<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3uVpuX_0wPiKYpi00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3uVpuX_0wPiKYpi00" width="208" height="247" ></figure>October is Polish American Heritage Month. The National Genealogical Society is pleased to share with you the following article on researching your Polish roots.Polish immigration to the United States began with the Jamestown settlement in 1608 when the Virginia Company hired Polish artisans skilled in trades needed in the new settlement.[1] Count Kazimierz Pulaski and Tadeusz Kościuszko distinguished themselves as heroes during the Revolutionary War. They were joined by about one hundred other Poles who fought alongside the Americans in the cause of freedom. Throughout US history, Polish immigrants have been arriving in the United States, with immigration peaking between 1870 and the start of World War I.Poland was partitioned between Russia, Prussia, and Austria at the end of the 18th century. During this period, you may find your ethnically Polish ancestors identifying as Polish, Russian, Austrian, or Prussian, which might clue you in to the area of origin for those immigrants.Locating the immigration records documenting your Polish ancestors’ arrival in the US can be tricky but rewarding. Before the 1890s, passenger arrival records didn’t include many details. However, records created beginning in the mid- to late-1890s—particularly after 1906—may include incredibly helpful information, such as birthplaces, the names of relatives in the old country, friends or relatives who the immigrant was going to meet, their last residence, and more. Here are some tips for locating your ancestor’s arrival record.<ul><li>Create a timeline to estimate the immigrant’s arrival. Dates and places of birth for family members found in US census records can help. Censuses from 1900-1930 also asked for the year of immigration for immigrants, and you may find this information in some state censuses as well.</li><li>Naturalization records for those who opted to obtain citizenship may reference the arrival date, the name of the ship he or she arrived on, and other important details. If your ancestor went back to Europe to visit family, you might also find a passport record that may include that information.</li><li>Death records sometimes include how many years the deceased had been in the country.</li><li>Passenger lists were created at the port of departure, and as such, the immigrants typically used the native version of their given name (e.g., Jan vs. John, Josef vs. Joseph, Elzbieta vs. Elizabeth, etc.). </li><li>Also look for variants of the immigrant’s surname. Last names were often Americanized or spelled phonetically after the immigrant’s arrival (but not at Ellis Island as some family stories claim). Learning about the Polish alphabet and pronunciation may help you locate the family in arrival records. My great-grandfather John Mekalski often spelled his name Menkalski. I learned that the e with the “little tail” (ę) is, in some situations, pronounced “en,” so that solved that little mystery. (He also spelled his name Wagner for a while, but that’s a story for another day.)</li><li>Surnames may also have masculine and feminine variations, like Krakowski/Krakowska.</li><li>Following the Quota Acts of 1921, which limited the number of immigrants arriving by country, some immigrants may have tried to circumvent restrictions by coming in through Canada or Mexico. </li><li>Bear in mind that some immigrants went back and forth between the US and Europe several times before settling in the United States or returning home for good. Keep looking even after you’ve found one arrival to see if there are more. Records from the post-1906 era asked whether the immigrant had been in the US before, and when, so that’s an easy clue to look for.</li><li>FamilySearch, the National Archives, and Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation maintain collections of immigration records, as do subscription websites like Ancestry.com, FindMyPast, and MyHeritage. You can learn more about immigration records on the website of the National Archives and Records Administration.</li></ul>Locating your ancestor’s arrival record marks the start of a new life in America, and the details provided can shed important insights into how they came to the US and much more. Image credit: A Polish emigrant boarding ship - he carries trunk on his shoulders, Nov 1907, digitized photograph, Library of Congress website (https://www.loc.gov/item/2001704434/: accessed 24 Oct 2024)</div></body>

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October is Polish Heritage Month: Finding Passenger Lists

October is Polish American Heritage Month. The National Genealogical Society is pleased to share with you the following article on researching your Polish roots. Polish immigration to the United States began with the Jamestown settlement in 1608 when the Virginia Company hired Polish artisans skilled in trades needed in the new settlement.[1] Count Kazimierz Pulaski and Tadeusz Kościuszko distinguished themselves as heroes during the Revolutionary War. They were joined by about one hundred other Poles who fought alongside the Americans in the cause of freedom. Throughout US history, Polish immigrants have been arriving in the United States, with immigration peaking between 1870 and the start of World War I.