Parisville/Paris Township

Parisville/Paris Township The Oldest Polish Settlement in Michigan (Founded 1855/1856) Parisville Museum Sketch by Marilyn Rutkowski. Cabin circa 1875 by Charles Ciechanowski-Chinoski-Chase March 2019 1 A Special Thanks The following people have made invaluable contributions to this document: • Roger Laske • Evelyn Osentoski-Clor • Richard Clor • Jackie Rutkowski-Gracey • Janis Stein • Norma Glaza-Novick • The late Donald Lucien Susalla • The late Stanley & Marilyn Miklasz -Rutkowski 2 Contents 1. Problems in Poland 2. Poles in America 3. Emigration from Poland to the Parisville Area 4. Where is Parisville Located? 5. A Stopover in Canada 6. The Founding of Parisville 7. Early Purchasing of Land in Paris Township 8. The Move to Their New Property 9. Early Pioneer Life in Paris Township 10. St Mary’s Catholic Church 11. Huron County Ravaged by Fire: 1871 12. Huron County Ravaged by Fire: 1881 13. Parisville Becomes a Town (Again) 14. Parisville Today 15. References 16. Appendices 3 1. Problems in Poland Introduction • In the mid-19th Century, Michigan was experiencing a rapid rate of expansion. A large part of this growth was due to a significant influx of immigrants, primarily from Europe. • Conditions in many parts of Europe, especially Poland, created an incentive for Europeans to seek a “better life” in America • Between 1772 and 1795, Poland was partitioned by Prussia, Russia and Austria. By 1795, Poland, as an independent nation, no longer existed. • This overrun of Poland, by other nations, caused many problems for the “Polish” people, including the following: • They had the culture of a foreign power imposed upon them, • They were, often, not allowed to openly practice their religious beliefs, • They were, often, not allowed to teach their children their native language in schools. • Polish merchants often had to shutter their businesses because the partitioning power would not allow its support by the locals. • They were, often, conscripted into the military of the partitioning countries, • They had significant restrictions imposed on them regarding land ownership and the growing, harvesting and selling of crops—highly dominant serfdom was commonplace. • The Result: the movement Poles to America—primarily starting in the mid- 1800s 4 2. Poles in America Poles Coming to America • Hundreds of thousands of Poles eventually settled in large US cities, such as New York, Philadelphia, Detroit and Chicago. This migration primarily took place in the late 19th Century and the early 20th Century. • The true Polish pioneers came to America in the mid-19th Century. They were primarily farmers who had to find cheap land in a strange new country. They faced the very difficult task of clearing and developing “wild”, and often dangerous, lands for agricultural purposes. Also immigrating, near this time, were coal miners who went to work in such places as Shamokin, Pennsylvania. • In 1857 the mining area of Pennsylvania encountered a major financial crisis, resulting in many miners losing their jobs. Michigan became an attractive alternative. Miners who ended up purchasing land in Michigan included: Andrew Florkowski, Joseph Ossowski, Francis Talaga, Joseph Dropiewski, Michael Dutkowski, Joseph Bloch, John Wojtalewicz and Matheus Suida. First US Polish Settlement • Many documents have been published addressing the subject: which was the first “Polish Settlement” in the United States? By Polish Settlement is meant that Poles were the primary inhabitants of the town. • The two primary contenders were: 1. Panna Maria, Karnes County, TX 2. Parisville, Huron County, MI • Panna Maria celebrated their first mass on Christmas Eve 1854 • In 1977, Harry Milostan published his book: “Parisville Poles, First Polish Settlers in U.S.A.”? On page-25, Milostan showed a figure indicating that Francis Susalla, a Pole, purchased his first Parisville land on 11 September 1854 (over 3-months before the Mass in Panna Maria). It looked as though Parisville would win the honor of 1st Polish community. 5 Francis Susalla’s Land Purchase (As shown on page-25 Milostan’s book) 6 3. Emigration from Poland to the Parisville Area 7 Settling in a New Land Involved Overcoming Many New Problems • First, it should be noted that all families who migrated to the Parisville area between 1855 and 1875 were true pioneers. • Settling in the “Thumb” of Michigan brought with it significant challenges such as: 1. Much of the land was covered by thick forests, inhabited by wild animals and various Indian tribes. 2. Some areas had swamps that needed to be rid of water 3. No roads or internal waterways existed to aid in travel between areas. Travel was by foot, using the trails of Indians and animals. 