THE STORY OF THE
DIB / DEEB FAMILY
Original by : Paul T Dib 11/23/67
Revision 1 : Susan P Dib 8/19/85
Revision 2 : George T Dib 2/92
Revision 3 : George T Dib 11/93
Revision 4 : George T Dib 7/94
Revision 5 : George T Dib 10/97
Revision 6 : Arthur Albert Dib 01/2006
My brother, Paul, recognized the importance of generating a family history before all members of
the previous generation - the one that effected the emigration of the entire Dib Family to
America - had passed on.
For his effort, we, who remain, are truly indebted to him and to them.
Paul's daughter, Susan, prepared a "Family Genealogy" table in August, 1985 with contributions
from several family members.
It is time for another chronological update, the last update was dated July, 1994. The family continues to grow.
This time, a loss will be recorded, Mrs. Pauline Jasman.
Please add information or request a deletion as your heart or mind directs. i.e. blood
types, birth or death statistics, important dates, burial sites, commentary or correction.
George T. Dib
October, 1997
The DIB's / The DEEB's
I am using the family name as DIB throughout this epistle as this is the most
common spelling of our family name. The proper pronunciation is DEEB if
it is translated phoneticalLy from the original Arabic.
The purpose of this, is to enable all the DIB'S to know one another, how they
are related, and to have some knowledge of the family and its origins. This
brief history has been compiLed from all who have first hand knowledge of them.
There are no doubt many omissions, and most probably some inaccuracies.
These must be corrected, and I invite all who detect these to bring them to
my attention. This history should be as complete and as accurate as possible.
We are a very old proud and very well respected family. We must all carry
the name DIB with pride, and always be concious that it must never be degraded.
Our family traces its origin from the most ancient part of the civilized world
where the name DIB has always been a name of importance.
Those of us who have been privileged to visit TRIPOLI, MERSIN and TARSUS
know first hand the respect and attention that the name DIB commands. This
is all the more remarkable when we remember that FIFTY YEARS has passed
since a DIB resided in that area.
Our family has always been a Christian family of the Eastern Orthodox Church
under the Patriarchate of Antioch. This is a part of the ancient Byzantine
Church. Our earliest family records are kept in the archives of St. Michaels
Church in Mersin, Turkey. They may be inspected there.
We have maintained our Christianity through all periods of time, despite the
discriminations and persecutions of the various Islamic rulers. We should all
be proud to be Christians of Arabic origin for literally thousands of years.
Our forebears were upper class land owners, whose principal source of income
was agriculture. The town home was in TRIPOLI. now in Lebanon, but at the
time was a sub-division of the Turkish empire.
TRIPOLI, is one of the earliest known habitats of civilized people. It is the
anchor point of the FERTILE CRESCENT on the Mediterrenean Sea, and
from there continues in a broad semi circle between the Tigress and Euphrates
rivers to the Himalayas.
TARSUS, in Asia Minor, now a part of Turkey, is one of the oldest cities in
the world. Its most famous citizen is SAUL OF TARSUS. (St. Paul ) This
is the place where our forebears ABDALLAH and ANGELINA DIB resided
most of the time, and where our fathers were born, educated and raised.
MERSIN, also in Turkey and very close to TARSUS (15 miles ) is the ancient
port of call for all commerce destined for CAPPODOCCIA during Roman and
Byzantine eras. Most of the DIB's married women from Mersin and to this
day is famed for its beautiful and talented women.
TRIPOLI, TARSUS and MERSIN were important cities for thousands of years
when most of the cities of the Western world were not in existence. However
time has not been good to them, and today they are but a shadow of their
former importance.
However the thirst for knowledge through education, aud the appreciation of
the intellectual aspects of the finer things of Life, has been inbred into the people
of the area for many thousand of years, and this is a predominate trait of our family.
The family Land holdings was in the outskirts of TARSUS in a village known as the
Backlega. This is in the provence of AnotoLia, in Turkey.
The Children of Abdallah
The children of Angelina and Abdallah Dib were employed as follows:
John the eldest, was the station master of the Tarsus- Mersin railway until he
emigrated to the United States about 1927.
Emin, was a trader on the Mersin-Alexandria Bourse. He spent much of his time
in Alexandria , Egypt, until he migrated to the United States about 1925.
Theofiel, maintained a tailoring establishment in Tarsus until he migrated to
the United States about October 1912.
Jacob, I am not sure of his occupation prior to his migrating to the United
States about 1925.
Habib, was a student, and he and his brother Alexander were the first to
come the United States. He came to the United States about 1910 and
after a short time enrolled in the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University
graduating as a Civil Engineer in 1913.
Alexander, was a student, until he came to the United States with Habib
about 1910. He enrolled in Cornell University Medical College, but was obliged
to drop out after two years when the funds ran low. At the time it was planned
for Alex to work and help Habib finish school, and he would re enter. This never
came about.
Nicholas, was the last to come to the United States. In Turkey he was a student
and upon his arrival, he worked in the business set up by Habib and Alexander known
as DIB BROTHERS.
Mary, the only girl in the family came to the United States with her mother, and
I believe with Nicholas attout 1912, She was never married.
We are all indebted to Habib and Alexander. By dint of hard work, and tremendous
effort they managed to come to this country, enroll in the best schools, and what is
more important provided the instigation for all the family to come to the United
States.
Marriages
John, married Anastacia Hanania of Mersin. They have four children,
one Albert
, the victim of a cable car accident in Brooklyn, NY, must have died prior to 1923 as a young boy of about 7 years of age. Angel, Raymond, Albert (the 2nd) who was the first American Born Dib, and was named after his departed brother.
Theofeil, married Alice Hara, of Mersin, they have four children:
Pauline, Paul, Charles and George.
Emin, married Zakieh Shamyer, of Damascus, Syria. He was married in this
country. They have three children: Alexander, Eddie and Violet.
Jacob, married Kathrine Karoom of Mersin. He returned to Mersin especially
to marry a girl from Mersin. They have one girl Hortense.
Nicholas , married Margaret Fiani. whose mother was a Mersin women, and whose
father was from Beirut. They have one girl Loretta.
Habib, Alexander and Marie were never married.
Designed and Produced by : Raymond Maurice K. H. Dib - New York, NY, USA
E-MAIL Inquiries to
RDib@yahoo.com
Copyright © 1998 . Raymond Maurice K. H. Dib - New York . All Rights Reserved