Volume XXI, No. 11 30 November 2020
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Volume XXI, No. 11 30 November 2020 ISSN 1555-774X. Copyright © 2020, PolishRoots®, Inc. Editor: William F. “Fred” Hoffman, e-mail: [email protected]< > CONTENTS Welcome! Haller’s Army Using the Internet Letters to the Editor Special Offer: The Latest from PolishOrigins PGSCTNE Polish Language Classes Geneteka Index Updates Upcoming Events More Useful Web Addresses You May Reprint Articles... *************************************** *** WELCOME! *** to the latest issue of Gen Dobry!, the e-zine of PolishRoots®. You can find this and previous issues here: <http://polishroots.org/GenDobry?PageId=60> Also, Agnieszka Maja Migalska of the Facebook group Polish Genealogy has made the PDF available via this link – thanks, Agnieszka! <https://tinyurl.com/y8v6j2wu> Gen Dobry!, Vol. XXI, No. 11, November 2020 — 1 ************************************** *** HALLER’S ARMY USING THE INTERNET *** by Paul S. Valasek <[email protected]> First of all, I hope that everyone had some form of Thanksgiving. It may have been smaller than normal, but the fact that it was celebrated is what counts. The same goes for Christmas, which is easier to reduce in size and complexity. I have decided NOT to buy TWO new Lexus autos to park in my driveway, as I do every year! Maybe a Radio Flyer wagon would be more appropriate! Now for the latest news on the Polish Army in France. This article is created with a homage to the Internet for what it should be accomplishing, rather than the waste land it has become. Fun and games and mindless dribble is fine at times, but true knowledge is much more rewarding than how much virtual candy you can collect from a cartoon screen. The first item is the availability of a documentary I was part of in 2018-9. It was produced by Robert Wachowiak and Edyta Slusarczyk and is quite well done. The one-hour show details the very basics of Haller’s Army, from recruitment to Camp Kosciuszko, to arriving in France, transfer to Poland and the Eastern Front, and completing World War I not ending with Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, but in February 1921. At that point, the Haller troops were still returning to America via New York City, Camp Dix, NJ, and homeward bound. The story is based on the great-grandfather of Anthony Adamsky, who now lives in New England. This man originally settled in the Ohio River Valley of Southeast Ohio and West Virginia, moved to Massachusetts, and continued his “new life” in America, which was interrupted by World War I, the Polish Ukrainian War, and finally, the Polish-Soviet War. My role in the movie was to identify proof of his enlistment, from where and when, and how he left for Camp at Niagara. It took a bit of true genealogy research, but I was able to locate him under his original surname, and as they say, the rest was history. You can find this film on the website, Vimeo, and type in “Falcons of Freedom.” If that doesn’t work, try this link: <https://vimeo.com/301935151/d59beecf30> Some people seem to have found it via other routes, and some say that they are unable to connect to Vimeo. When I received the link, I was able to pull it up on my big-screen TV through AT&T cable. If you can do this, the viewing experience will be much better. I would appreciate any comments you may have, as I can easily see a need for further videos and/or miniseries or movie. * * * The second part of this article deals with what even I was amazed at with the true possibilities of the Internet. As I continue to sell both Volume I and for the past year, Volume II of Haller’s Polish Gen Dobry!, Vol. XXI, No. 11, November 2020 — 2 Army in France, (yes, Volume III is more than half ready), I was contacted by Sharon in Arizona, who wanted to purchase my book, only to find out the second volume was out as well. After arranging for the sale of both books, I always ask the buyer, did you have anyone connected with the army – father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, great-uncles, etc.? If we get lucky, I can provide more information to them for their research. Indeed, she said her great-uncle, Alexander Uczciwek, enlisted in the army from Chicago, served in Europe, but was killed in 1920, one week before plans of shipping home. Immediately my ears picked up, as anytime in 1920 would most likely mean the Eastern front, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and lands which were historically Poland. And what was he doing in battle one week before returning to America? This trip home would have to be started in Gdańsk, and if he was on the Eastern front, how