Sometimes in my family history research I come across a piece of information that really surpises me, and that is exactly what happened with Triantafilia Karidi.
She was born on 2 July 1909 in Milopotamos and baptised on 15 July in Agios Athanasios church in Milopotamos. She was the middle of the five children of Panagiotis Karidis and Kalomira Karidi. She was the only daughter.
Surprising for a female, we have quite a few records for her.
The first records we have are multiple school records. She went to Chora school from 1924 to 1929 and studied ancient Greek, new Greek, mathematics, religion, history, geography, natural history, calligraphy and iconography, French, Latin, philosophy and physics, and she proved to be a very good student.
The second records we have for her are multiple Panagitois Fatseas photographs. According to Fatseas’ catalogue and the surviving glass negatives, Fatseas took at least four photos of her and, coincidentally, the original glass negatives for these images have survived, albeit not all are in good condition.
The first photograph was taken on 7 June 1930 and is of Triantafilia with two female friends. The surviving glass negative is in very poor condition as you can see below. The only reason we know Triantafilia is in the photo was because Panagiotis Fatseas had her name listed in his catalogue of all his images.
Another photograph shows Triantafilia and one the other women above seated together. They are both wearing the same clothes so it can be assumed it was taken the same day as the above image. This image is also very expressive and shows a close friendship with these two young women.
The third photograph was taken a few weeks later on 21 June and is of Triantafilia sitting alone. This photo is amazing and is one of the best from the Fatseas collection. There is true emotion in this photograph.
The fourth photograph was taken on 3 July the same year and is large group shot of Chora high school showing the teachers seated in front. Behind are people too old to be current students but may be past students. Triantafilia can be found standing between the men second and third from the left.
The next piece of information I found was the one that really affected me. I literally gasped when I read it. I turned to a new page in a January 1939 Kytherian newspaper and instantly recognised the name ΤΡΙΑΝΤΑΦΥΛΛΙΑ Π. ΚΑΡΙΔΗ under a heading “ΠΕΝΘΗ” - death. After studying so many images of Triantafilia I felt as though I knew her and it came as a real shock to see she died so young, only 29 years old, and only a few years after the Fatseas photographs were taken. She died after a few days’ illness. This one piece of information has really affected me. Even months after finding the newspaper article I still think about it. The Fatseas photographs show a young woman with her life ahead of her, but in reality, she only had a few years left.
What makes this even sadder for the family was the fact that her father has passed the year after the Fatseas photos were taken. Most of Triantafilia’s brothers had moved away; Dimitrios, was a lawyer in Athens and had probably not lived in Kythera for a few years at the time of her death, Theodoros was already in Australia and Vasiios left the month after her ddath to join his brother in Australia. Only her brother Minas seems to have stayed in Kythera with his mother.
Triantafilia was buried in her family grave in Milopotamos cemetery with her father and maternal grandmother Eleni. Later they were joined by her mother, it is unknown when, and her brother Minas in 1973.
Triantafilia’s life may have been short, but she has left behind many images. She will be remembered by me, and hopefully others, for many years to come.
Bibliography
Κυθιραίκη Δρασις newspaper
Panagiitis Fatseas photographic archive
Church of Latter Days Saints familysearch.org
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