Syrian Orthodox Church      The presence of the Syrian Orthodox Church on American soil goes back to the late nineteenth century when religious persecution forced many faithful to leave their traditional homelands in Ottoman Turkey and emigrate to the United States and Canada      We have no records of who the first Syriac person was to arrive on American soil, but we know of some individuals, such as Dr. Abraham K. Yoosuf , a native of Kharput, Turkey, who arrived in the United States as early as 1889      In regard to Canada, luckily we know the identity of the first Syriac immigrant there. His name was Mr. George Jarjour, a native of Mardin, Turkey, who arrived in Montreal in 1893. He is considered the pioneer of the Syriac immigrants to Canada and his settlement in the New World paved the way for his family and relatives to join him in Canada      The early immigrants with few exceptions were simple weavers, merchants, craftsmen and farmers by profession and often settled down in different places according to their skills and professions. Those who came from the city of Diyarbakir in southeastern Turkey, were mostly qualified as silk weavers and settled down in New Jersey, a major area of the silk industry. The families from Kharput, also in southeastern Turkey, settled mainly in Worcester, Massachusetts. The faithful from the region of Turabdin, also in southeastern Turkey, established themselves in Central Falls, Rhode Island, as workers in the local mills. During the same period of time, faithful from Mardin, Turkey found their way to Canada and settled in Montreal, Sherbrooke and Quebec. Syrian Orthodox families from and around Homs, Syria, came to settle in the Detroit, Michigan area. for more information please Visit: http://www.syriacsundayschool.org/history1.htm#Genesis%20of%20the%20Syriac%20Community%20in%20North%20America To reply to this article please fill up the Text Box below. Please indicate your name, and email address