Internship Week 1

I hope everyone is doing great in this holiday season.  This week I began an internship with a local historical society and I though I would document my experience here on my blog!

I worked ten hours this week in two days and so far I have been cataloging books in the PastPerfect system.  I wasn't given any training in the system so I just looked through other entries and based my entries on what I saw in the system.  This is a local historical society, so perhaps things could be a little more professional, but there is only one paid employee and everything else is run by volunteers.

At my internship location, there is a room full of rare and locally relevant books that have been partially cataloged, so I have been going through and finding what hasn't yet been cataloged and cataloging the remaining items.  So far, after ten hours of work, I have completed about two and a half book shelves out of the ten or so in the room.

Cataloging can be a little tedious but the fact that these books are a bunch of rare and locally relevant titles that I have never come across before, it's actually pretty interesting too.  This week I wish I had taken German in high school instead of Spanish.  I live in Missouri, where we have historically had a very large German population.  So far I have come across a handful of books written in German and I have to get on the internet and translate a bunch of stuff just to figure out the basics on a book, such as the author, publishing co., etc.  That's interesting but also somewhat frustrating.

Some of the books are in pretty bad shape, with their covers falling off and pages really damaged, but most are not bad.

So far, this first week has been pretty much what I expected cataloging would be like.

Stay tuned for other updates after the holidays.  Christmas and New Years weeks my boss is on vacation, so I won't be at the historical society, but hopefully I can remember to check back on my blog once I get back into the internship experience.

Thanks for reading!

Public Opinion on Russia's Last Tsar : New York Times Research Paper

Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia, was viewed as both weak and small-minded both throughout his reign and after his tragic death. There was no change of mind made among the populace of the world after he was murdered when the Bolshevik revolution took charge in mighty Russia. The world did not see him in another light after this event. He was still the same disconnected and meek persona both before and after his death. Nicholas II was a tsar following the tradition of weaker and weaker rulers in Russia, his life ended in assassination, just as those who reigned before him. He did not truly understand the weight he carried on his shoulders and the horrible events that took place in Russia during his regency. Public opinion of tsar Nicholas II kept him in a negative light both before and after that tragic summer night in 1918 when he was murdered.

Before his death, many outside of Russia in both Europe and the United States of America, thought of him in a negative light. He was described by Count Paul Vassili, who is believed to have been an intimate of the tsar, as weak in character, not intelligent, and generally selfish. Vassili asserts Nicholas was not “wicked” or “tyrannical,” perhaps a positive spin on his character, but still his words about Nicholas are anything but positive.

As described by Count Vassili, Nicholas as a child was simply beyond spoiled. His father attempted to prepare him for his coming reign in Russia, however, Nicholas never seemed to take well to the position before him, not even to the military aspect of it all. Vassili describes him as having “no love of reading, no artistic tastes, no interest in anything!” Early on, he was a timid boy and Vassili believes this lead to his later “almost brutal manner.”[1] It was almost as if Nicholas knew of his weakness or at least the perception of weakness that surrounded him and he tried too hard to make himself seem important and strong. This attitude that Nicholas displayed after conquering his timidity made him many enemies. At age 15, he was essentially “given over to a tutor” by the name of General Danilovitch. His father could not seem to get through to him, so he assigned another individual with the task of raising Nicholas for his regency. At age 18, he traveled the world, as royalty does, adding to the disconnection from his people.[2]

Upon ascent to the throne, Nicholas was “entirely unknown to the public” and did nothing to make his authority respected. In his ascension speech, he warned his people “not to indulge in senseless dreams.” During his reign, he never gained a connection with his people or the tragedies they faced in everyday life. He simply did not understand the magnitude of many tragedies his empire faced and did not seem to have any emotions toward the suffering of his people. He did not notice large events or tragedies unless he was told about them. Even then, the tsar did not seem to care much.

At the Khondinka festival, a gathering of Russians for the coronation of the new tsar, a tragedy took place which many perceived to add to the worthlessness of the tsar. However, Vassili’s account of this event does not lay fault on the tsar or add to his bad reputation. At this festival, there happened to be a panic in the crowd and thousands of Russians jumped into ditches which had been made to prevent people from entering the field except through the gates. These individuals trapped in the ditches were subsequently trampled to death. Nicholas was not notified of these events until after his coronation speech was given. Those in charge of the event simply did not want him to know. They tried to cart out the bodies and also stuffed them under the pavilion where Nicholas spent the evening. Nicholas was standing over these dead Russians for the entire night, with no idea of what had taken place. Once he was notifed, he was described as “bitterly reproached.” Others made him out to be disconnected from the event due to his un-emotional response at the Khondinka festival, but this attitude of the tsar was simply due to ignorance of the tragedy.[3]

Vassili gives an example of the tsar’s disconnection from his people through the tragedy at Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War where over 3,000 Russians were taken prisoner and nearly all of the Russian fleet were destroyed.[4] He tsar Nicholas II received notice by telegram of this event he was playing tennis. He stopped to read the telegram and simply resumed playing his game without any noticeable facial expressions. The tsar was said to have sent that fleet only to “frighten the Japanese into asking for peace,” although others had warned him of the dangerous situation he could be putting his navy into. He simply did not find it possible that he could lose nearly his entire fleet. When Stolypin, a great leader of the Duma in Russia and the man responsible for calming tensions in attempted revolutions, died, Nicholas did not attend the funeral, he remained on vacation traveling from Kiev to the Crimea instead. Interestingly, another point about Stolypin and Nicholas reveals more of Nicholas’ character in regards to matters of the state. When Stolypin was appointed as Prime Minister, he came to Nicholas. The first words at their meeting consisted of Nicholas’ joy in seeing Stolypin so that he could assist him in hanging a picture, to tell him if it were hanging straight. He lived like more of a country gentleman than the tsar. He is described as having “no generous impulses.” Vissili describes him as “well intentioned only as far as it does not interfere with his own comfort.” [5] Finally Vassili again gives great insight into the tsar’s personality through his statements regarding the tragedy at the Winter Palace. Nicholas is said to have made the remark about his subjects gathering at the Winter Palace that “if they are not turbulent, then one must treat them as if they were so.” Although Nicholas was not present at this tragedy, his remarks surely showed his feelings about the matter.[6]

In Russia, “to multitudes of his people he is a kind of sacred icon, if not a divinity.”[7]  His people thought highly of him, contending that “certain amateur diplomatists whose fortune has permitted them to converse with Nicholas II, czar of all the Russias, have declared with some emotion of enthusiasm that he was a fine, gracious gentleman, with a yearning desire to better the state of man generally and that of his subjects in particular.”[8] However, even the people of Russia realized that with each generation of tsars, the began to lack more and more. “It is true that since the days of Alexander I, the czars of Russia have become more and more the victims of the monster of bureaucracy which he reared.”[9] Nicholas, with the help of his wife Alexandra, made attempts to limit the bureaucratic power in Russia, but their unwavering hatred for anything near the idea of democracy, was also their downfall.

Russia’s perceived opinion of the tsar was not far from that of the rest of the world. They used to revere the tsar, holding him high and exalted; however, when Nicholas joined the picture, the public hardly even thought twice about him. Americans in particular viewed Nicholas as having a “limited capacity and cold nature.” Nicholas was described as feeling “the affliction of the people as his grief,”[10] however many sources did not portray Nicholas to have this concern for his people.

