Americans of Polish descent. How many of us are on Polish forums?

try here: jewishgen.org

there are a couple of close matches

Thanks, I'll make sure my cousin is aware of that site. he does a much better job with this stuff than me.

I handle visuals. I have the family photo album.

This is an interesting item.



possibly the long lost uncle.

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Why would somebody have to live in Poland to prove that he/she is interested in Poland.I state it quite clearly I am AMERICAN of POLISH DESCENT.Why is it wrong to have an interest.I know I have family over there.If I could afford it I would spend some time in Poland.It sounds like

some of you give a lot of thought about your rhetoric.Don't be so full of yourselves.I want to live in America and I would like to visit Poland.

Its not and you have every right to go there and every right to look up your familys line and you might even have rights to citizenship

because POLAND itself has a policy which states this... I forgot all the details of it , but you do have rights.. isnt that cool, you

have more rights then someone who say, came from scottland/uk so to speak and can get citizenship.. because its where your family
came from, same as if they were from there, they would get same privlege,


I agree, but its mostly because the same people keep making each other miserable, its just like a broken record, over and over and over

but pay no attention, have a look into the genealogy links area :)


amen!

Curious why after 1919?

My grandfather came here in 1905. My grandmother I think 7 years later. He left the family farm (he hated the family buisness) and went to America. I personelly believe he also left to avoid being asked to serve in the Russian military. He died when I was young and we didn't get to speak much. My grandmother was not well educated and did not speak much english so I didn't get to speak with her much either. My father can speak Polish but never tought his children. He married my mother who is 100% Irish. I have always been curious about my heritage so of course I began digging on Ancestry. com.... I own a window cleaning buisness in NJ and NYC. I have done most of what I can as far as finding my relatives as far back as the early 1800's.....unfortunately the records don't exist prior.

Mark - thank you for being honest about this. Most of the US Polonia that visit this site seem to be in complete denial about their family - but you've told the truth and for that, I applaud you. There's no shame in this - but people seem to regard it as something shameful.


It's a bit off topic, but did you know that such a thing barely exists, if at all in Poland?

I was always curious about this fact as she came from a fairly wealthy family. Zadrozny. They owned several farms and a rather large forestry buisness. My grandmother worked on thier dairy farm. Education wasn't as much a necessity back then, surviving was is my take on it. I think most of the Us Polonia on here are just not used to harsh conditions. We live a pretty good lives here.


I am surprised is this because most shop owners clean thier own windows?

- I'm a Jew of Jewish-Polish and Slovakian-Polish descent.
- I have Jewish (Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Slovakian, Austrian, Hungarian), Slovakian-Polish, and Irish, French, Belgian, German, Scottish, English, and Spanish blood. The French-Belgian-German and Spanish bloods could well be Ashkenazi and Sefardi Jewish, though.

- I'm estranged from my dad's family for the most part, but I keep many of the Jewish (not the assimilationist) traditions.
- What else would you like to know?


Who was your granddad? We might be related. A whole group of my family--the Chernetskis, Andrulewiczes, Daniłowiczes, and Morgiewiczes--came to PA (mostly Luzerne County), NJ (mostly Hudson County), and (I guess) NY to flee the pogroms and live as Anusim in America.

Unfortunately none of the surnames you listed. My grandfather came from Podbielko just northeast of Warsaw. His name was Andrzej Skibniewski. My Polish family grew up devout Catholic but that doesn't mean as much these days. My wife is Jewish and we are very happy together.

yes they do, its just more tedious digging, but there are scattered records, I was told same thing, now I have my family history up to

1759

so for 200 years my family was in the same place on both sides so far. actually family is still in poland so add 50 more years :)

2 Polish great grandparents, that came to America in the 1920's if I am remembering correctly. I have the immigration documents somewhere. I'd love to spend some time in Poland someday.

Ok. Thanks for letting me know.

I am! I am about 1/8 blood and am 5th generation. I think I and other people in my family look very much like the people in Poland, and we have the same values. I wish to reconnect with my Polish side by being on here. I feel so alone in this Southern bible belt.

Could you be more specific as to what records you are referring to and where they are located. I do realize there are records that exist well before 1800 depending where your family was. I was told by the professional that I used that the birth/death and church records for the area where my family was from do not exist . He also tried land records and tax records but no dice. If you know of any other records I would be very interested.

And what would you know about Polish values?

Calm your hostility, your Polish values may not be every Pole's Polish values lol.

I'm just curious, what would you say are Polish values?

Hard work, belief in a higher power, discussion of politics, traditional family, loyalty etc. I meant more close to like a Polish-American.

And to me my emphasis on being very well groomed and quaffed (I usually never let people see me when I'm not waxed, my teeth aren't whitened, and I'm not wearing eye makeup) is more of an Eastern European cultural thing. It's not very normal for an American, unless they're just following trends, which is not for my area.

Not disagreeing, but I'd say that's part of Chinese or Japanese culture as well, so it's not exclusively Polish.


Poland's in Central Europe, btw ;)

No, technically it could be considered either one. ;)

You mean Brazilian? ;)
(sorry, couldn't resist)

I was the first generation to be born in the USA. Our family had to leave Poland in 1951 when Soviets took control. I am very proud of my Polish roots and have searched for my family in Poland. Prior to Poland regaining her freedom and internet this task was virtually useless. Some day I want to return to see the land and the people. With ski on your name (USA does not change to ska for females) you are id'ed as Polish regardless of birth place. Today I have 1000's of Polish friends (throughout the world) and feel we really need to work together to correct historical inaccuracy.

No, eyebrows hehe. I actually don't wax that area anyway, I do something different LOL TMI!


No one has thousands of friends, if so they're not real friends, just acquaintances. No human can possibly process that many relationships at the same time. Maybe 50-100 at the most for some people.

Have you considered that Poles might not want an American interfering?


Clearly, you've never been to Poland.


Since when? That's more of an American thing if anything...


Technically nothing - Poland is in central Europe. If you'd actually been to Poland, you'd know this.


Good. Don't mix up the two - Polish-Americans have little in common with Poles.

Amen

pseudo know-it-all

I don't mean my description is like modern people in Poland today, I mean it's like the traditional core of what it means to be Polish.

Wow, seems like losing a country was not enough for some of you. Thank God the Polish I work with from Poland did not forget the ones that lost family members, fought from start to finish in a war only to loose their homeland. God Bless Poland and her people regardless of where they are today.

I am here! I read a lot and post rarely. I am an American of mixed Polish and Ukrainian descent.

I do still talk(well, write) with family in Poland. Although, funnily enough, the relatives I still have contact with, are descendants of my Ukrainian side of the family. Where they live(and always have) is in Poland, near the border crossing at Medyka.

Most of the traditons we still celebrate have to do with Christmas, and food.

When I was young, in the early 90's, I got to spend a couple of summers in Poland in the summer language program at Jagiellonian University, and also got to meet my relatives in person then. At the time, I was very tempted to stay. Then it was very easy for Americans to get jobs teaching English. What ended up dissuading me was the quality of health care then. I had a couple of friends have some really bad experiences after falling ill there. Were I only that age again now...

It would be very interesting if I found one of the members here to be a distant relative of mine. However, I don't think I could have many blood relatives in actual Poland, if at all, because almost every single young family member of my ancestors emigrated to the USA at some point. The only people left were maybe distant relatives and the old folks. They left at a good time though right before WWII, it's like they were psychic or something (lol jk).

It's best to hide our true numbers so they may never be known.