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My Family
My family, the Abu Ghanims (Farris Mullin, Mike Mullen, Sam Amin and Ollie Amin), came to the United States in the ‘great wave of immigration to the new world.’ Farris Mullin, my father, was married to Nagela Abu Shakra from Ammatour in the Chouf Mountains. My father was from Bmhrine, also in the Chouf. Mike Mullen, who was a relative from another village, Ramliyyi in the Chouf, was married to Latifie Abu Ghanim, and she was the sister of Sam and Ollie Amin. They were all from Ramliyyi in the Chouf. Sam Amin married a girl from Kentucky, Judy; and Ollie Amin married a girl from Pennsylvania, Anne. We were four Abu Ghanim families; however, we were one family in the United States, and we treated each other as such. Farris Mullin, Mike Mullen and Sam Amin each had four children. Ollie Amin did not have any children.
The name, Farris Milhem Abu Ghanem, was changed to Farris Mullin apparently when my father entered the United States (circa. 1909). He claims the name "Mullin" rather than "Milhem" was given to him by the presiding officer as he went through the immigration process. Milhem was his father's first name, and apparently, my father gave that name as his last name, which was customary then. Therefore, as the other Abu Ghanem relatives arrived from Lebanon, they assumed the name of "Mullen, as well. There was just a slight difference in spelling. However, Sam and Ollie Amin (brothers) kept the father's first name to use as their last name, i.e., Amin. Another apparent, is my father's raising his age four years in order to serve in the United States Army. All four of the Abu Ghanem men joined the United States Army. The four men each served in the United States Army in World War 1. I found my father’s draft card on the internet. It is:
World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 Record
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Name:
Farris Mullin
Birth:
17 Dec 1892 17 Dec 1892
Birth:
Syrian Arab Republic
Residence:
Not Stated, Cherokee, Oklahoma
Other:
Cherokee County |
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