1. Human geography

A coastal village on the Sea of Marmara (Propontis), in a distance of 3 hours from Bandırma (Panormos). Its Greek name, Yetzes, must be considered an alteration of the Turkish name Yenice köy (“New village”). Its name today is Yenice. In the beginning of the 20th century (1905) the village numbered 1,200 inhabitants. From them only five-six families were Muslim.¹ Many of the Christian inhabitants had migrated from Macedonia. The inhabitants spoke the Greek language. Only men knew Turkish.

2. Administrative structure-Ecclesiastical dependence-Religion-Education

According to the information available for the beginning of the 20th century, Yenice administratively belonged to the kaymakamlık of Panormos, which in turn belonged to the mutasarrıflık of Balıkesir of the vilayet of Brusa. The village was administrated by a muhtar, in collaboration to one or two azas (councillors), with tax collecting responsibilities. There was also a board comprised of four members, responsible for the maintenance of the church and the school. Since there was no community land property, teachers were paid from the contributions of the families and from the income of the church.

Yenice ecclesiastically belonged to the diocese of Cyzicus. The village’s church was dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin. It was located at the village’s highest point, at its northern end. It was an old church which was renovated in 1904. To the east of the village a coastal monastery dedicated to St Anna was located.² The monastery possessed gardens with mulberry trees and fruit trees, as well as tracks of land of its own which were taken care by a monk. It also had rooms used by the shepherds as cheese dairies. The village’s only school was mixed, with a teacher who was paid in a yearly base with approximately 1,500 kuruş. Children, however, hardly ever continued their education after the fourth grade.

3. Economy

Few inhabitants were occupied with agriculture. Most were mariners, fishermen, artisans and muleteers. All of them, however, were occupied with sericulture. Mariners were mostly employed as crewmembers (tayfa) in ships which belonged to ship-owners from Peramos and Bandırma (Panormos). The inhabitants of Yenice had 5-6 great merchant boats which mostly travelled in the Sea of Marmara. The settlement’s exchanges were mainly conducted with Panormos. Especially the muleteers carried there charcoal, whereas the boats wood, useful not only as fire wood but also as building material.

4. Resettlement

After the Asia Minor Catastrophe families from Yenice settled in Polykastro of Kilkis, at Stavros of Chalkidiki, at Pangaio of Kavala, at Athens, at Megalo Peuko and at Veroia.