Grandpa was an illegal immigrant.

My maternal grandfather Peter Demitrios Anastis was affectionately known as Pop by all who knew him, not just his family, but also friends, neighbors and coworkers. He was a respected member of the neighborhood, a steady worker whose only interest was his family which included his wife and nine children. But Pop harbored a secret that even most members of his family did not know.

Pop, Peter Demitrios Anastis was an illegal immigrant!

Born Panagiotis Demitrios Anastroplos on March 30, 1887 in the little village of Dragamonon, Greece where he lived with two sisters and a brother.

In early March, 1907 shortly before his twentieth birthday Pop accompanied his cousin Panagiotis Mikalopulos to Athens where his cousin was to board the S.S. Hudson from Havre, France to emigrate to the United States. Just moments before it was time to walk up the gangplank and start a new life in the United States his cousin got cold feet and decided not to go. Pop in the spur of the moment took his cousins ticket and papers and with only the equivalent of fifty cents in his pocket and his cousin's belongings which were on the boat Pop boarded the S.S. Hudson in place of his cousin and sailed to the United States.

The Hudson arrived at Ellis Island on May 24, 1907. On May 25, 1907 Pop under the name Panagiotis Mikalopulos entered the United States.

Pretty much nothing is known about the next seven years of his live. Pop never talked about how he survived or where he went during those seven years. His youngest son Richard related to me that late in his life Pop told him that Pop headed west and spent time performing various jobs in Colorado. At sometime during those seven years he began using the name Peter Demitrios Anastis. Eventually he made contact with a cousin in St. Louis, who became his sponsor and with his cousin's help he got a job working for the Timken company in Canton, Ohio in 1914.

During the next three years Pop established himself as a steady worker for the Timken company as a machine operator: a job that he would hold for 46 years until he retired.

While living in a boarding house with other Timken workers Pop answered a lonely hearts ad in the newspaper and in adding to the serendipity of Pop's story; Pop received a reply from the lonely young lady who had placed the ad and a meeting was arranged. Similar to the event that led to Pop traveling to the United States the young lady in question got cold feet and decided not to go. Her friend one lovely young lady, Lulu B. Redd took the letter and decided to meet the handsome young man that she would later described as a Greek God. It was a whirlwind romance and they were married on May 17, 1919. A marriage that lasted 46 years until LuLu's death in 1965. They had nine children 6 girls and 3 boys. All hardworking citizens who also contributed to our country.

At sometime in the mid thirties Pop decided that it was time that he became a citizen and with the help of the Timken Company and a local congressman Pop began the lengthy process of becoming a citizen. First he had to overcome the fact that he entered the United States under a false name. Once that was overcome Pop finally became a citizen of the United States on February 2, 1942.

While Pop's story may not be that unique it does serve to illustrate that with the exception of the appropriation of land from indigenous inhabitants and the importing of 4 millions slaves it has been immigration that this country was built on.