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https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/61b67717b5fdc4d4b47ac33d799332b6.pdf
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Edward Saleeby – Coming to America
My Grandfather, Rasheed Asaad Tannous Saleeby and his wife Labibee Courie
Saleeby owned some property and houses in and around Souk el Gharb, Lebanon,
which is a mountain resort community about seven miles from Beirut on the
mountainside that overlooked Beirut and the Mediterranean Sea. During those years,
my Grandparents sent their children to a Presbyterian Mission Church School located
in their community where they studied the English language as part of their education.
According to some of the stories that I heard, as they grew through their boyhood
years and into their teen years, my father told me that the boys worked at various jobs
in and around Souk el Gharb that included construction and road building. The
Ottoman Empire was in control of that area of the world, and their army was
conscripting young boys into their armed forces, sometimes taking them into military
service whether they wanted to join or not. The boys had no desire to be part of the
Turkish military forces, and they definitely wanted to get out from under the threat of
the Turkish army conscription that was going on.
From my father’s comments, I received the impression that my Grandfather and the
rest of the family must have had a family discussion and decided that the entire family
would go to the United States. I have learned nothing since that convinces me that
anything else was in their plans or intentions.
They all agreed that the best idea was for Gibran, to go to the United States, get
settled, and establish a stabilized base for them all to come to later. Nasry, being the
next oldest son, would remain there with the family to help Grandfather, Rasheed,
support the family. The family had cousins already living in several cities in the
United States. They got in touch with several families to learn about what to expect
when they moved to America. My impression is that their plans developed faster with
first cousins, Elias and Thomas Saleeby who were living in Wilmington, NC, who
agreed to sponsor Gibran to come to Wilmington where he could work with them and
learn what would be involved to bring the rest of the family later.
Under that sponsorship, Gibran came to the United States in 1907 and worked with
them selling produce wholesale to stores in the area near Wilmington.
He learned enough to go out and to start his own business. When Uncle Gibran came
to this country, nobody could pronounce his name easily. Hence, he became know as
"George" in the community.
Saleeby 1
�My Father, Nasry, with his brothers John and George followed later, and they arrived
in the United States in December 1912. The family eventually bought the house at 508
Park Avenue in Wilson, NC. They rented a store building on Nash Street across from
the Wilson County Court House where they operated an
Ice Cream Parlor and Candy Kitchen at least through 1914. Nasry was
nicknamed “Charlie” by his American friends that came there to shop with
them. That name stuck with him for the rest of his life. Since George in
Arabic was pronounced “JIRJY”, which presented a problem to calling him George in
America. So, to solve the problem and un-complicate the matter in the community,
Uncle George became know as "Joe". This nickname remained the name by which he
was known until he died. My wife Elva and I have given gifts toward the restoration
of Ellis Island and to The Statue of Liberty as a Memorial to the Saleeby family
members that came through there.
Aunt Mary in later years told her son David that she was 9 years old when
Grandfather Rasheed passed away and that places his death in 1912.
Apparently this occurred while the three sons were in transit to the United
States I assume a discussion between my Grandmother and the rest of the
family brought them to the conclusion that they should all just come to the United
States as soon as possible. Since the original plan was for the entire family to come to
the United States, the next step was to get ready and go. As a result, when Uncle
Gibran went to Lebanon to get married, Grandmother, Labibee, with her sons Michael
and Elijah and daughter Mary came to America with Gibran and Najla, his new bride.
The family’s finances apparently were adequate and such that they did not need to sell
any of the property in Souk el Gharb at that time to pay for their passage. The trip was
not without incident, however, because Aunt Mary said that they were delayed in
Athens Greece for about 45 days because of the beginning of World War 1. They
went to Wilson, NC and joined the family on their arrival in the United States. The
best information we have is that they arrived in the U.
S. in 1915. I do remember while I was young that part of the property they owned in
Souk el Gharb was sold to the Presbyterian Church School to build a larger school in
about 1925.
My Grandmother, Labibee, lived with us quite a bit as I was growing up, and she
would not let me get away with any wrongdoing. She said she wanted me to always
do things right or not do them at all. I remember vividly that she told me one day that
she would teach me something that I couldn’t learn in school. I asked her what it was,
Saleeby 2
�and she said that I was going to learn to speak and understand the Arabic language
fluently. She did and I learned to speak it well, and I have used it many times in
business on foreign business travels and with Arabic speaking visitors here. My
Grandmother could speak several languages, and she went to the Governor’s Mansion
several times as a translator for the Governor of North Carolina. I still remember the
times that the Governor’s car would come to Wilson to get my
Grandmother. The highway patrolman would park the Governor’s car with the
License plate Number 1 on it. He would be in uniform and have his revolver on his
belt, and I thought he was a giant. He probably was at least six feet tall. All the
neighborhood children would come running to see him and the car.