An Admiral said that while telling the tsar about a diplomatic storm raised by the North Sea incident, he randomly stated, “don’t you know he weighs 14 pounds” talking about his son.[11] This random information stated during an important meeting made the Admiral decide that Nicholas was simply “cast for the wrong part” and he indeed “played it awkwardly and stupidly.”[12] The Admiral ended in saying of Nicholas, “at best he was a neurotic quarter-wit on the road to madness.”[13]

One source from 1900 praised Nicholas II as being “a man of much more than average intelligence, quick of apprehension, keen in investigating, fertile in distinctions, but somewhat slow in reaching definite conclusions, and slower still in drawing practical consequences from them”[14] He was not simply dumb, as many sources said, he was actually smart, but just could not use his intelligence in the proper way as the leader of an empire should be able to. He is said to have had great power of observation and splendid memory, being able to recognize anyone’s face if he has seen them once. Most people would just say, “he looks familiar,” but Nicholas would say, “that is ___” and know him at once.[15] Contrary to other sources, this article stated that Nicholas always loved reading in his boyhood, he learned new languages without apparent difficulty, and he was indeed a good man.[16] [17]

Carl Joubert stated that the tsar never appointed wise counselors for long, they are the ones who spent the shortest amount of time in office, and they are the only reason people would think highly of him and his decisions, which are in fact made by his advisors.[18]

Nicholas also was not close to his family. He brother was sent into exile by him, his mother estranged, his wife Alexandra was viewed to be insane perhaps due to the illness of their son Alexis, who suffered an incurable disease. His intimate Vassili also remarked that Nicholas did not have any friends either. Alexandra’s “illness” was caused by both of their narrow and superstitious behaviors and beliefs. Since young Alexis suffered from incurable hemophilia, the two sent for many “wonder workers” and healers for the young boy.[19]

The changes that took place in Europe and elsewhere during Nicholas’ reign explain the changes in revolution that shook Russia. Nicholas was among the clients of “England’s greatest authorities on clothes” and they listed Tsar Nicholas II alongside King Alfonso, English royalties, and New York financiers.[20] Apparently Nicholas was still exalted in his royalty at this point in 1907, but those involved in the financial trade in America, were coming up right alongside royalty in Europe. Nicholas was facing an ever-changing world in Europe that was straying away from powerful monarchies and leaning towards constitutional governments.

Nicholas II’s death is attributed to his poor reign. If a strong leader had been in power at the time of the Bolshevik revolution, many things could have been averted and Russia would have been able to shake off the revolutionary tides that shook the empire. Nicholas’ inability to compromise the monarchy is what made the Bolsheviks execute him. During the beginning of July 1918, airplanes began to appear daily over the estate at Yekaterinburg where Nicholas was being kept by the revolutionaries. Bombs were dropped during these days, but not much damage was done. These were believed to be Czechoslovaks making reconnaissance missions and they were to shortly occupy the city.

The process of destroying the monarchy and taking down Nicholas was a long, drawn-out process of time. As early as 1905, death sentences were believed to have been handed down on Nicholas and his royal family.[21] These reports came out of St. Petersburg, where workers stated that the “fighting wing” of the Social Revolutionaries had given sentences of death to 30 high persons, including Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and their son, the heir to the throne, Alexis.[22]

Many claimed Nicholas to have known about his coming murder. During his last days, Nicholas became very devout.[23] He prayed often and made the sign of the cross over his children and wife before he was killed. He is reported to have mentioned to someone on the day before his death, “I feel in my heart I shall live only a short time. Perhaps today already…” but he did not finish his sentence. He laid down without changing his clothes, which seemed strange to the observer, Parfen Dominin. During his earlier walk through the garden that day, he was told not to be afraid and that they would not shoot him, even though previously, when he was initially taken to Yekaterinburg, he was told he would not be killed. He was told that the Ural District Soviet of Workingmen, Cossacks, and the Red Army deputies would be holding a special council to decide his fate. This of course worried the tsar greatly. The Soviets said there had been an uncovered plot by the Czechoslovaks to free the tsar, with secret correspondence found between the tsar and General Dogart where the General notified the tsar to be ready to be freed.[24]

The Bolsheviks dedicated the home in Yekaterinburg to a museum to serve as a “historical reminder of the just fate that befell the autocrat of all the Russias.”[25] Americans were not allowed to visit this museum.[26]

So much debate surrounds the actual day of Nicholas’ death. It is unsure when exactly it took place. One account places it on July 10, stating that “so Nicholas was taken away, nobody knows where, and was shot during the night of July 10 by about twenty Red Army soldiers”[27] On July 21, the world learned of his death in what was described as an announcement the “world has long expected and dreaded.” [28] The report states that Nicholas appeared to have been killed on July 16, in what was “nothing short of murder.”[29] Once again, this account believes his death was based on the thought that Czechoslovaks were going to reach him soon and free him.[30] Still even in his death, the world looks down upon the tsar, stating he was guilty of oppression of his rule, but that the Bolsheviks were guilty of “an unnecessary and horrible crime in putting him to death.”[31] However, even after that date, on July 22, newspapers read that “the only chance for the tsar to save his life is to flee the country immediately” [32] So news had not yet reached the rest of the world by that point. Even in a December of 1918 article, Nicholas was definitely considered dead but there were still hopes that his family had survived.

On June 28, “rumors current in Petrograd [stated] that Alexis, his son, died a few days ago.”[33] The world only knew that “details of the execution [were] lacking” because the new revolutionary government was not letting the information out.[34] Also on June 28, from Kiev, they knew nothing of the whereabouts of the ex-emperor.[35] The Russian anniversary of his death was observed on July 17, as assigned by the Holy Synod of Russia.[36] On the anniversary of his death in 1921, they still referred to him as the “little father of us all” and the “eldest brother of the holy orthodox church of Russia.”[37] On July 30, objects and bones were discovered believed to belong to the family, showing a bit of closure for the world and the Russian people unable to fully understand and know the truth of what happened to the royal family.[38]

Due to the lacking information of Nicholas and his family’s death, the world was confused and taken aback. One article summed up the feelings of the world in saying, “Nicholas will take his place with all the other historic characters who never died. For the next forty years at least he will be seen one day in Siam, the next in Mississippi, a day or two later in South Africa, and for half a century or more after that old men will confide on their deathbeds the fact that the schoolmaster or the telegraph operator or farmhand who died in their towns some years before was the ex-czar”[39] Of course, as often happens in such mysterious situations, after his death, many claimed to be the tsar or another member of the royal family.[40] For the future to come, the details would remain a mystery since “the actors in the crime will from time to time issue various conflicting memoirs telling irreconcilable stories, and the world may never learn how, in truth, the last czar died.”[41]

Correspondence between the tsar and his wife only confirmed the negative public view of Nicholas.[42] Nicholas did not make opinions of his own, except in personal matters.[43] Although many perceived Nicholas of being unintelligent, the letters between his wife and himself show that he certainly had a much better private character than that known to his people, although his mind “was incredibly less and weaker than anyone could have dreamt of.” “However tender the tsar’s letters to his wife, they seem to be written by someone with the mentality of a child.”[44] At the same time, some said that the “best part of his character emerged in the space of those remaining two years of his life.”[45] The letters “made much of every trifle, and the most important historical events appear as no more than the trifles.”[46]