4. Not speaking the native language, English, was a significant hurdle the Poles had to eventually overcome. • Besides offering political and religious freedom, Michigan provided these farmers with three other important things: (1) cheap land, (2) excellent land for growing crops and (3) a climate fairly close to that of their homeland. Additionally, this area provided excellent hunting which yielded both food and pelts, and the virgin forests which supported the building of log cabins and the establishment of a lumber industry. From Where in Poland Did the Parisville Pioneers come? • Although Poles came to the Thumb from a number of areas within Poland, most came from within the Prussian Partition. • Within this partition, two villages stand out as the dominant contributors of the Polish immigrants who settled in the area immediately around Parisville: • Boronów, Lubliniec County (Powiat), Silesian Voivodeship, Poland • Śliwice, Tuchola County (Powiat), Kuyavian- Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland • Families who came from these two areas in Poland, and settled in the Parisville area, involved over 80 different surnames. 8 The Villages Included in the Areas Around Boronów & Śliwice • Boronów & Śliwice are each the Seat of their local district (Gmina) • Gmina Boronów includes the following villages: • Boronów, Cielec, Dębowa Góra, Grojec, Hucisko and Zumpy; and settlements Doły, Sitki, and Szklana Huta • Gmina Śliwice includes (1) the following villages: • Brzeźno Male, Brzozowe Blota, Bylyczek, Glówka, Krąg, Laski, Ląski Piec, Linówek, Lińsk, Lipowa, Lisiny, Lubocień, Okoniny, Okoniny Nadjeziorne, Rosochatka, Śliwice, Sliwiczki and Zwierzyniec, Biała, Lążek, Duże, Krówno, Osówek, Osieczna, Rzepiczna, Szlachta, Starzyska, Zdrojno. (1) NOTE: the villages shown for Gmina Śliwice are for 1850, Source: Dariusz (Darek) Rząska Map of Poland with its 16 Provinces 9 Families with Over 30 Surnames Moved from the Boronόw Area to the Parisville Area • Borowiec • Piełot/Pieloth • Bula/Buła • Plewnia/Plevnia • Bulla • Pluta • Bureiza/Bureisa • Polk • Burzik • Pyrek/Pyrrek • Dzuik • Sowa • Gomoluch • Sowka/Sofka • Goniwiecha • Stroba • Klama • Swierc/Swiercz • Kozlowski • Sławik/Slawik • Kucharczyk • Ulfig/Ulfik • Kulish • Walentek • Lescznewski • Warczak • Myrcik • Zielinski • Mzyk • Zurek • Moy • Zyska • Ossadnik/Osadnik Families with about 50 Surnames Moved from the Śliwice Area to the Parisville Area • Chabowski • Peplinski • Ciechanowski • Pilawski • Czayka • Piotrowski • Glaza • Pliszka/Plyzka/Pliska • Gliniecki • Połłom/Połom/Polom • Gornowicz • Ryngwelski/Ringwelski • Gorecki • Rytlewski • Grabowski • Rząska • Gryfka/Grifka • Szmaglinski/Smaglinski • Gwizdała/Gwizdałła/Gwisdala • Śmielewski/Smielewski • Kanabay/Kanaby • Śpica/Spica/Spitza • Kaminski • Szamocka • Klejna • Szlachcikowski • Łepek/Lepek/Leppek • Szuida/Suida • Linski • Talaszki/Talaśki/Talaski • Litkowski, Łytkowski, Łytkowski • Trepkowski • Lubanski • Warczak • Niezurawski • Węsierski/Wesierski • Nowak • Weyznerowski • Olszowy • Wilkowski • Osentowski/Osentoski • Włoch • Ossowicki/Osowicki • Wrόbel/Wrobel/Wroble • Zielinski • Partyka/Parteka 10 • Pawłowski/Pawlowski • Zurawski 4. Where is Parisville Located? Parisville’s Location Within Michigan Huron Established as a County • Originally attached to adjacent counties: Sanilac & Tuscola • Huron established as a Michigan County by Michigan Law on 1 April 1840 • Fully organized by Act of Legislature on 25 January 1859 • Sand Beach (now Harbor Beach) was the county seat until 1865. • The county seat then moved to Port Austin until 1873. • Finally, the county’s Board of Supervisors designated Bad Axe as county seat, where it remains today. 11 28 Townships of Huron County, MI Extent of Huron County’s Boundary Counties Near Huron County 12 5. A Stopover in Canada Arrived in Quebec on to Ontario • Upon arrival in Quebec, the Poles encountered agents, who informed them of railroad construction jobs available in Ontario. • The first of the Poles arrived in Quebec around 1854 and 1855. We know that Ambrose Ciechanowski and his step brother, Thomas Smielewski, obtained passports, for their passage, in April 1854. No actual sailing dates have been found, because the Canadian government destroyed most, if not all, ship passenger lists for the period prior to 1865. • We do know that Franz Polk, his wife Josefa, nee Sławik, and their family, sailed from Hamburg, Germany to Hull, England in April 1855. Even though records for the remainder of the trip to Canada cannot be found, we do know that his wife, Josefa Sławik, gave birth to their son, Francis, in Paris, Ontario in July 1855. • During this same period, two other key Polish pioneers arrived in Ontario: Francis Susalla, with his wife Josefa, nee, Zolonek, and Anton Sławik, and his wife, Johanna, nee, Walentek . Anton’s wife had recently

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