does one get to Gdansk from Ukraine or Belarus in one week? For those who may not know, Russian trains have a different width of wheelbase than continental trains, so a direct train from the East to Gdańsk was not possible. This discrepancy was deliberate, as how better to stop an invading army by not allowing their transport trains access to the Russian railway system. Sharon also said that Alexander had been discharged from service recently, which would explain his planned return to the US – but why was he still in a war zone? She replied that he was working and serving with the YMCA, and was near Minsk when the fighting took place. She did include a copy of an article printed in the Chicago Tribune shortly after the event (reproduced on page 4). So, now I have more information for my upcoming volume, as well as my database of recruits. Whenever I find the information about death and burial, I add this to the recruit’s file. I checked the listing and had no information of date or place of death, nor any information on Alex returning to the USA, either wounded or deceased for final burial. So I asked Sharon, does she have any knowledge of where her Great-uncle was buried, and she said, not any idea whatsoever. As this answer is not satisfactory to a dedicated genealogist, I started to wonder how we can find out more. I contacted fellow researcher Jean-Francois Kusina in Paris for his take on the matter. He has very generously allowed me to use much of his research materials on the Polish Army in France while in France, especially the French cemeteries where the Hallerczycy and Bajończycy are buried. He had no listing for Uczciwek, but said he would write to another researcher in Poland who may know. I felt this was a step in the right direction, and if successful, maybe in weeks or a couple of months we may have an answer. Now is when the Internet truly works well. Within 28 HOURS, I had my answer. (See photo on page 5.) Seems like Jean-Francois’ Polish connection has a Belarus connection who knew exactly what I was looking for. Alexander Uczciwek was buried in the Roman Catholic Cemetery in Baranowicze, near to Minsk. The headstone does indicate he was a Polish American from Chicago, who was serving in the YMCA. That is pretty solid information, not disputable. Gen Dobry!, Vol. XXI, No. 11, November 2020 — 3 Gen Dobry!, Vol. XXI, No. 11, November 2020 — 4 So now I know where he’s buried, and Sharon knows where he’s buried (first time the family has ever seen the grave, let alone known where it is.) All it took was a letter to me about my books, emails from Arizona, to Chicago, to Paris, to Warsaw, and then “somewhere near Minsk.” All in 28 hours! Since this original information drop, I have received several additional photos, as well as additional newspaper articles, enough for a chapter about Alexander Uczciwek to be included in Volume III. If anyone has information on Aleksander Uczciwek, Sharon would like to know. You may contact her at <[email protected]>. * * * Last bit of information, if you might be interested in obtaining either Volume I or II or both of Haller’s Polish Army in France, please write to me at <[email protected]> and I can tell you what the cost is for either, or take both with reduced shipping costs. Also if you have an ancestor who served in the army, and by chance we have not communicated with each other, please feel free to write and share what you have. I am, unbelievably, starting to gather additional information which will not fit into Volume III, which of course causes creation of Gen Dobry!, Vol. XXI, No. 11, November 2020 — 5 a file on my computer entitled, Haller’s Polish ArmyVolume IV material. Merry Christmas to all! Keep traditions alive and well. Cancel ignorance. ************************************** *** LETTERS TO THE EDITOR *** Subject: Ancestors Poland Foundation My name is Natalia Kuć and I represent Ancestors Poland Foundation. We are a Polish non-profit organization that deals with genealogy research for Polish communities living in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Our main goal is to familiarize them with their heritage and reunit- ing families that were separated in the result of Polish turbulent history. We have built a special place for our virtual community – a social network, <https:// ancestorspoland.com/> – where people from all around the world can leave their genealogical requests for free. They are visible for all users so as a result, it is very easy to find missing relatives. Moreover, we have a group of volunteers who help our users with their research and therefore allow them to learn more about previous generations.