Antonios Taxakis
Sometime in January of 1890 in the village of Fourfouras, in the region known at Rethymnon on the island of Crete, Antonios Taxakis was born.
Shortly after his birth, his father Manolis Taxakis left the family in search of that all-too-familiar promise of a better life. At just 14 years old, Antonios left Crete to join his father in America. There he passed through Ellis Island, following his father’s exact footsteps into the land of opportunity. When he reached the infamous Registry Hall, Antonios lied to officials, saying he was 20 years old so they would let him in. Thankfully, the lie worked.
The young man traveled alone to Youngstown, Ohio, where his father awaited him with open arms and a job. Father and son worked side-by-side for Midwestern railroads. They sent whatever money they could back to Crete to relieve Antonios’ mother. After years of hard labor, Antonios moved to Cleveland, where a lively community of Cretans had settled. Having saved every penny made from baking bread, Antonios eventually moved to Detroit.
The Motor City was Antonios’ third and final home in America. He started out by driving a cab. Later he opened up his plumbing and restaurant supply business in downtown Detroit. It was there that he joined the Pan-Cretan Association of America and became president of its local chapter. There he met his sweetheart Tryfona and made her his wife. There he had his only son who he named Manolis Taxakis, after his father.
Manoli grew up and married Eleni Prodromou, and the two of them had four children: Antonios, Panteleimon, Tryfona and Elias. Our family is still writing our story, and our connection to Crete is as strong as ever, thanks to Antonios' legacy. With any luck, one of our future grandchildren will take the time to write our family’s next chapter, as I did.
