This website is dedicated to George and (Kokabe) Kathryn Zammer Beshara, the two who started it all. George entered this country through Ellis Island about 1901. I would imagine that New York was a little intimidating so he migrated to Minnesota where he farmed and peddled fruits and vegetables. He went back to Lebanon a few years later to marry his sweetheart Kathryn, and then returned to the USA to raise their family. George was then 26 years old and the lure of gold brought him to the Black Hills. George evidently didn’t like breaking rock so he decided to feed the workers. Not a bad idea. This man truly had the pioneering spirit. He was the first of many Beshara entrepreneurs.  

One can only imagine what it would be like to enter a foreign country, unable to speak the language fluently or not at all, and expect to actually make it. That takes guts.   George and Kathryn had seven children. Only one of whom is living today, and that is our Aunt Rosie.    

George was inducted into the Deadwood Hall of Fame in 2006 for his contributions made toward the development of the City of Deadwood. there were many Beshara's attending the ceremony and you can view some of the photos taken that night.

The purpose of this site is to keep family members informed and to help carry on the tradition of family reunions. Hopefully not so far apart. It will take a lot of cooperation from many family members to organize and carry through. God knows there are enough of us to make it happen.

This is a picture of a tattoo on the arm of yours truly. It is Beshara in Arabic.

This started when one of my grand daughters (Lucy) wanted to get a tatoo. She was seventeen, so I told her when she turned eighteen I'd take her and we would get one together. As it turned out my other two grand daughters (Nicole & Stephany) wanted to do the same. I left it up to them to pick out the tattoo. They researched the correct spelling in Arabic and came up with what you see above. Of course we had a lot of help from the artist. We all went together and had a really great time. Especially me, after all how many times will I be asked to go get a tattoo with three beautiful women. As of this date I think seven of us have this tattoo. And yes, it really does say Beshara. I will add the pictures of their tattoos later.


The following is a story from Sandy Walker:

"I had heard about Lebanon all my life. The glowing descriptions from everyone who has gone there seemed exaggerated and impossible to be true.The first time that I went there was in 1973 pre-civil war. I was fortunate enough to see it before it was ravaged by war.
The country is very small but has the most diverse landscapes. I expected to see an old historical city in Beirut but was shocked to find a modern Paris like city. The beauty of the Mediterranean is unmatched. Walking along the sea eating street food from vendors is better than the expensive places that we eat at in the states. The food there is fresh and the most delicious thing you ever tasted. 
Then I made a trip into the Bekka Valley to visit our ancestral home. Ferzoul is in the heart of the mountains. The area is heavily wooded and has big areas of grape vineyards. It looks remarkably similar to Deadwood. That is why Grandpa chose to settle there. The historical ruins from Roman invasions are sprinkled through out the area. The thing that struck me the most is that when I met the family, the little kids all looked like my cousins here. There were many Beshara looking kids. Both grand parents came from this place and emigrated when they were teenagers.
The family compound is very big because each family unit has their own apartment built into a rectangle with a beautiful coutyard in the center. The grape vines come right up to the door of the compound, so fresh grapes are always at hand. The habit of the people is to buy everything for the day's meal very early in the morning. The main meal is eaten at noon and snacks are provided in the evening. Everone walks a lot. There are very few people who are overweight there. It lives up to its reputation even now. We should be proud to say we are from there."