My Grandmother, Labibee, who was born in 1860, died during the winter months of
1934 and is buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Wilson, NC. We had an ice storm
during her last days alive, and the front steps of our house were covered in ice. I was
told to scrape off what was being iced over with more freezing rain so more ashes
could be sprinkled for people’s safety. The shovel I used had a handle that had been
broken and the end was jagged, not big and round. I slipped on the slippery ice and
punctured myself with the end of the handle. I went around to the back of the house
and motioned for my Father to come out. When I showed him what had happened, he
took me to the Hospital Emergency Room, and Dr. Strickland came and cleaned up
my bleeding and then sewed me up that night. I slept at 506 Park avenue for several
nights while healing.
Saleeby 3
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Edward and Callie Saleeby Papers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>The Saleeby-Saliba Relief Association was created in 1916 with the objective of unifying and supporting members of the Saleeby-Saliba family across the Lebanese diaspora. The association sponsored members who emigrated from Syria and Lebanon, aiding them in their transitions to new countries. The association (now called the Saleeby-Saliba Association of Families) focuses on preserving family history and culture, especially through genealogy. Members of the extended Saleeby-Saliba family have documented the family’s diasporic history, including N.D. Saleeby's <em>A Brief History of the Saleeby/Saliba Clan and Their Branches</em>, published in 1950, and its updated version, <em>Worldwide Saleeby-Saliba Family from Ancient to Modern Times</em>, published by Callie R. Saleeby Stanley in 2008.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p>This collection contains three autobiographical accounts of members of the North Carolina branch of the Saleeby-Saliba Family, including iral history and written testimony. The collection represents inter-generational experiences of members of the Saleeby family in North Carolina. The subjects are descended, by blood or marriage, from the same Saleeby ancestor who lived in Souk-el-Gharb in modern-day Lebanon.</p>
Relation
A related resource
<a href="http://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/collections/show/38" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Saleeby Family Papers</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Processed by Khayrallah Center staff. Collection Guide content contributed by Claire A. Kempa and updated by Allison Hall, 2023 December.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Autobiography
Emigration and immigration
Lebanese--United States
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Edward Saleeby
Callie Saleeby Stanley
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2001-2013
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
KC 0047
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
comingtoamerica_wm
Title
A name given to the resource
Saleeby Coming To America
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lebanese--United States
Emigration and immigration
Description
An account of the resource
A brief account, given by Edward Saleeby, of the immigration of his paternal family including his father, Nasry Rashid Saleeby, uncle Gibran Rashid Saleeby, and grandmother Labibee Courie Saleeby.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Edward C. Saleeby
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Edward C. Saleeby
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
circa 2005
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Text/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
1910s
1920s
1930s
Families
Genealogy
Immigration
Lebanon
North Carolina
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https://lebanesestudies.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/files/original/4052b2c515b23fc40d89891b8f855a21.jpg
7cbdd84ea13e3c7b26bd34b524212f99
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Khalifah Family Papers
Description
An account of the resource
<h4>Biographical/Historical Note</h4>
<p>Raja Khalifah was born in Lebanon and attended the American University of Beirut, where he played tennis and earned a BS in Chemistry. After his graduation in 1962, Khalifah immigrated to the United States to continue his education. In 1967, he obtained a PhD in Physical Chemistry from Princeton University. He then held a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard University before moving to Stanford Medical School to conduct research in pharmacology.</p>
<p>Though he initially intended to return to Lebanon upon completion of his advanced education, the violence of the Lebanese Civil War foreclosed this opportunity. Khalifah facilitated his mother's immigration to the United states during this period. Khalifah belongs to the American University of Beirut Alumni Association and the Triangle Lebanese Association.</p>
<p>Between 1993 and 2000, Khalifah served as a Research Professor in Biology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. In 2000, he shifted to the sphere of public pharmaceutical research, working for Biostratum and then NephroGenex. In 2009, he started his own consulting firm, Raja G. Khalifah Consulting, where he provides consulting related to scientific research, clinical trials, development, and pharmaceuticals related to diabetes. Khalifah holds numerous patents related to the pharmacological treatment of diabetes.</p>
<h4>Scope/Content Note</h4>
<p>This collection is composed primarily of photographs. Images include Raja Khalifah’s family members and ancestors in early-twentieth century Lebanon, biomedical pharmacology and research, the Triangle Lebanese Association, and tennis.</p>
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Raja Khalifah
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1914, 1960s-2008
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Processed by Khayrallah Program staff. Collection Guide content contributed by Claire A. Kempa and updated by Allison Hall, 2023 November.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Education--Lebanon
Medicine--Research
Portraits
Social groups
Tennis
Language
A language of the resource
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
KC 0027
Access Rights
Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies.
This digital material is provided here for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Raja_Khalifah_Raja_Work1_wm
Title
A name given to the resource
Raja Khalifah at Work
Subject
The topic of the resource
Medical research
Description
An account of the resource
A photograph of Raja Khalifah standing in a laboratory. Though undated, this was likely taken at BioStratum circa 2005.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Raja Khalifah
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Moise A. Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
circa 2005
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The donor retains full ownership of any copyright and rights currently controlled. Nonexclusive right to authorize uses of these materials for non-commercial research, scholarly, or other educational purposes are granted to Khayrallah Center pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. Usage of the materials for these purposes must be fully credited with the source. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Image/jpg
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
2000s
Business
North Carolina
Science