We’re talking about family heritage this week – having been inspired by an annual Lebanese festival and the most recent Remnant Finance podcast.
Yesterday we examined why passing along a heritage to future generations is critically important – even more so than passing on an inheritance. The reason is simple…
Heritage refers to our history, traditions, values, and customs. It shapes our identity and helps inform who we are and what we stand for. Not in a dogmatic way, but in a way that resonates with our authentic self as an individual.
If we aren’t firm in our own family heritage, the institutions of this world will work hard to shape us into a uniform, obedient, and compliant mass – so that we see ourselves as subordinate to the institutions. It’s insidious… but that’s the nature of our society at the present time.
To that end, I’d like to share my family heritage with you today.
I’m named for my great-grandfather, Joseph Elias Ellis. He was born in Beirut in 1878. That’s the capital city of Lebanon today… but Lebanon as an entity did not exist at that time. It didn’t become an independent country until 1943.
The area now known as Lebanon was home to the vibrant Phoenician city-states during antiquity. Then the Ottoman Empire conquered the entire region in 1516 and divided it into administrative units.
Originally the area consisting of modern Lebanon was carved up into different units. But the Ottomans consolidated the region into a single administrative unit in 1861. They called it “Lebanon” because the great mountain range in the northern part of the region had been known as the Mount Lebanon range for millennia.
Now, the Ottoman Empire was officially a Muslim state that imposed Sharia law upon its administrative units. Under the law, non-Muslims were classified as dhimmis – a protected but legally inferior class.
Thus, non-Muslims had a certain degree of religious and civil autonomy within their local jurisdiction. But they had to pay special taxes and were subjected to certain restrictions.
Joseph Ellis was born into a Maronite Christian community in Beirut. That made him a dhimmi – an inferior citizen.
As he came of age, he chose to reject that status. Given the discrimination and restrictions, he decided to set sail for the United States in 1893. He wanted the American Dream.
Ellis entered the US through Ellis Island in New York and made his way to Zanesville, OH. He worked on a farm there to get his start.
He got married in 1904 to a woman whose family had also immigrated from Lebanon. They then moved to a small town in Virginia in 1908 to open a restaurant. I’m told it was the first restaurant in town to serve pizza. The Italians wouldn’t arrive for another several decades.
That restaurant ended up supporting four children – including my grandmother. Ellis worked long hours to make it a success… and that success enabled him to build a five bedroom house on a hill overlooking the town in 1934. At the time it was considered a massive home.
That house is still in our family today. It’s a beautiful brick home with white columns supporting the front entryway. The design very much resembles the style of Jeffersonian architecture.
Ellis lived to see his children grow up and live fulfilling lives – each choosing to settle close to home. He also lived to see five grandchildren born, including my father. My old man remembers him vividly.
The story of Joseph Ellis ended in 1960, when he passed on from this world. Here’s a snapshot of the obituary:
I look at the story of Joseph Ellis and I have to ask – how could it represent the American Dream any better?
I had the great privilege of meeting all of his children except for one. I spent the most time with his oldest daughter, Negebie. She’s been gone for over twenty years now… but she’s still one of my favorite people ever. I named my real estate investment company after her.
There’s a strong sense of heritage that comes from the life of Joseph Ellis.
It all started with his decision not to settle for life as an inferior citizen with limited economic opportunity. He had the courage to walk away from the only world he had known – and from one of history’s greatest empires – to sail across an ocean seeking opportunity.
In other words, Ellis bet on himself. And then he worked relentlessly to create a life that his family could never have known back in Beirut.
To that end, he worked until the day he physically could not work anymore. Both his eldest son and my father did the same.
That kind of work ethic is part of our family heritage. But here’s the thing – that work is always in service of others. Service is what creates success and fulfillment.
At the same time, they never lost sight of the fact that family and community are what’s truly important.
Sunday afternoon was a time for family and friends. I fondly remember many Sunday feasts at the Ellis home with a house full of those strong-willed Lebanese. That tradition continued for over forty years after Joseph Ellis passed.
They were also adamant about supporting the community and those in need – especially the sick and elderly.
Ellis’ oldest son helped establish the town’s first emergency room and volunteer rescue squad. He also volunteered his time to work in both. Beyond that, visiting the sick and elderly was always a requirement.
I think there was a certain kind of gratitude that came from recognizing that there are opportunities here in America that do not exist in other parts of the world. That was especially true in Ellis’ day when the dollar was still backed by gold.
Fast forward to today and I still hold this family heritage in high esteem. I try to apply the core principles myself, and I hope my children will as well.
These same underlying principles are embedded in The Phoenician League.
We seek to create a world of financial independence and good stewardship. It’s all about building upon the foundation of Western civilization that comes to us from the hard work of so many great people who have come before us.
We take it for granted, but those of us in the developed world today live a lifestyle that is far more comfortable and luxurious than the wealthiest kings and emperors could ever imagine just 150 years ago. They would be in awe of how wealthy we are.
We’re in this position because of our great Western heritage. The ancient Phoenicians laid the foundation… and it’s been building ever since.
Sure, we hit roadblocks that seem to take us backwards every now and then. But my assessment is that those roadblocks only come during periods of time when a large swathe of the population has forgotten their heritage.
Let’s not make that mistake…
-Joe Withrow
P.S. The Phoenician League will be closed to new members for the foreseeable future as we’re making some enhancements to our platform to make it even more robust.
However, we do offer subscriptions to our monthly missive The Phoenician for those who want to keep up with our investment objectives and our ongoing macroeconomic analysis. You can find it here: https://membership.phoenicianleague.com/courses/phoenician