Ioannis Prineas - a simple life

This is all that is known about Ioannis Prineas. So far, not a lot of the information has been found about him, and what has been found has mainly come from images, emphasising how important an image can be when it comes to family history research.

Ioannis Prineas was born 6 pm on 13 October 1868 in Mitata. He was the eldest of the three children of Vretos Prineas (Serias) and Elena Sklavou (Filotiaki). He was baptized on 26 October 1868 at Agios Georgios church in Mitata. Later in life he was described as 4' 9 1/2" with a small build, grey hair, and brown eyes.

Photo of Ioannis Prineas found NAA: BP25/1, PRINEAS J GREEK

On 10 February he married Maroula Prinea, eldest of the five children of Panagiotis Prineas and Kerana Samios of Mitata, in Agios Georgios church in Mitata. They had two sons and a daughter.

While in Kythera he was a farmer. Like a lot of Kytherians, he immigrated to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 27 January 1923 onboard Ville de Verdun. He was now known as Jean Prineas or John Prines. He was 59 years of the age at the time, which was quite old for an immigrant.

Ville de Verdun Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Ioannis was living at 511 Stanley Street in South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in 1939 and he was a labourer at Fresh Food and Ice Co. It is possible he had the same job since he arrived in Australia. He registered as an alien on 3 October 1939 in Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia. This alien registration document is where the only information found about Ioannis’ life in Australia has been found so far, but it has some wonderful images, such as his photo, signature, and fingerprints, and they are just as important to his story.

Ioanni's fingerprints found NAA: BP25/1, PRINEAS J GREEK

Ioanni's signature found NAA: BP25/1, PRINEAS J GREEK

His signature tells us a lot about this man. As he could not write his name so it can be assumed he was never educated. It even shows that education was not important to him as he did not even try to learn to write his name, even later in life.

He died in Brisbane in 1949 and is buried in an unmarked grave in Morningside Cemetery (now known as Balmoral Cemetery)

May his memory be eternal.

Bibliography

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, www.familysearch.org, Kytherian Microfilms

National Archives of Australia, NAA: BP25/1, PRINEAS J GREEK

Mitata cemetery tombstone of Ioannis Damianou and Anasasia Prineas

www.kytheriangenealogy.com