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Alexander Kosta, 1886 (1851 - 1924)	Episodes in One Man's Life Memoirs of Alexander Kosta

Alexander Kosta was from Galaxidion and he was sailor. His travels took him all over the world. He saw more places than what most people see in a lifetime today. Historical records place his arrival in San Francisco close to 1883. He worked in several California cities before permanently settling in San Francisco. Mr. Kosta starts to appear in San Francisco city directories in 1890 (see SF Directory listings).

Alexander Kosta's story is tied to the history of Greek community in San Francisco. He was a driving force for the establishment of a Greek Orthodox church in San Francisco. His dream was realized in 1903 when Holy Trinity Greek Church was built and the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated December 25, 1903. His story is fascinating and we are honored to share it with you.

Alexander Kosta wrote his memoirs in 1924. Shortly thereafter, he passed away. The original text was written in Greek and was translated by Alexandra Apostolides in the 1920s. In July 1970, Peter George (Alexander Kosta's grandson) re-typed the manuscript with word changes and revisions in syntax and orthography. We are grateful to the Kosta family for sharing his autobiography and several family photographs with us.

We divided this story into eight parts to make it easier to download. Please note that there are Greek words in various sections of the text and you must change the encoding setting on your web browser to view them.

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Left to right: Alexander Kosta Portrait, circa 1886; Alexander Kosta Portrait, circa 1895; Kosta family home, circa 1915; John Kosta, circa 1905; Adamantia Kosta, circa 1915; Chrissie Kosta at Sutro Baths, circa 1910; Kosta Family Portrait, 1910; Chrisse Kosta George, 1950s; All photographs courtesy of the Kosta family.