Prussia was once a German kingdom whose capital was the city of Berlin. In 1793 with the Second Partition of Poland, Prussia annexed Wielkolpolska (Greater Poland). The Polish families who lived in this region now became Prussian citizens. Almost all of these families were of simple peasant birth and the routine of their days was dictated by the changes in the seasons, the influence of the Catholic Church, and the demands of the government that held sway over their existence. Theirs was not an easy life as they were often times exposed to war, disease, cultural restraints, linguistic suppression, and the ravages of poverty.
The European portion of this history is centered in Poznan in the western part of modern-day Poland and stretches from 1772 to 1889. The Germans called the area Posen. In this time span, the population of the district would consecutively hold allegiance to the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania, to Prussia as the Province of South Prussia, to France as the Duchy of Warsaw, again to Prussia as the Grand Duchy of Posen, and from 1849, as the Province of Posen. In 1868 Posen remained in Prussia, but was also incorporated into the North German Confederation. After 1871 it became part of the German Empire.
Our focus centers on the ancestors of Antoni Biesiada and Katarzyna Dudziak, who married in 1872 and migrated to America in 1889. Examined are the lives of their forbearers and the events that led up to the family's subsequent migration. In conjunction with this examination, the folkways, culture, and customs of the people are analyzed. The story is written in historical terms, but also with an anthropological and social perspective. As these events unfold chronologically in Prussian-occupied Poland, their repercussions are considered in terms of their influence and impact on the family. There were many factors that dictated the family's move to America: oppression, discrimination, hunger, economics, and inauspiciously -murder!
This history also focuses on the conflicts of ethnic culture in Posen. It calls attention to the Prussian domination of the Poles and their resistance to this subjugation. It also outlines the ascendancy of Polish nationalism in direct opposition to the rise of German nationalism. The constancy and perseverance of the Catholic Church certainly plays a pivotal role in the story. Along with this, the fidelity, devotion, and piousness of the family in their dedication to Catholicism, provided stability.
In America, the focus of the story shifts to the states of Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana covering the years 1889 to 1941. Disembarking at Baltimore in 1889, the family traveled by train to Detroit. From Detroit in 1891, they moved to Findlay, Ohio. In 1895 they made their way to Allen County, Indiana where they homesteaded and established roots. In America the family's Catholicism was tested in Detroit but finally reached maturity upon settlement in Indiana. The importance of regional and local history in America is also analyzed. Church politics, bigotry, employment, and the desire to return to the soil, would further determine the family's migration route after their arrival in the United States.
This book is based on extensive research and is heavily footnoted. It also incorporates original poetry and relevant works of European and American artists that help to portray the story. Poland would cease to exist as a nation for 123 years, but the Poles would maintain their nationality and millions would keep alive their traditions and culture in the United States. Subsequently, the Poles were integrated into American society, and the second and third generations became an intricate part of mainstream American culture. Thus like other American families, these immigrants were absorbed into the melting pot, but with this story, the courage and tenacity of the family's Polish ancestors will be perpetuated.
