Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2022/Fall/Section093/Pete Nicholas Chivilis

Overview

Peter Nicholas Chivilis was a Greek Immigrant living in Georgia during the early 20th century. Chivilis ran a candy shop and was a staple of his local community during the great depression. This biography is based on an interview done through the Federal Writers Project by Sadie B. Hornsby.

Biography

Early Life

Peter Nicholas Chivilis was born in 1885, just outside the village of Arvanlokeraseer, Greece. His family ran a farm and vineyard, which they called Tripoli or "Land of the cherry trees." Despite his parents urging him to finish school, Chivilis only reached the 5th grade. He often chose to play in the fields with friends rather than attend class. His town was relatively poor, with most mothers at home preparing bread from scratch and making fabrics from wool sheared off farm sheep. Since the community was agrarian, children, like Chivilis, often helped around the farm. As a boy, Chivilis was taught of the magnificence of America, it became his aspiration, his end goal in life to get to America.

Life in America

Venizelos WWI 1918

Chvilis's older brother moved to America first, leaving his wife and children to set up a life in Ohio running a café. Eventually, when he was 17, Chvilis moved to Ohio too. In order to afford passage to America Chivilis had his brother send him money. His original goal was to ride first class, but instead took steerage to Ellis Island. Chivilis described being given a list of all the Greeks in America prior to immigrating in the early 1900’s. It was his belief all the Greeks knew each other and would be able to connect their lives together via Greece. After working for his brother for 11 months war struck in Greece and Chivilis enlisted in the Greek military. Chivilis fought for years in the Balkan wars before Greece reached a final peace settlement.

Life after War

After being discharged Chivilis moved back to Ohio and opened a Barroom, but later had to close it due to prohibition. Around this time his brother decided to return to Greece to be with his family. Chivilis then found work at a fruit stand in Athens, Georgia, following a name of a fellow Greek given to him before leaving his home country. The fellow Greek, named Sam Soupis, owned a candy shop. Before Chivilis could establish himself in Georgia, WW1 struck and he enlisted with the USA this time, but right before he was deployed the armistice treaty ending the war was signed. Upon his return, Sam Soupis convinced Chivilis to purchase his candy shop for $50,000, a steep sum, especially because Chivilis had never tasted a candy once in his life.  

Home & Foreign Fruits (at no. 48) (8280822924)

In 1921 Chivilis met his wife Ms. Demetrius. She was a farmer's daughter from Auburn, Georgia with a degree in business. Chivilis and his wife improved the candy business, adding more goods such as ice cream, and eventually moving its location up onto the main street in 1929. Chivilis had intended to sell alcoholic goods like in his barroom and his home country of Greece might have, but prohibition prevented him from this endeavor. His candy shop came under investigation shortly after the move, one of its patrons poisoning candy and mailing it to relatives. Once prohibition was lifted Chivilis moved to selling beer and wine, which turned out to be a fruitful supplement for the business. Chivilis, a thrifty man at heart, never owned a home, instead moving from place to place and renting. When the depression hit his family of 7, 5 children aged 8 to 16 years old, moved into a little apartment above their shop to consolidate and save money.

Social Context

Greece and Greek Immigration in the Early 20th Century

Greece, under a working Monarchy until 1973, was a slowly developing country. After Greece's intense struggle for independence from the Ottoman empire it was a country in shambles, with almost no infrastructure or established governmental practices. Most areas were not industrialized, save for major shipbuilding cities, until the start of the Balkan wars in 1912. This led to citizens continuing to complete many tasks by hand, such as weaving clothing. During the early 1900’s Greek immigration to the United States was a slow trickle, not picking up until the great wave of eastern European immigration in the 1920’s. The southern reception to Greek immigrants was especially hostile, many people facing threats and attacks from the KKK and discriminatory laws preventing them from succeeding. Despite this, Greek immigrants found a niche in running small businesses such as candy shops, restaurants, and local groceries.

Wars Throughout the Early 1900's

Greek-American volunteers in the Balkan Wars

The Balkan wars were a pair of two wars in between eastern European countries from 1912 to 1913. In the first war, Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Serbia allied against the Ottomans or Turkish, winning the first war. However, the allies soon fought over territory distribution, and once again went to war. Greece and Serbia allied and went to war against Bulgaria, winning once again. Greece and Serbia divided up the territory, which would create the tension between the Serbians and Austria-Hungarians, leading to World War 1.

World War 1 started in August 1914, lasting until 1918, with long stalemates on all sides due to the common practice of trench warfare used at the time. Americans lost around 100,000 soldiers and many regarded the war as a great world tragedy.

Candy Shops in the 1900's

Candy making was an in-demand profession, after the first world war candy sales spiked to an all-time high in the United States. This was due to soldiers being given chocolate rations while at war, something many Americans were wholly unused to. Candy before the war was not widely consumed in the US, but soldiers brought back their sweet-tooth and candy shops began springing up regionally. During the early 20th century candy making was mainly done by small, regional shops which were often hubs of activity in the community. Additionally, candy shops were often not limited to just candy, selling a variety of consumable goods.

References

“Balkan Wars | Facts, Causes, Map, & Significance | Britannica.” Accessed October 1, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Balkan-Wars.

Berthoff, Rowland T. “Southern Attitudes Toward Immigration, 1865-1914.” The Journal of Southern History 17, no. 3 (1951): 328–60. https://doi.org/10.2307/2198190.

Commons, National Library of Ireland on The. A Lovely High View of King Street (Now Maccurtain Street) in Cork. Where Was the High Point from Which This Photo Was Taken? Home & Foreign Fruits (at no. 48). Accessed October 13, 2022. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Home_%26_Foreign_Fruits_(at_no._48)_(8280822924).jpg.

France, service de photographie des armées. English:  Venizelos Reviews a Section of the Greek Army on the Macedonian Front during the First World War, 1918. He Is Accompanied by Admiral Pavlos Koundouriotis (Left) and General Maurice Sarrail (Right). Venizelos Inspects Greek Troops on the Macedonian Front, Accompanied by Admiral Koundouriotis and General Sarrail. April 23, 1917. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Venizelos_WWI_1918.jpg.

Interview, Sadie B. Hornsby on Peter Nicholas Chivilis, July 25, 1939, folder 190, Coll. 03709, Federal Writers Project Papers, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Katherine, L. T. (2021). Greek Confectioners, Kandy Kitchens, and the KKK: Sweet Greeks: First-Generation Immigrant Confectioners in the Heartland. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2020. xi + 303 pp. $27.95 (paperback), ISBN 978-0252085314. The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, 20(4), 566-568. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537781421000487

Monioudi-Gavala, Dora. “Rebuilding Greece, 1830-1920. Ambitions and Realities.” Advances in Historical Studies 8, no. 5 (November 5, 2019): 199–214. https://doi.org/10.4236/ahs.2019.85015.

“Prohibition: Years, Amendment and Definition - HISTORY - HISTORY.” Accessed October 1, 2022. https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/prohibition

Unknown. English:  Greek-American Volunteers in the Greek Army during the Balkan Wars. 1912. A. KARAMITSOS. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Greek-American_volunteers_in_the_Balkan_Wars.jpg.

“Why the Candy Bar Market Exploded After World War I - HISTORY.” Accessed October 1, 2022. https://www.history.com/news/wwi-1920s-chocolate-candy-boom