Alexandra was, however, the backbone to Nicholas. She had more strength and capability than he ever could have dreamed of having. She “urged Nicholas consistently to exert his authority.”[47] She was described as “striving with might to make her husband stand firm against the very least advance of democracy.”[48] Alexandra was confident, having no lack of faith in herself, but she insisted that her husband that a stand to show his power. She knew everyone feared her more-so than her husband and so she asked him, “when will you bang your first on the table and force them all to tremble before you. To love you is not enough, they must fear you,” and “the tsar rules and not the Duma”[49] Alexandra insisted that Russians liked to be ruled with an iron fist because that was their nature.[50]

Tsar Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia, was too weak of a leader to push off democratic advances, much less the new power of the Bolshevik revolutionaries. Although his wife Alexandra attempted to strengthen her husband, his personality was simply not cut out for ruling a nation as large and as hectic as Russia. Public opinion of his remained negative throughout his reign and after his tragic death. He is among those rulers who never seem to have died. The lack of information surrounding his death and the death of his family is overwhelming, leaving plenty of room for those storytellers to make up the ending. If he had been a strong monarch, or at least a compromising one, he could have prevented his own death and the tragedy that followed in Russia during the communist years. Nicholas was the last of several tsars who seemed to have worsened which each period. The public tore his personality and his regency apart, without pitying him and the awful murderous end to his life.

















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[32] "CZAR TO DIE, HE SAYS." New York Times (1857-1922), Jul 23, 1906. http://search.proquest.com/docview/96639965?accountid=12104. (accessed March 6, 2014)


[33] "DEATH OF EX-CZAR AGAIN REPORTED." New York Times (1857-1922), Jun 28, 1918. http://search.proquest.com/docview/100219111?accountid=12104.


[34] "DEATH OF EX-CZAR AGAIN REPORTED." New York Times (1857-1922), Jun 28, 1918. http://search.proquest.com/docview/100219111?accountid=12104.


[35] "DEATH OF EX-CZAR AGAIN REPORTED." New York Times (1857-1922), Jun 28, 1918. http://search.proquest.com/docview/100219111?accountid=12104.


[36] "REQUIEM MASS SUNG FOR CZAR NICHOLAS." New York Times (1857-1922), Jul 18, 1921, http://search.proquest.com/docview/98399399?accountid=12104 (accessed February 12, 2014).


[37] "REQUIEM MASS SUNG FOR CZAR NICHOLAS." New York Times (1857-1922), Jul 18, 1921, http://search.proquest.com/docview/98399399?accountid=12104 (accessed February 12, 2014).


[38] "HOW NICHOLAS ROMANOFF WAS CONDEMNED TO DEATH." New York Times (1857-1922), Dec 29, 1918. http://search.proquest.com/docview/99993803?accountid=12104. (accessed March 20, 2014)


[39] "MYSTERY OF YEKATERINBURG." New York Times (1857-1922), Sep 02, 1918. http://search.proquest.com/docview/100134347?accountid=12104. (accessed February 28, 2014)


[40] "VAGRANT HELD IN METZ SAYS HE IS CZAREVITCH." New York Times (1923-Current File), May 11, 1929. http://search.proquest.com/docview/105018867?accountid=12104.


[41] "MYSTERY OF YEKATERINBURG." New York Times (1857-1922), Sep 02, 1918. http://search.proquest.com/docview/100134347?accountid=12104. (accessed February 28, 2014)


[42] "Correspondence of Tsar Nicholas and the Tsarina." New York Times (1923-Current File), Jun 16, 1929. http://search.proquest.com/docview/104972443?accountid=12104.


[43] "A MERCILESS REVELATION OF THE CZAR BY AN INTIMATE." New York Times (1857-1922), Feb 22, 1914. http://search.proquest.com/docview/97570051?accountid=12104.


[44] "Correspondence of Tsar Nicholas and the Tsarina." New York Times (1923-Current File), Jun 16, 1929. http://search.proquest.com/docview/104972443?accountid=12104.



[45] "Correspondence of Tsar Nicholas and the Tsarina." New York Times (1923-Current File), Jun 16, 1929. http://search.proquest.com/docview/104972443?accountid=12104.


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[47] "TZARITZA'S LETTERS PROVE HER FIDELITY." New York Times (1857-1922), Aug 03, 1922, http://search.proquest.com/docview/98683107?accountid=12104 (accessed April 11, 2014).



[48] "TSARITZA FOUGHT RISING DEMOCRACY." New York Times (1857-1922), Aug 04, 1922. http://search.proquest.com/docview/99464603?accountid=12104.


[49] "TSARITZA FOUGHT RISING DEMOCRACY." New York Times (1857-1922), Aug 04, 1922. http://search.proquest.com/docview/99464603?accountid=12104.


[50] "TSARITZA FOUGHT RISING DEMOCRACY." New York Times (1857-1922), Aug 04, 1922. http://search.proquest.com/docview/99464603?accountid=12104.

Carondelet: Swallowed Up By St. Louis

            Carondelet is a neighborhood of St. Louis City.  It is defined as the area between the Mississippi River, the River Des Peres, and Eichelberger and Alabama streets.[1]  Highway 55 also cuts right through the middle of Carondelet, cutting the neighborhood in half.  It is located south of downtown St. Louis and has been incorporated as part of the city since 1870.[2]  Also within the limits of the neighborhood of Carondelet, there are other debated neighborhoods as well.  Patch, another St. Louis neighborhood, has conflicting boundaries with Carondelet, making the two neighborhoods actually neighbors but also having some overlapping areas with each one.  Stein’s Town, the area in which many original German immigrants settled upon arrival in the area, is located in the South of Carondelet, technically within Carondelet’s borders. Holly Hills is also another example of this phenomenon that occurs in some neighborhoods. [3]  Although the borders can be somewhat conflicting in this particular case, the neighborhood of Carondelet is unique in its history.

            Carondelet’s uniqueness spurs from the fact that it was its own city growing up at around the same time as St. Louis.  Its population grew quite slowly, especially compared to St. Louis, which is why it was swallowed up by the city, not the other way around.  It was founded in 1767 by Clement DeLore Treget, a Frenchman who came with his wife and children to settle along the Mississippi River south of St. Louis.  It was originally named Louisbourg, after the French King Louis XV[4], but was later changed to honor the Spanish Governor General in 1795.[5]  By 1803, at the time of Louisiana Purchase, Carondelet consisted of 250 people living in about 50 homes.  In 1851, it had about 1200 residents.  It was slow-going for the city before it was incorporated into St. Louis.  The railroad came to town mid-century, bringing with it industry and rapid growth in population.  During the American Civil War, “Lincoln’s Gunboats” were built along the Mississippi and men supporting both the North and the South were living in St. Louis, a common occurrence in the area.[6]  Older residents tended to be Democrats and typically supporters of the South in the war, whereas, immigrants such as the Germans were Republicans, supporters of the North and anti-slavery advocates.  Henry T. Blow, father of Susan, the founder of the Des Peres School, was a Northern supporter.[7]  In 1873 Blow’s daughter founded the first American public Kindergarten established at the Des Peres School.[8]  Carondelet captured its own unique history apart from St. Louis that allowed it to prosper and change with the city.  Carondelet, previously known as Louisbourg, also went by another nickname.  It was sometimes refered to as “Vice Poche,” which means “empty pockets.”  Historians disagree on where this name came from.  Perhaps it was referring to the financial status of those living in the town, or even to those who visited to go to the Carondelet gambling arenas.[9]

