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Post by gardenmoma on Nov 16, 2005 18:56:50 GMT -7
Hi...I thought this section might be a good place to post this information...esp. since Nancy's family have roots in Chicopee, and Suzanne also has roots in MA.
Stephen Jendrysik, a retired history teacher who is also a board member of The Polish Center for Learning and Discovery in Chicopee, has written The Polish Community of Chicopee under the imprint of Images of America.
It is available from Steve, signed by him, for $19.99 + $2.00 postage.
He also says he has a few signed copies left of his first book - The Postcard History of Chicopee. The publisher has indicated that a second printing is in the works for 2006.
Steve can be reached at 215 Newbury St., Chicopee, MA 01013 or (s.jendrysik@worldnet.att.net).
This is not an attempt at a "commercial" - just thought there might be some of you interested in the books.
GM
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Post by suzanne on Nov 16, 2005 19:06:26 GMT -7
Interesting! Actually, I don't have any roots in MA (I moved here for college and stayed, so I'm the root, so to speak!), but I'm always interested in learning about Polish and other E. European history in New England, since there is so relatively little of it here.
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Post by gardenmoma on Nov 16, 2005 21:38:31 GMT -7
Suzanne, Sorry...I really thought you had roots here...so I guess you are the beginning of a new tree as I am :+) I am transplanted from Ohio - Cleveland to be exact.
I don't know where in MA you are now living, but the Polish in western MA have a very interesting (and at times, depressing) history. If you have time to read after taking care of your family :+) and writing on this Forum...here is a good little fiction book to read about Polish in my area. It is older - published maybe 45-50 years ago - so you might have to do some searching...So here it is: A journey to Boston by Mary Ellen Chase. Amazon has used copies. If you do read it, please let me know what you think of it.
GM
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nancy
European
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Post by nancy on Nov 17, 2005 6:13:16 GMT -7
GM, Thanks for posting the info on the Chicopee books! I'm going to order both of Steve's book asap. Also, I will check out the fiction you mentioned - sounds like it is right up my alley . My favorite in that genre is "Selling the Lite of Heaven" by Suzaane Strempek Shea - very Polish-American/western Massachusetts. One of these days I need to write an article for the website on all the fiction related to Polish-Americans, looks like you can supply some titles  |
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Post by suzanne on Nov 17, 2005 7:24:43 GMT -7
GM,
I didn't know there was any Polish history in western MA, or anywhere in New England. I'm only aware of US Polish history around Cleveland/Chicago/Cincinnati/NYC. I've always thought of New England as being only Irish/English/French Canadian with a little Portuguese and Italian thrown in.
I live on the outer edges of metrowest Boston (closer to Worcester than Boston). When I get a bit more time, perhaps after the holidays, I will check out A Journey to Boston, as well as Selling the Lite of Heaven that Nancy recommends. Thanks for the tip.
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nancy
European
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Post by nancy on Nov 17, 2005 8:41:23 GMT -7
GM, I didn't know there was any Polish history in western MA, or anywhere in New England. ....... I've always thought of New England as being only Irish/English/French Canadian with a little Portuguese and Italian thrown in. Suzanne, Not only western Mass, but also Connecticut - we used to go to huge Polish picnics in Enfield, and New Britain is also a big Polish-American center (see thread about kielbasa on TV). The Connecticut River Valley in many ways looks similar to the SE corner of Poland, so they would have been psychologically comfortable there. During the course of researching my family, I discovered that a large number of Poles emigrated to Manchester, NH. I'm not sure what attracted them to that particular city. |
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Post by jimpres on Nov 17, 2005 8:43:00 GMT -7
Some of the first settlers in Jamestown were Polish.
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Post by suzanne on Nov 17, 2005 18:47:55 GMT -7
I didn't know there was a Polish presence in Connecticut, or at Jamestown even!
As for reasons they came to Manchester NH: wasn't Manchester one of those 19th century New England manufacturing/mill towns? If so, I presume that it was a source of decent (for that era) factory-type jobs.
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Post by jimpres on Nov 17, 2005 19:25:03 GMT -7
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Post by suzanne on Nov 17, 2005 20:16:28 GMT -7
Fascinating link, Jim. I visited Jamestown with my parents about 20-25 years ago and remember seeing the glassworks house there, but I had no idea that it was Polish artisans who were brought to start up glass production.
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Post by jimpres on Nov 17, 2005 20:31:43 GMT -7
Poles have contributed a lot to this world. Including M. Kopernik from Frombork
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Post by suzanne on Nov 17, 2005 20:57:53 GMT -7
That's certainly true. I wish I had learned more about this in history classes way back in my school days!
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Post by jimpres on Nov 17, 2005 21:00:18 GMT -7
Yes, hindsight is wonderful. I miss that Latin class as well. But I did learn all the Mass prayers in Latin as an alter boy. Boy was that a long time ago.
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Post by suzanne on Nov 17, 2005 21:02:33 GMT -7
 My uncle jokes that life should be reversed: we should all go to work when we're children and then get educated when we're adults, when we're old enough to have perspective to appreciate what we're taught and know what we want to learn! |
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Post by jimpres on Nov 17, 2005 21:04:58 GMT -7
Your uncle was a wise man. I'm sure all our parents made suggestions to us when we were young and we ignored them, and now we make similar suggestions to our children.
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My uncle jokes that life should be reversed: we should all go to work when we're children and then get educated when we're adults, when we're old enough to have perspective to appreciate what we're taught and know what we want to learn!