Abou Rjeily Family background

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Atallah is the earliest known ancestor of the Abou Rjeily family, which began in the 17th century in Mount Lebanon.

He was the son of Nasr, who was in turn the son of Merjan. Nasr had a brother named Nader, from whom the Nader and Berberi families descend.

 

Merjan belonged to one of the Christian families that migrated from Hawran (now in Syria) to Kesrouan (Mount Lebanon) and later to Jbeil (Mount Lebanon) after the Islamic conquest in the seventh century. His family settled in Barbara for an extended period to preserve their beliefs.

 

In the early seventeenth century, Atallah moved to the village of Ktéléh in Metn, located in the valley between Metn and Aley. This area was one of the feudal holdings of the Lamaï princes, specifically Prince Murad el-Lamaï.

 

Atallah married and had four children: Elias, Farès, Yaghi, and Dib.

 

As his sons grew, they displayed great enthusiasm for serving Prince Murad. During a visit to congratulate the prince on an achievement, the prince addressed Atallah in front of his followers as “Abou al-Rijal” (Father of the men) to acknowledge the services Atallah and his family had rendered. This title, "Abou al-Rijal," became the official name of his descendants, who proudly adopted it. Over time, it evolved into the name "Abou Rjeily."

 

The descendants of Atallah multiplied until they had a conflict with the Lamaï princes, the sons of Murad. In keeping with the traditions of that time, the family decided to leave the province and relocate. Some moved to Bhamdoun, Hab Ramoun, Ramliéh, and nearby villages under the control of the Abed el-Malak family. Another group migrated to the Bekaa Valley.

When the group reached Chbaniéh, one of the feudal estates of Kaed Bey el-Lamaï, a cousin of Prince Murad, the prince forbade them from continuing to the Bekaa and forced them to return to the village of Deir Khouna, near Ktéléh, which was part of his domain. Kaed Bey attempted to reconcile the group with his cousins, the Lamaï, descendants of Murad. Many returned to Ktéléh, while others remained in Deir Khouna. The Abou Rjeily family, now found in Beirut, Chiyah, Taltita, Chbanié, Hammana, Kab Elias, Zahlé, Baalbeck, and Kfarzabad, descends from these two groups.

The branches of the family living in Mazraat el-Nahr, Rishmaya, Kfarmatta, Ser Jbeil, Benwayté, Deir El Kamar, Wadi el-Deir, Amik, Tehzaniyé, and Ain el-Sindiyani (all villages in the Chouf region, south of Aley County in Mount Lebanon) trace their ancestry to the group that settled in Bhamdoun, Hab Rammoun, and Ramlié.

By the late 19th century, and before World War I, many members of the Abou Rjeily family emigrated from Mount Lebanon, alongside a wave of Christian migration that nearly emptied the region. They settled in various countries: in the United States, adopting names like Bourjaily, Abojaily, and Aborlleile; in Argentina as Aburgeily and Aburllaily; in Brazil as Abourejaili and Bou-Rjaili; and in Canada, Australia, France, Sweden, and other locations.