            Having been founded by a Frenchman and being under both French and Spanish control, the city of Carondelet was heavily Catholic for a long time.  The Convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph was started in 1836.  Children in the area would be educated by those attending the convent until the neighborhood was incorporated into the city of St. Louis and public education was offered.  Susan Blow opened the Des Peres School in 1873, serving as the country’s first public Kindergarten.  In 1873, the state of Missouri required segregation of blacks and whites in public schools, so the first school for blacks was built in Carondelet.[10]  In 1875, the area for Carondelet Park was purchased for over $140,000, dedicated on the country’s 100^th “Birthday,” July 4, 1876, and it was originally named Independence Park just for that reason.[11]

            Carondelet Park is one of the main public places in the neighborhood.  Another neighborhood, Bevo’s Mill, also known as Morgan’s Ford, shares a border with the park.[12]  The park was built due to public demand.  While the city was building Forest Park to the north in the center of St. Louis, those to the south also wanted a park of their own.  It was opened in 1876 and today is lightly wooded, hosting sports fields and many walking trails.[13]  When the city of St. Louis became interested in building a zoo, those around Forest Park had their own objections to the idea, and the Carondelet Business Men’s Association stated that the citizens in Carondelet would be happy to host the zoo in Carondelet Park.  It was settled that the St. Louis Zoo would be built in Forest Park; however, it is interesting that Carondelet was even a candidate.[14]

            Highway 55, which cuts through the middle of Carondelet was almost complete in the 1960s, but work continued into the 1980s to ease traffic problems in the city.[15]  There may not have been much objection to the building of the highway due to its effort to help increase efficient transportation throughout the city.

Gentrification is not heavily taking place in the Carondelet neighborhood perhaps because of the industry along the Mississippi River, the overall condition of the neighborhood, or a number of any other factors.  There is at least one group, however, that is attempting to better the neighborhood through a home rehabilitation project.  The 21^st Century Carondelet Strategic Plan was put into action by the Carondelet Housing Corporation in January of 2009.  Five private local investors gained funding for this project.  They undertake the responsibility of buying run-down or vacant homes and completely rehabilitating them to sell on the market.  According to the organization’s website, three homes at the intersection of Minnesota and Holly Hills were completely gutted and re-done to “bring stability to a street-front.”  Two of those three houses were successfully sold. [16]  Not only is this a good way to beautify the neighborhood with a coat of fresh paint and a nice front porch for curb appeal, it may also prove to help induce gentrification in the Carondelet neighborhood in the future.  Only time will tell how well this process will work, but it is an excellent start to get the neighborhood up and moving once again.

            Today, the city is somewhat run-down and less than up to standards.  There is apparently a problem with prostitution in the area, according to a very recent article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.[17]  There are a total of 4,494 houses in the neighborhood, of which 847 are vacant, making nearly nineteen percent of the neighborhood with vacant housing.[18]  Just taking a drive around the neighborhood, one can see the differences between the homes surrounding Carondelet Park and those elsewhere.  The houses around the park are nice, old, well-kept, pricey homes; whereas, the rest of the neighborhood has the more typical old small brick homes.  In Carondelet, of the 4,500 or so homes, more than 3,800 were built prior to 1940.  The neighborhood experienced some housing growth in both the 1950s and 1980s, which correlates with the state trend at the time as well.[19]  Taking a drive through the neighborhood, one thing that really sticks out is the variety of homes in Carondelet.  It is unlike other neighborhoods in St. Louis where one could drive down several streets and hardly be able to tell the difference between each one.  Every house seems to be slightly different from the last.  Although the majority of houses are older, there is a variety among them.  It is not simply one little brick house after another.  The neighborhood streets are lined with one older brick home, and then the viewer could see newer buildings, even apartments in between.  There are tiny shotgun homes, big mansions, and regular sized bungalow style homes as well.[20]  The neighborhood has two gas stations and a large senior living home along the riverfront.  It also has many small bars, restaurants, and other “Mom and Pop shops.”  Some parts of town have a southern style with beautiful architecture.  Along Broadway, one can see the southern influence in homes with balconies and beautiful facades.  There are many schools in the neighborhood, some of which have historic significance.[21]

            Today nearly forty percent of residents in the neighborhood have not attained high school diplomas, but about thirty-two percent do have GEDs or have successfully finished high school, which is nearly three times the state average; on the other hand, however, the forty percent who have not finished high school is nearly three times the state average as well.[22]  The racial breakdown of residents eighteen years and older in the neighborhood primarily consists of a majority whites at about sixty-four percent of the total population and blacks at about twenty-nine percent.[23]

            For the future of Carondelet, there have been discussions about improving Interstate 55, which runs straight through the neighborhood.  In 2003, MoDOT began looking at the transportation needs of the southern half of St. Louis.  Currently, there is no funding to support any changes, but MoDOT has held meetings to get the opinions of those living in the area.  They realize that help is needed in creating a more beautiful streetscape, enhancing local transit, and modifying I-55 exits at Loughborough, Germania, and Carondelet, among other parts of the highway.  This plan has been titled the I-55 River Des Peres Communities Transportation Investment Plan and is still awaiting approval and funding in order for the processes to begin to be undergoing.[24]

            There have also been efforts around the city of St. Louis to improve the area’s industry, which has been on the downturn since the beginning of the recession several years ago.  Improvements to industry would help bring jobs back to the area, a much needed investment, particularly in the south, such as the Carondelet neighborhood.  Carondelet has historically always had industry along the riverfront[25] and this initiative will be beneficial to the residents and the city in general.  A Post-Dispatch article stated that the former Carondelet Coke site will be taken over by a food manufacturing company and they intend to begin building the plant in the summer of 2014.[26]  By building a new factory, this will not only clean up the cityscape in the neighborhood, but will also create jobs and hopefully begin the better the Carondelet area.

            The city of St. Louis does a good job at trying to get public opinion on new projects, especially those aimed at improving the city as a whole.  Mayor Slay wholeheartedly loves the city and would like to see it become great again.  St. Louis does face many problems, but over time, Slay hopes to improve it.  There is talk about repairing St. Louis City Hall, but before undergoing that long, expensive process, the city will be holding meetings to see what other improvements residents would like to see.  A meeting was held in April at the Carondelet Rec-Plex.[27]  At least those living in the neighborhood know that they have a voice in the city and can express their own thoughts in a meeting close to home. Carondelet is close to stabilization in terms of residency.  Between 1990 and 2000, they lost about five percent of their population, which is actually not bad compared to the rest of the city of St. Louis.[28]  Carondelt’s history adds a little something extra to the city of St. Louis.  Taking a look at Carondelet, one can truly see all of the different influences that have reached the city.  Just taking a drive around the neighborhood, one can see all of the different architectural influences that have come to the city.  St. Louis has a long and rich history and Carondelet’s independent story helps build on the story of the city as a whole.

            Carondelet was once an independent city swallowed up by the rapid growth of the city of St. Louis.  With the major expansion of St. Louis, it can be difficult to simply imagine what the city looked like in the past.  “Commons fields” were gathered up to create parks and new neighborhoods.  What was once farmland became the heart of the city today.  Even within the last fifty years, so much has changed in St. Louis.  It is important to keep ties with the past and to see the city on a timeline, viewing all of the changes that had to take place to make it the major American city that it is today.  The Mississippi River, great for transportation means, made these two cities a possibility.  St. Louis will continue expanding, but the little hamlet that is Carondelet will always hold its own personal unique history both apart from and a part of the city of St. Louis.

