Virginia. Settlers from Jdeidet Marjeyoun landed in Oklahoma, where earlier immigrants had come to take advantage of business and farming opportunities after the state’s land runs and could help newcomers get their start. Many early migrants were young men who planned to make money and return home.
1925–1950 Syrian-Lebanese Bringing the Mediterranean to America
In Lebanon, people were moving from rural to urban areas, and a second wave of immigration brought more women to America. Detroit’s booming economy attracted so many Syrian-Lebanese, one resident recalled seeing “a small family Syrian grocery on practically every corner.” Manhattan’s Syrian neighborhood was described as “a buzzing…Middle Eastern Bazaar”; Danbury, Connecticut, had its “Little Lebanon” and Toledo, Ohio, had its “Little Syria.” Syrians went from being peddlers to store owners, set up aid societies, gathered in cafes to drink strong Turkish coffee and smoke tobacco from argilehs (water pipes), and celebrated their food, music, and culture in mahrajan (festivals).