Baabdat Family Trees - Families - History

The families of Baabdat

Each family of Baabdat has as heritage that brought a lot of colors and characteristics to the village. Different names formed a unique village.

The families that migrated to Baabdat since the 16^th century until the establishment of the State of Great Lebanon in 1920, join 16 families that are the same ones who immigrated later to the American continent. The families are: Corbani (Al Hashem), Labaki (Daou), Safi, Zimmar, Melki and Abou Diwan, then starting from the end of the eighteenth century, the families: Obeid, Ghandour, Abou Heyla, Khater, Shaanine, Saleh, Hayek and Arid arrived successively. For unknown and historically unspecific reasons, those eight families, in addition to the Safi family, were given the name Charabati, knowing that only few members of the families: Obeid, Chaanine, Saleh and Arid continued using that name.

Later on, in the nineteenth century, the families Alam and Zoghby came in addition to the Sawaya family. None of the latter's descendents emigrated.

After 1920, other families, that will not be included in our research, entered Baabdat such as: Asmar, Hajj Boutros, Shamoun, Romanos, Gemayel, Abou Jaoude, Shakar, Daher Saleh, Al-Ayya, Yammine, Hashem, Ghossoub, Ghanem, Nawfal, Nehme, Ajjour, Armenian families and others.

The Labaki family

The origin of the family is the name Daou (light) that migrated from the Lehfed village to Hardine village in the Batroun province. In more details, Youssef (Joseph) son of priest Jeryes (George) Saad Nehme Daou came at the beginning of the 16^th century to the Qennabe village located at the eastern border of Baabdat, and his son Saad moved from Qennabe to Baabdat. He was given the nickname "Jahjah", which means the leader of the tribe.

The Labaki name (meaning confusion) has a story. When Saad was still living in Qennabe, one of the princes of the area was hunting near the forests of the Jaamany river (one of the branches of the Beirut river) located at the border of the Qennabe. Rain suddenly fell and the prince entered Saad's house. He noticed the latter was confused with his twins, cattle, wife... so the prince told him: "What is this confusion (Labaki) Saad?!!" Thus, this nickname followed him wherever he went.

There are other stories about calling the family "Labaki", but we didn't find them scientifically trustworthy.

The Labaki family is also known abroad under names written in a different way such as: Labaky, Labake, Labaké, Labaque, Labaqué, Lavake, Lavaké, Lavaki, Lavaque, Lávaque, Labaqui, Lavaqui...

and other names such as: Abraham, Alexandre, Amado, Azar, Badawey, Capez, Chain, Chebel, Chebli, Chehin, Chequer, Chevel, Coury, Daniel, Dominguez, Fadel, Fadul, Flores, Gazi, Jorge, Kalil, Khabbaz, Lahud, Lian, Mansur, Miguel, Mussen, Nader, Najim, Nallim, Nallin, Nasr, Salomon, Shapley, Taufic and others.

The Corbani family

Srour Al-Hashem arrived to Baabdat at the beginning of the 16^th century from the village of Aqura in the Jbeil province. His family grew bigger and was called later Corbani because of the miracle of priest Jeryes (George) Srour Al-Hashem during the communion at the Mar Jeryes (Saint George) church.

The "communion bread" (Corbani in arabic) turned into the body of baby Jesus, astonishing all the people who were present. The news spread and was told to the Archbishop who later called father Jeryes as "Al-Corbani". To keep the memory of the miracle alive, the Corbani name was adopted in the other members of the family.

The Corbani family doesn't exist under this name in the emigration countries before 1920, but it was known under names such as Amado, Coury, Cury, Kouri, Flores, Frem, Nazar, Nemer, Nemmer and others.

P.S.:

In the Maronite and Greek oriental catholic churches and in the orthodox oriental churches, it's permitted to the married man to become a priest.

The Safi family

It originates from the Freyfer family from Kfarhey in the Batroun province. It came to Baabdat at the beginning of the 16^th century.

This family is also known in the immigration countries under the names Chaia, Jabur, Jalil, Shiah, Yabur, Safe, Zafe and others.

The Zimmar family

The priest Moussa al-Zimmar arrived to Baabdat in the mid seventeenth century from the village of Almat in the Jbeil province.

This family doesn't currently exist in Baabdat.

The Melki family

Its origin is from the Meyzala village in the Jbeil province. It migrated to Ain Al-Qabu near the Baskinta village in the Maten province.

In the middle of the 16^th century, it moved to Baabdat. It was first known as the Maliki family until it later became the Melki family.