Bibliography

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"Carondelet." History of St. Louis Neighborhoods -. https://stlouis-mo.gov/archive/neighborhood-histories-norbury-wayman/carondelet/text6.htm (accessed May 12, 2014)."Carondelet." http://explorestlouis.com/visit-explore/discover/neighborhoods/carondelet/ (accessed May 1, 2014).

"Carondelet." The City of St. Louis Missouri. https://stlouis-mo.gov/neighborhoods/profile.cfm?neighborhood=Carondelet (accessed May 1, 2014).

"Carondelet Historical Society." Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/CarondeletHistoricalSociety (accessed May 1, 2014).

"Carondelet neighborhood in Saint Louis, Missouri (MO), 63111 detailed profile." City-Data. http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Carondelet-Saint-Louis-MO.html (accessed May 1, 2014).

"City Data." Geo St. Louis. http://dynamic.stlouis-mo.gov/citydata/newdesign/output.cfm (accessed May 1, 2014).

Currier, Joel. "Dear john letters from St. Louis police aim to curb prostitution ." stltoday.com. http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/dear-john-letters-from-st-louis-police-aim-to-curb/article_e776da1c-d103-5f70-a795-2ccbb55e32df.html (accessed May 1, 2014).

Groth, Mark. "The Carondelet Neighborhood." : The Carondelet Neighborhood. http://www.stlouiscitytalk.com/2011/07/carondelet-neighborhood.html (accessed May 1, 2014).

"Groth Guide to Carondelet." . http://nextstl.com/2011/08/carondelet/ (accessed May 2, 2014).

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"I-55 & River Des Peres Study." Missouri Department of Transportation. http://www.modot.org/stlouis/major_projects/i55andriverdesperes.htm (accessed May 2, 2014).

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Pister, Nicholas J C. "Before fixing St. Louis' City Hall, official wants input from public on other improvements : News." stltoday.com. http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/nick-pistor/before-fixing-st-louis-city-hall-official-wants-input-from/article_36fb17cc-d2ad-5a2d-bf63-e0451ee9f7e7.html (accessed May 2, 2014).

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[1] "Carondelet." The City of St. Louis Missouri. https://stlouis-mo.gov/neighborhoods/profile.cfm?neighborhood=Carondelet (accessed May 1, 2014).


[2] "The Carondelet Historical Marker." The Civil War Muse . http://www.thecivilwarmuse.com/index.php?page=carondelet-historical-marker (accessed May 1, 2014).


[3] "History of the City of Carondelet." History of the City of Carondelet. http://carondeletcity.tripod.com/history.html (accessed May 1, 2014).


[4] "History of the City of Carondelet." History of the City of Carondelet. http://carondeletcity.tripod.com/history.html (accessed May 1, 2014).


[5] "The Carondelet Historical Marker." The Civil War Muse . http://www.thecivilwarmuse.com/index.php?page=carondelet-historical-marker (accessed May 1, 2014).


[6] [6] "The Carondelet Historical Marker." The Civil War Muse . http://www.thecivilwarmuse.com/index.php?page=carondelet-historical-marker (accessed May 1, 2014).


[7] "Groth Guide to Carondelet." . http://nextstl.com/2011/08/carondelet/ (accessed May 2, 2014).


[8] "The Carondelet Historical Marker." The Civil War Muse . http://www.thecivilwarmuse.com/index.php?page=carondelet-historical-marker (accessed May 1, 2014).


[9] "Carondelet." History of St. Louis Neighborhoods -. https://stlouis-mo.gov/archive/neighborhood-histories-norbury-wayman/carondelet/text6.htm (accessed May 12, 2014).


[10] "Carondelet." History of St. Louis Neighborhoods -. https://stlouis-mo.gov/archive/neighborhood-histories-norbury-wayman/carondelet/text6.htm (accessed May 12, 2014).


[11] "Carondelet." History of St. Louis Neighborhoods -. https://stlouis-mo.gov/archive/neighborhood-histories-norbury-wayman/carondelet/text6.htm (accessed May 12, 2014).


[12] "History of the City of Carondelet." History of the City of Carondelet. http://carondeletcity.tripod.com/history.html (accessed May 1, 2014).


[13] "History of the City of Carondelet." History of the City of Carondelet. http://carondeletcity.tripod.com/history.html (accessed May 1, 2014).


[14] "The Saint Louis Zoo: If Not Forest Park, Where?." Missouri History Museum. http://www.historyhappenshere.org/node/6856 (accessed May 1, 2014).


[15] "Origins of the Federal Aid-Highway Act." Missouri's Interstate History. http://www.modot.org/interstate/MissourisInterstateHistory.htm (accessed May 2, 2014).


[16] "Our Projects." Carondelet Housing Corporation. http://carondelethousing.org/carondelet_projects.html (accessed May 1, 2014).


[17] Currier, Joel. "Dear john letters from St. Louis police aim to curb prostitution ." stltoday.com. http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/dear-john-letters-from-st-louis-police-aim-to-curb/article_e776da1c-d103-5f70-a795-2ccbb55e32df.html (accessed May 1, 2014).


[18] "Carondelet." The City of St. Louis Missouri. https://stlouis-mo.gov/neighborhoods/profile.cfm?neighborhood=Carondelet (accessed May 1, 2014).


[19] "City Data." Geo St. Louis. http://dynamic.stlouis-mo.gov/citydata/newdesign/output.cfm (accessed May 1, 2014).


[20] [20] "The Carondelet Historical Marker." The Civil War Muse . http://www.thecivilwarmuse.com/index.php?page=carondelet-historical-marker (accessed May 1, 2014).


[21] "The Carondelet Historical Marker." The Civil War Muse . http://www.thecivilwarmuse.com/index.php?page=carondelet-historical-marker (accessed May 1, 2014).


[22] "City Data." Geo St. Louis. http://dynamic.stlouis-mo.gov/citydata/newdesign/output.cfm (accessed May 1, 2014).


[23] "Carondelet." The City of St. Louis Missouri. https://stlouis-mo.gov/neighborhoods/profile.cfm?neighborhood=Carondelet (accessed May 1, 2014).


[24] "I-55 & River Des Peres Study." Missouri Department of Transportation. http://www.modot.org/stlouis/major_projects/i55andriverdesperes.htm (accessed May 2, 2014).


[25] "Carondelet." History of St. Louis Neighborhoods -. https://stlouis-mo.gov/archive/neighborhood-histories-norbury-wayman/carondelet/text6.htm (accessed May 12, 2014).


[26] Bryant, Tim. "St. Louis Area's Industrial Market Clearly on the Mend : Business." stltoday.com. http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/st-louis-area-s-industrial-market-clearly-on-the-mend/article_0cc33fbb-2aa1-5a3d-b027-e52616a76216.html (accessed May 2, 2014).


[27] Pister, Nicholas J C. "Before fixing St. Louis' City Hall, official wants input from public on other improvements : News." stltoday.com. http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/nick-pistor/before-fixing-st-louis-city-hall-official-wants-input-from/article_36fb17cc-d2ad-5a2d-bf63-e0451ee9f7e7.html (accessed May 2, 2014).


[28] "Groth Guide to Carondelet." . http://nextstl.com/2011/08/carondelet/ (accessed May 2, 2014).

