Drama County, Greece Genealogy
Guide to Drama County ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.
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Contents
History[edit | edit source]
Drama is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the Region of East Macedonia and Thrace. Its capital is the town of Drama. The regional unit is the northernmost within the geographical region of Macedonia and the westernmost in the administrative region of East Macedonia and Thrace.
Drama (Wikipedia)
Geography[edit | edit source]
Drama (Greek: Δράμα) is a city and municipality in northeastern Greece. Drama is the capital of the regional unit of Drama which is part of the East Macedonia and Thrace region. The town (pop. 44,823 in 2011) is the economic center of the municipality (pop. 58,944), which in turn comprises 60 percent of the regional unit's population. The next largest communities in the municipality are Choristi (pop. 2,725), Χiropótamos (2,554), Kallífytos (1,282), Kalós Agrós (1,178), and Koudoúnia (996). Built at the foot of mount Falakro, in a verdant area with abundant water sources, Drama has been an integral part of the Hellenic world since the classical era.
Municipalities[edit | edit source]
Most of the research you do will be at the municipality level, by contacting the Mayor's Office of the municipality.
Villages[edit | edit source]
Municipal Archives[edit | edit source]Quite comprehensive records for your family, perhaps for several generations, are kept by the mayor's office of each municipality. Civil registers of birth, marriage, and death since 1925 are kept there. In addition, an important record, unique to Greece, the Dimologion is similar to a "family group record". Census records, contracts, and other records can be found. Information About Important Records in Municipality Archives[edit | edit source]Click on the links for an explanation on the types of records you will look for at the municipality level.
Writing to Municipal Archives[edit | edit source]
Greek National Archives and Drama Archives[edit | edit source]
Drama Archives[edit | edit source]
Writing to the Greek National Archives (GAK) or the Drama Office of the GAK[edit | edit source]Again, not all records will be online. You can write and request searches for records. Instructions, form letters, and their translations are found here.
Greek Orthodox Church Records[edit | edit source]Important Church Records[edit | edit source]
Writing to a Diocese[edit | edit source]Records may be either at the diocese archives or still at the local parish church. Usually only the most recent records are still at the parish. Information on addressing the letter, enclosing money, and a form letter in Greek, with its English translation are found in this .pdf:
How to Read the Records[edit | edit source]You do not have to be fluent in Greek to read and understand these records! Only a few vocabulary words are involved. True, the alphabet is different. But you learned one alphabet, and you can learn another alphabet!
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