This family is also known in Baabdat under the names: Abboud, Daher, Oueiss and in the immigration countries under names written in a different way such as: Melki, Melky, Mulki, Melke, Milke, Melqui, Mulqui, Mulgui, Mulchi and other names such as: Abraham, Auais, Dominguez, Fatú, Ferris, Flores, Habib, Jorge, Khoury, Martinez, Weiss and others.

The Abou Diwan family

Its origin is Al-Zaanni. It moved at the end of the 17^th century from the Tula village in the Batroun province to Baabdat.

The Obeid family

It is from Ehden in the Zghorta province. Some sons of the family migrated to Baabdat in the middle of the 16^th century.

This family is known in Baabdat under the names: Bechara, Charabati, Fiad, Obeid, Rached, Touma and others, and abroad under names such as: Abaid, Al Baabdaty, Baabdaty, David, Fiad, Fayette, Fayett, Ganam, Ghanam, Jacob, Mansor, Nasif, Nassif, Obaid, Obeid, Rached, Rachid, Rahal, Secin, Sessine, Thomas, Touma, Tuma and others.

The Ghandour family

A member of the Ghandour family migrated to the Bwar village in the Jbeil province.

Then, he moved to Baabdat in the 17^th century. It is known abroad under names such as: Gandur, Ghandour, Medlej and others.

The Abou Hayla family

Its origin is the Shaar family from the Aqura village in the Jbeil province. Some of its members migrated to Baabdat in the last quarter of the 17^th century.

This family doesn’t exist in Baabdat or in immigration countries under this name. This family is known in Baabdat as Fadoul and Salhab, and abroad under names such as: Faddoul, Fadul, Jabur, Salep, Salhab, Yabur and others.

The Khater family

The Khater name originates from the brothers Matar and Khater who moved in the beginning of the 17^th century from the village of Dlebta in the Kesrouan province to Baabdat.

This family doesn’t exist in Baabdat or in the immigration countries under this name. In Baabdat it is known under name Mattar, and abroad under names such as: Ahún, Matar, Mater, Mattar and others.

The Chaanine family

It is originally the Dumit family from Tannourine in the Batroun province. It migrated to Baabdat in the 17^th century.

This family doesn’t exist in Baabdat or in the immigration countries under this name, but under names such as: Charabati, Cheble, Chebly, Secin, Sesin, Séssine, Shibley and others.

The Saleh family

Fadel Saleh migrated from Damascus, Syria to the Aqura village in the Jbeil province. Then he moved to Baabdat at the beginning of the 18^th century.

This family is known in Baabdat under the Charabati and Saleh families whereas they are known abroad as Chara, Coury, Cury, Saleh, Salek, Sales, Saloh and others families.

The Hayek family

The family migrated from Ehden in northern Lebanon to the Beit Shabab village in the Maten.

From there, it moved to Baabdat in the beginning of the 18^th century. The family got the name from the profession of spinner that its members were known for.

This family is known abroad under the names of Haig, Haik, Hayeck, Hayek …

The Arid family

Kanaan Arid came from the village of Qetala in the Baabda province to Baabdat in the beginning of the 18^th century.

This family doesn’t exist in Baabdat or in the immigration countries under this name. It is known in Baabdat under the Charabati and Zakhia families whereas abroad they are known and written in a different way such as Zackia, Zakia, Zakhia and others.

The Alam family

It came with Najem Moussa Al-Alam around 1785 from Baskinta in the Maten province to Baabdat.

This family doesn’t currently exist in Baabdat. It is known abroad under the name Florez.

The Zoghbi family

It originated from Al-Aqura in the Jbeil province. It arrived to Baabdat in 1859.

This family is also known abroad under the name  of Zogbe, Abraham and others.

The Sawaya family

In 1875, Raheel, the daughter of the Baabdati Elias Lahoud Labaki, wife of Yussef El-Khoury Hanna Sawaya, moved with her children after she became a widow from the Shweir village in the Maten to Baabdat.

The Charabati family

At the end of the eighteenth century the nine families: Safi, Obeid, Ghandour, Abou Hayla, Khater, Chaanine, Saleh, Hayek and Arid were called Charabati for unknown and historically unspecific reasons.

The word Charabati is derived from the Syriac "Shorboto" meaning the tribe, the union or the agreement. Some of the families such as Obeid, Chaanine, Saleh and Arid kept this name.

The Charabati family only exists in Baabdat.This name wasn't found abroad before 1920.