Syrian Immigration to St. Louis

Many immigrant groups made the long and difficult journey to America to settle in St. Louis. From all over the world, people flooded to the middle of an unknown country. With so many large groups such as the Germans and Italians in St. Louis, it can be difficult to remember those smaller bunches that made the same difficult decision to leave their homeland to attempt to live the American dream. Oftentimes immigration to America at the turn of the twentieth century focuses so heavily on European groups that the other “outsiders” are disregarded and forgotten. One smaller and often overlooked group are the Syrians, a hard-working and family-oriented group who began arriving in St. Louis in the 1880s. [1] In the busy St. Louis immigrant communities, Syrians were not seen as a major player; however, they have left a lasting imprint on the city. 

In order to examine a specific immigrant group to the St. Louis area, it is important to gain some background information about the group on the national scale. The Syrians came to America with Turkish passports, from a part of the world then known as the Ottoman Empire; however, they referred to themselves as Syrians, even though they were migrating from present day Lebanon, which was then referred to as Mount Lebanon.[2] The first immigrant arrived in 1854, which was unusual because many would not follow until the 1880s.[3] Syrian immigration nation-wide became steady in the 1870s, peaked in 1914, declined during WWI, and rose in the 1920s before finally declining after the Immigration Quota Act of 1929.[4] Many arrived in America with the hopes of making a great deal of money and returning to their homeland. The few who actually returned to Lebanon proved to have a profound impact on Lebanese society, giving more freedoms to women, a successful middle class, and an overall positive outlook on life. [5]

The Syrians who arrived in St. Louis started off in modern day Syria, but moved to modern-day Lebanon to avoid religious persecution. The majority of those who came to America, and all of those who arrived in St. Louis, were of the Maronite Catholic Church and had been afraid of persecution by the Ottoman Turks for following St. Maron. Because of this, they moved to Lebanon.[6] Since the Maronites were constantly persecuted, many fled to nearby Cyprus, while others fled to distant lands such as America.[7]

The story of the Syrians in St. Louis can be told through their church, St. Raymond’s Maronite Catholic Church, built in 1912. This church is still in existence today and it is an excellent starting point for discussions of the Syrian immigrants. Their history is rich and so closely connected to their faith that it only makes sense to begin there. This current church replaced the first Maronite church in St. Louis, St. Anthony of the Desert, built in 1898.[8] Even the simple dates on these two churches provide a great example of the Syrian immigration patterns in St. Louis. The tie to their faith is evident in the need for places of worship and the expansion of the church due to population increase. They began arriving heavily in St. Louis in the 1890s, which correlates to the creation of their first church, St. Anthony, in 1898.[9]

In St. Louis, the Syrian community which established itself in “Little Syria,” in what is now referred to as the Soulard neighborhood, was established by a group from Hadchit, in Modern day North-Central Lebanon. This neighborhood was located between what are now Choteau, Plum, 4th, and 2nd streets.[10] One of the first pastors at St. Raymond’s Maronite Church came directly from Hadchit in order to become priest.[11] The story passed down within St. Raymond’s Maronite Church says that eleven immigrants first arrived in St. Louis in 1856, starting off in tenement houses along the riverfront north of St. Louis. The wave of immigration did not really begin until the 1890s, whereas before it was simply a trickle of people arriving. They had hopes to return to Lebanon after reaching success in America, but they decided to stay.[12]

The groups that ended up in St. Louis were all from an area known as Mount Lebanon, specifically a town called Hadchit. An immigrant interviewed in 1976 commented that “maybe all St. Louis Syrian families are related far enough back,”[13] referring to the idea that these families probably would have known each other back in the homeland. In the Ottoman Empire, these families were originally living in modern day Syria, but were forced to move to Mount Lebanon due to religious and social pressures, and were eventually forced out of the Empire due to the same pressures. They were continually being harassed in Syria, so they decided to make the final decision to move to America. 

Many factors pushed the Syrians out of the Ottoman Empire. Most Middle Eastern countries knew little, if anything at all about America before the turn of the twentieth century. There was not even a common name for “America” in any Middle Eastern countries until nearly 1900.[14] The Syrians of Mount Lebanon were an exception. This group was heavily influenced by American missionaries through the education system in Syria. The high education rates and Christian influence allowed for this group to become more knowledgeable about the west.[15]

These Syrians originally left Syria for Mount Lebanon, or modern-day Lebanon, due to conflict with Ottoman Turks, and once again influenced to leave, this time moving from Lebanon to America. One push factor involved conflict between Maronite Christians and the Druze in 1840 and 1860. The Druze and Maronites, among other Christians, had cooperated well in the area known as Mount Lebanon from the sixteenth century until the mid-19th century. At that time, the Druze began to exert massive control over the Maronites, where previously they had encouraged their religious group and supported peace between the two cultures.[16] Higher birth rates among the Maronites as opposed to the Druze also caused further conflict, helping the Maronites to rise in power, leaving Druze to feel threatened.[17] The Druze are a branch of Islam with which many Christians in Syria had engaged in conflict with. In Mount Lebanon, there had been numerous massacres and disturbances between the Druze and Maronites, two major occurrences taking place in 1840 and 1860.[18]

Christianity was a major component in Syrian immigrants to America. Their culture was fully enriched in their religion and it was also the reason for their emigration from Syria. Ninety percent of Syrian immigrants to America were Christians.[19] The religious persecution they faced in the Ottoman Empire became the reason many Syrians fled for America. The Ottoman Turks were Muslim and there was constant violence between the two religious groups. Therefore, the minority group of Christians would be the ones to flee. Many Protestant missionaries also influenced Syrians to make the journey to America.[20] The Syrians who came to St. Louis were Maronite Catholic. In 1912, there were no Maronite bishops or seminaries in America, so the immigrants in St. Louis had to send for a preacher from their homeland. Father Joseph Karam headed the Maronites in St. Louis from 1912-1944.[21] Still today St. Raymond’s in St. Louis is the only Maronite Church in the state of Missouri and it was the first established west of the Mississippi River. 

They also felt pressures due to an increased involvement in ever-expanding trade. This globalization process of opening the Middle East with Europe in particular made the country more reliant on cash instead of ancient barter traditions that were much more common for these people. A “silk crisis” also occurred in 1890 due to competition with cheaper Chinese silks in the European market, causing some to seek out a new life elsewhere. Also due to Lebanon’s access to the Mediterranean and involvement in trade, it became easier for people to emigrate. They had easier access to ships and other transportation means. It was not simply that the Syrians wanted to head for America in particular; they wanted to leave Syria/Lebanon in general. Possibly 45% of Mount Lebanon’s population emigrated between 1860 to 1914. Many of those who left were young men and it is thought that many of the young men who left were seeking to evade military service.[22]

On top of it all, missionary schools were hard at work introducing Western culture to the Middle East, appealing to the young populations. This influx of new culture and ideas was appealing to the young population in Syria/Lebanon and they wanted to seek it out for themselves. Of course, the basic freedoms and American growth and wealth stories influenced those emigrating from the Middle East. [23]

The push and pull factors of the waves of Syrian immigration from the 1850s through the 1910s are necessary to gain an understanding of the group. Why would a people so unfamiliar with America and most of the West ever decide it was a good idea to travel thousands of miles away from their homeland? They faced hardships in Syria, but they were assured their situation would improve in America, troubles would calm down in Syria, and they would one day return home. Their religion held them together as a group in their homeland and in their new home across the globe in America. In St. Louis in particular, the Syrians found comfort in their religious life. This religion and the tensions with others is also one of the reasons they left their homeland in search of something better. Persecution at home and the occasional story of great success in America were the driving forces among this group, a common factor for many immigrant groups at the time. 

