On June 18th, 1899, the Le Bretagne sailed into the New York Harbor and passed Lady Liberty with everyone staring eagerly. The ship headed to Ellis Island and every passenger filed out as ordered and stood in line and waited their turns to be summoned by customs clerk. One page from the emigration ship registry is below.

My Uncle Floyd Nick Boutrous's father, Ghattas Fares Boutrous and grandfather Fares Boutrous were two of the hundreds of passengers that were looking forward to entry into the United States.

The story of Fares and Ghattas' (later changed to Attas) journey across the Atlantic from Beirut, Lebanon to New York City is fascinating, and like countless other immigrant families are treasures for us to consider. For Ghattas, his birth homeland was Lebanon/Syria and his new home would be forever, America.

Often the hopes and dreams of these immigrants seem to be disregarded by many Americans today. Yet when one disregards the immigrant that we all come from, we miss a poignant aspect of this countries true birthright. The reality is quite remarkable. It has to be of utmost importance to acknowledge and learn from our families that came before us, from far off lands to be Americans.

The old adage of not knowing where you come from, affecting your journey forward is worthy of everyone's consideration. Ghattas succeeded in his quest to move to America, and after a lengthy sea adventure of near 4000 miles, he would live in Sioux City, Iowa and then eventually settle permanently in Bismarck, North Dakota.

In 1908, Ghattas would meet Delleh 'Della' Nassif and they would marry in September 19th, 1910 in Sioux City and begin a long life together. The couple would have 8 children, 3 daughters and 5 sons.

A 1940 photograph of the Boutrous Family is attached below. Attas (Ghattas) and Della's 5 sons and 3 daughters are:

1. Thomas (Tom) Boutrous was a Doctor and was born in Sioux City, Iowa on October 30th, 1912 and passed on May 20th, 1974 in Detroit, Michigan.

2. George Boutrous was a Chiropractor and was born in Sioux City, Iowa on March 5th, 1915 and passed in Phoenix, Arizona on April 4th, 1995.

3. Floyd Nick Boutrous was a Real Estate Developer and was born in Bismarck on January 30th, 1917 and passed in Bismarck on March 2nd, 2010.

4. Theodore (Ted) Boutrous was an Attorney and was born in Bismarck on July 3rd, 1919 and passed in Bismarck on October 28th, 1996.

5. James (Jimmie) Melad Boutrous was a Real Estate Broker and was born in Bismarck on January 3rd, 1922 and passed in Fort Collins, Colorado on September 11th, 2014.

6. Florence (Flossy) Boutrous Nemer was a stenographer for the North Dakota Legislative Council and was born in Bismarck on March 12th, 1924 and passed in Bismarck on December 24th, 2002.

7.Lorna (Boutrous) Michaelson was a Jazz Piano Player/Musician and was born in Bismarck on September 16th, 1928 and passed in Minneapolis / St. Paul, Minnesota on July 20th, 2013.

8. Sylvia (Boutrous) Trent was born in Bismarck on June 19th, 1933 and lives in New Jersey and is a wonderful mother and grandmother and still going strong.

Attas (Ghattas) Fares Boutrous Abu Dakken
Attas was born in Ain Arab, Syria/Lebanon February 12th, 1882 and passed in Bismarck, ND on January 16th, 1944. Attas and his wife Della settled in Bismarck and opened 'The Fair Store’ which was a clothing & general merchandise store. In 1929 along Della and his children, they opened the 'Corner Grocery.' The family acquired real estate in the area and were a well respected family in Bismarck. After Attas passed in 1944, his sons took over the business and ran it for decades.

Della was born in Ain Arab, Lebonon/Syria on February 17th, 1892 and was the eldest child of the family. Many of the extended family members had first came to America in the late 1800s through the early 1900s. When her time came, Della, at the time only 15 years old, along with two cousins, began their journey in Ain Arab and traveled to Beirut. From there, the trio were off on a trans-Atlantic steamer to Mexico.

On July 13th, 1907 from the municipality of Zaragoza, in the state of Coahuila in north-eastern Mexico, Della and her cousins crossed the border into the United States. They passed through customs in Eagle Pass, Texas and looked northward, toward where she would inevitably be heading. Della would be traveling to reunite with her father, Jirji 'George' at the family homestead in Sheridan County, North Dakota, near Denhoff. Speaking no English, Della made her way by train to the Great Northern Plains with a piece of paper that had only the words 'Denhoff, North Dakota' written on it.