Shehdan Family Collection
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Biographical/Historical Note
Beshara Shehdan Hatem was born in Hammana, Lebanon. He and his brother Shikery (Chick) immigrated to the United States as teenagers in the 1910s, first settling in Lawrence, Massachusetts, alongside relatives. In order to distinguish himself from other Hatems living in Lawrence, Beshara dropped his last name and began going by his first and middle names. The new surname "Shehdan" was passed down to his children and grandchildren.
From Massachusetts, Beshara and Shikery moved to North Carolina, where Beshara married Susie Smithie Barnhill. The brothers went into the dry-goods business in Greenville, NC before moving to Henderson, NC in the 1920s, where Beshara entered the restaurant business. Beshara and Susie had five children: two sons, Joseph and Linwood; and three daughters, Hazel, Helen, and Martha. Susie Barnhill Shehdan died in Henderson on November 2, 1920. Following her death, Beshara and Shikrey raised the children while continuing to build their restaurant and dry-goods businesses in Henderson.
Beshara met Serina Hakeem in the mid 1920s through a mutual friend, Mrs. Victoria Baddour of Greensboro, NC. Like Beshara, Serina had been born in Hammana, Lebanon. Following World War I, Serina’s father and two older brothers immigrated to the United States, settled in Princeton, NC, and worked as traveling salesmen. Serina stayed in Lebanon and attended school at a French convent. She taught French and English at the school to cover the cost of her board and education. After graduating, she joined her family in North Carolina. On November 19, 1924, Beshara and Serina married in St. Mary’s Church in Goldsboro, NC. They had five children: two sons, Philip and Frederick; and three daughters, Victoria, Theresa, and Evelyn.
In 1929, the Shehdan family moved to Raleigh, where Beshara owned a corner grocery store, which he and Serina expanded into a restaurant business. The couple also owned a snack bar on South McDowell Street. Throughout this period, the Shehdans maintained close ties with Lebanese Americans throughout North Carolina, especially those from Hammana. They were especially close with the Baddour, Kannan, and Farfour families, and belonged to a social group called the Hammana Club. Also during this period the Shehdans purchased the Monticello Cafe on Fayetteville Street with Edgar Kannan. When Edgar left the business to open the Whispering Pines--one of the first drive-in restaurants in Raleigh--Beshara continued operating the cafe until his retirement in 1948 at age 60. Philip Shehdan declined to carry on the restaurant, and the cafe was sold around 1950. Beshara lived until 1975.
Philip Shehdan graduated from high school in 1945 and joined the Coast Guard on this 18th birthday. After his discharge, Philip studied mechanical engineering at North Carolina State University and obtained a certificate in diesel mechanics. He worked as a mechanic before attending hairdressing school. Through his career, he opened five hairdressing shops called Philip’s Hairstyling. In 1991, at age 65, he retired before going back to work for the State of North Carolina in the division of Services for the Blind. Philip married Alberta “Bertie” Baddour, a third-generation Lebanese American. She was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts, to parents Alice Hashem and Albert Baddour. Philip and Bertie met in 1958, married in July of 1959, and had two children together: Philip Shehdan, Jr., and David Shehdan.
Scope/Content Note
This collection contains photographs documenting the lives of Beshara and Serina Baddour and their children, a family tree, and legal documents.
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Collection Tree
This collection is a part of a larger collection that has been divided into more specific collections.