Syrians who came to America were escaping religious persecution in the Ottoman Empire and wanted anything to get out. “The question of the selection of their destination remained unimportant.” Syrians almost seemed not to care where they were heading as long as it was away from Syria and the Ottoman Turks. Interestingly, some of those Syrians who were refused entry into the United States settled in Brazil and Argentina in South America.[24] The circumstances that drove them from the Ottoman Empire gave the immigrants a desire for anything better. Many were simply ignorant of general geography and had little idea as to how large the Americas were. Many Syrians simply wanted to get to America; it did not matter if it was North or South.[25]

Syrians fled oppression of the Ottoman Empire to America, where they first settled in New York City and Boston, before they realized the factory life that was available in the East was not suitable for them. They decided to trek westward where they could follow business endeavors instead.[26] In at least one case, an individual was smuggled across the Mexican border to come to America. One individual John Shahadle Jacob claimed to come to St. Louis through Philadelphia, but later confessed after an investigation that he and friends were smuggled across the Mexican border into America.[27] This example shows how widespread Syrian immigration was in the United States. To show this connection between Missouri and Mexico establishes a greater understanding of the ways in which Syrians were able to arrive at their destination in the middle of the United States. 

In a similar way to the nationwide pattern, those who came to St. Louis often started out as peddlers and eventually rose to become grocers or open stores of other means. Peddling was not seen as a long-term profession but as a beginning in America, and it was essential to these immigrants. Moreover, peddling was a means of employment and was key to the assimilation process. It allowed for immigrants to become more accustomed to American culture and to learn the language.[28] An article stated that “you seldom find a Syrian engaged in manual labor. He starts out on a business career.” This was found to be true in the St. Louis region as well as nationwide.[29]

There was a documented case of Syrians beaten and robbed while trying to sell their goods in the mining town of Macon, Mo. In this instance, Syrians from other parts of the area arrived to assist in the apprehension of the suspects in this case. Syrians from as far away as Quincy, Illinois came in support of their fellow Syrians.[30] Those Syrians who assisted in this ordeal were quoted as saying, 

“Syrians came to America because it was known as a liberty-loving country and to escape the harsh rule of the Ottoman Empire… but they had never heard of a more brutal crime in the Orient than their kinsmen had been the victims of here.”[31]

Although many started out as peddlers, these immigrants always searched for a way to rise in society and, somewhat unique to St. Louis, many Syrian immigrants were drawn to a life in politics. 

Starting as early as 1911, the Slay family was on the political scene in the area.[32] Present-day mayor Francis Slay is a descendent of this same group of Slay politicians. Prominent names in the Syrian population of St. Louis also included Mizerany, Khoury, and Webbe.[33] Looking back on it, an interviewee stated that nearly all of the Syrian family names in the St. Louis area would be found in the political scene in some way in their history.[34] It was suitable for a Syrian immigrant to get involved as an alderman because he could relate to his neighborhood and Syrian-Americans would support “one of their own.” The immigrants had excellent social skills and could successfully work their way up the political ladder in St. Louis. 

Syrian immigrants in St. Louis showed some similarities to immigrants elsewhere in the nation. Although the bulk of Syrians in St. Louis arrived in the late 1880s and 1890s, Syrian immigration increased nationwide by 50 percent from 1900 to 1901.[35] According to a survey in 1907, ninety-four percent were coming to join friends and family in America.[36] In 1890, Syrian immigrants began arriving in St. Louis from other parts of the country, primarily the New England Region, although some were coming up from the South, according to Harper Barnes.[37] According to Barnes, many Syrians were “often better educated than other immigrants of the time.”[38] This education is attributed to the Catholic influence in Mount Lebanon.[39] This would allow them to succeed in many endeavors they wished to accomplish by coming to America.

Some of the first mentions of Syrians in St. Louis were through the news surrounding the World’s Fair.[40] Although these individuals did not settle in St. Louis as immigrants, they brought with them a particular culture that St. Louis could see and become exposed to if only within the context of the World’s Fair. Some found difficulties trying to return home after the World’s Fair, such as a group working at the Morocco exhibit. This exhibit underwent a change in ownership and the new owner at the conclusion of the Fair would not agree to pay the passage for the individuals to return home to Syria.[41] While others had to find their own way home, most Syrians working at the World’s Fair returned home through New York.[42] In addition, Syrians were used in the “shows” at the World’s Fair by being subjected to “scientific” research. Along with Native Americans, Africans, Chinese, and many others, they were subjected to tests and exams to “prove” the superiority of the white race above these other “primitive tribes.”[43]

Throughout the country, Syrians were referred to by many names. Syrians were sometimes acknowledged as “Turks” since they were coming from the Ottoman Empire, where there was a great mixture of cultures and ethnic groups. Some in America were simply ignorant of the differences in the people of the Middle East.[44] Greeks and Syrians were often confused nationwide. An excerpt from the St. Louis Republic from New York explained that “the Greeks and Syrians are indiscriminately mixed, [it is] difficult to distinguish them.”[45]

There was never an outright hatred for Syrians in St. Louis; however, that could be based on their relatively small population. St. Louis was full of immigrants, of which Syrians were a very small proportion. Although overall Syrians were successfully accepted into St. Louis society, some women in the area had a differing opinion of immigration groups in general. Some groups such as Turks and Syrians were given more rights than women, which caused women to voice their opinion. One even sent a letter to the editor of the Post Dispatch to express her outrage at this.[46] Not only was this an issue in women’s rights but it is also one example explaining how Syrians were received in St. Louis. On the other hand, some individuals such as Mrs. Frank de Garmo wanted to care for the immigrants and help them succeed. She taught literacy to immigrants such as Syrians, Croatians, and Serbians in St. Louis.[47] Syrians seemed to have been accepted well into St. Louis society and were surely able to make their own way in America. 

Syrians made their way successfully in St. Louis. Although their original intent was not to stay in St. Louis forever, but to return home with their money earned, they made the decision to stay put due to their positive acceptance and the way of life they had built for themselves. Their strong ties to the Maronite Catholic Church allowed them to create a community for themselves, with generations of rising group leaders who could influence the world around them. Although they were a small group in comparison to the many other immigrants who sought a new life in St. Louis, they still managed to make a name for themselves, one that still exists today. 

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[1] Ami Ayalon. "The Arab Discovery of America in the Nineteenth Century." 5. Middle Eastern Studies 20 (1984), http://www.jstor.org/stable/4283027.
[2] Tamie Dehler. "Genealogy: Syrian, Lebanese Immirants arrive in US in 1870s ." (2009), http://tribstar.com/history/x1896315608/Genealogy-Syrian-Lebanese-immigrants-arrived-in-U-S-in-1870s.
[3] Ami Ayalon. "The Arab Discovery of America in the Nineteenth Century." 5. Middle Eastern Studies 20 (1984), http://www.jstor.org/stable/4283027.
[4] Tamie Dehler. "Genealogy: Syrian, Lebanese Immirants arrive in US in 1870s ." (2009), http://tribstar.com/history/x1896315608/Genealogy-Syrian-Lebanese-immigrants-arrived-in-U-S-in-1870s
[5] Elizabeth Thompson."Akram Fouad Khater, Inventing Home: Emigration, Gender, and the Middle Class in Lebanon 1870-1920." The American Historical Review 107 (2002), http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/532837.
[6] Janet Baker & Ramona Milford. "Video History" St. Raymond's Maronite Cathedral. http://www.straymondsmaronitecathedral.com.
[7] Simone Paturel. “Reconstructing the History of the Cypriot Maronites.” Journal of Cyprus Studies 15, no. 37 (September 2009): 19-39. Academic Search Elite, EBSCOhost.
[8] Lebanon and it’s Cuisine. St. Raymond’s Maronite Catholic Church.
[9] Huisinga, Joan. The Churches of Soulard. St. Louis, Missouri, COS Inc, 1998.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Jennifer Brinker. "Lebanese priest, parish weave tale of dedication, commitment of Maronite Church here, abroad." St. Louis Review (2012), http://stlouisreview.com/article/2012-02-14/lebanese-priest.
[12] Janet Baker & Ramona Milford. "Video History" St. Raymond's Maronite Cathedral. http://www.straymondsmaronitecathedral.com.
[13] Harper Barnes. “Lebanese Impact on St. Louis.” St. Louis General Scrapbook, V. 19. South Side Journal 1976. p 74.
[14] Ami Ayalon. "The Arab Discovery of America in the Nineteenth Century." 5. Middle Eastern Studies 20 (1984), http://www.jstor.org/stable/4283027.
[15] Charles Issawi. "The Historical Background of Lebanese Emigration, 1800-1914 ." World Lebanese Cultural Union. http://www.ulcm.org/docs/default-source/newletter/the-historical-background-of-lebanese-emigration-1800-1914.pdf?sfvrsn=4.
[16] Kamal Salibi. "Druze History." Druze Heritage Foundation. http://www.druzeheritage.org/dhf/Druze_History.asp
[17]Charles Issawi."The Historical Background of Lebanese Emigration, 1800-1914 ." World Lebanese Cultural Union. http://www.ulcm.org/docs/default-source/newletter/the-historical-background-of-lebanese-emigration-1800-1914.pdf?sfvrsn=4
[18] "The Massacres of 1840-1860 in Mount Lebanon." Cedarland. http://www.kobayat.org/data/documents/historical/massacres1840.htm.
[19] Oswaldo M. S. Truzzi, “The Right Place at the Right Time: Syrians and Lebanese in Brazil and the United States: A Comparitive Approach,” Journal of American Ethnic History.. V. 16 no. 2. Winter 1997. p 6.
[20] Adele Younis. The Coming of the Arabic-Speaking People to the United States. New York: Center for Migration Studies, 1995. (accessed November 1, 2013).
[21] Harper Barnes. “Lebanese Impact on St. Louis.” St. Louis General Scrapbook, V. 19. South Side Journal 1976. p 74.
[22] Eliane Fersan. "Syro-Lebanese Migration: 1880 to Present, Push and Pull Factors." Middle East Institute. http://www.mei.edu/content/syro-lebanese-migration-1880-present-“push”-and-“pull”-factors.
[23] Eliane Fersan. "Syro-Lebanese Migration: 1880 to Present, Push and Pull Factors." Middle East Institute. http://www.mei.edu/content/syro-lebanese-migration-1880-present-“push”-and-“pull”-factors.
[24] Truzzi, Oswaldo M. S., “The Right Place at the Right Time: Syrians and Lebanese in Brazil and the United States: A Comparitive Approach,” Journal of American Ethnic History.. V. 16 no. 2. Winter 1997. p 5.
[25] Ibid., 5.
[26] “St. Louis Lebanese Remember Heritage.” St. Louis General Scrapbook, V. 19. South Side Journal 1976. p 34.
[27] Immigrants Smuggles In From Mexico. 1906. St.Louis Post - Dispatch (1879-1922), Aug 18. http://search.proquest.com/docview/577658139?accountid=176.
[28] Oswaldo M. S. Truzzi, “The Right Place at the Right Time: Syrians and Lebanese in Brazil and the United States: A Comparitive Approach,” Journal of American Ethnic History.. V. 16 no. 2. Winter 1997. p 7.
[29] “Immigration for the Year Ending June 30,”The St. Louis Republic. (St. Louis, Mo.), 03 July 1902. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020274/1902-07-03/ed-1/seq-8/>
[30] “Syrians Beaten and Robbed,”The St. Louis Republic. (St. Louis, Mo.), 17 Oct. 1902. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020274/1902-10-17/ed-1/seq-5/>
[31] Ibid.
[32] “St. Louis Lebanese Remember Heritage.” St. Louis General Scrapbook, V. 19. South Side Journal 1976. p 34.
[33] St. Louis General Scrapbook, V. 19. 1976. p 113.
[34] Ibid.
[35] Most Undesirable Immigration. 1901. St.Louis Post - Dispatch (1879-1922), Oct 11. http://search.proquest.com/docview/577378553?accountid=176.
[36] Oswaldo M. S. Truzzi. “The Right Place at the Right Time: Syrians and Lebanese in Brazil and the United States: A Comparitive Approach,” Journal of American Ethnic History. V. 16 no. 2. Winter 1997. p 8.
[37] Harper Barnes. “Lebanese Impact on St. Louis.” St. Louis General Scrapbook, V. 19. South Side Journal 1976. p 74.
[38] “St. Louis Lebanese Remember Heritage.” St. Louis General Scrapbook, V. 19. South Side Journal 1976. p 34.
[39] Charles Issawi. "The Historical Background of Lebanese Emigration, 1800-1914 ." World Lebanese Cultural Union. http://www.ulcm.org/docs/default-source/newletter/the-historical-background-of-lebanese-emigration-1800-1914.pdf?sfvrsn=4 (accessed November 17, 2013).
[40] “Says Azza Was Victim of Plot,” The St. Louis Republic. (St. Louis, Mo.), 31 Oct. 1904. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020274/1904-10-31/ed-1/seq-7/>
[41] “Return of Seven Syrians is a Vexatious Problem,”The St. Louis Republic. (St. Louis, Mo.), 06 Dec. 1904. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020274/1904-12-06/ed-1/seq-3/>
[42] “Foreigners Going Home,” The St. Louis Republic. (St. Louis, Mo.), 27 Nov. 1904. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020274/1904-11-27/ed-1/seq-27/>
[43] “Scientists Complete Work of Investigating the Relations, Origins, and Racial Characteristics of Primitive Tribes at World’s Fair,” The St. Louis Republic. (St. Louis, Mo.), 04 Dec. 1904. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020274/1904-12-04/ed-1/seq-35/>
[44] Oswaldo M. S. Truzzi, “The Right Place at the Right Time: Syrians and Lebanese in Brazil and the United States: A Comparitive Approach,” Journal of American Ethnic History.. V. 16 no. 2. Winter 1997. p 16.
[45] “Immigration for the Year Ending June 30,”The St. Louis Republic. (St. Louis, Mo.), 03 July 1902. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020274/1902-07-03/ed-1/seq-8/>
[46] Lulu Clarke. 1909. LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE. St.Louis Post - Dispatch (1879-1922), Nov 11. http://search.proquest.com/docview/577859083?accountid=176.
[47] Citizenship Is Taught To Illiterate Aliens. 1919. St.Louis Post - Dispatch (1879-1922), Dec 14. http://search.proquest.com/docview/578268963?accountid=176.