Grandma K is from the village of Zawoja. Zawoja is in a valley at the base of one of Poland's highest mountains, Babia Gora (translated Old Wives' Mountain). Babia Gora, at just over 5,600 feet above sea level, is actually part of the Beskidy Mountains of the Outer Western Carpathians. It also happens to be right on the border with Slovakia, since the border follows the divide.
At the time Gram was in Poland, it wasn't really Poland at all, but Galicia. At that time, Poland had been divided among Germany, Russia, and Austria. Galicia, like Czechoslavakia, hungary, and a number of other places, was officially a part of the Austrian Empire. Due to its unfortunate location, much of Poland has been passed back and forth among eastern European powers for ages. 
As you can see, this part of Poland is surprisingly reminiscent of the 'Daks (although probably more like the White Mountains of NH) where she eventually made her American home. She'd have probably felt more at home there than, say, Illinois.
9 comments:
As the kids would say, "kewl." For an angry bird, you are an excellent blogger. Please keep the family history stuff rolling in; it is very interesting to me. Grandma is sure one to be admired; she came from Poland at a young age and faced incredible odds. How many of us would let our child get on a ship to cross the ocean to a foreign land without a cell phone?
What Ke said. This blog took some research! Mickey and I learned about Galacia during one of her autobiographies. Why couldn't blogging have been "in" then? Keep up the good work, Bird.
For a digestible version of the history of Poland, read "Poland" by James Michener. As with most of his books, Michener uses fictional characters in real settings to tell the history of a place. In this case, Michener skips past the period when Gram was in Poland, but you still can learn a lot without the pain and suffering that comes with a typical history book.
That is very "kewl". You can learn something new everyday in this blog world.
-LUD
Wow! The pictures are beautiful!
Very interesting, I think I said that about your caucus post. : )
Have you ever gone to the Ellis Island web site? I found out what town in England my paternal grandmother was born in, when she left England & arrived in USA. Even saw a picture of the ship she traveled on. Thanks to your Blog for making us all smarter!
Yes. The Ellis Island website is very "kewl".
Do you know any specific reasons why Grandma K came to America and if she made the trip with anyone?
Good question! No. I imagine it was for economic opportunity. At the time, a lot of Poles left Poland for that reason. Peasants didn't own their own land or homes. They generally spent the vast majority of their time and energy working to pay off the nobles who let them live there.
America was desperate for labor. The iron mine was sponsoring lots of immigrant Polish laborers, because they were a cheap way to get the iron ore to the surface. Grandpa K was one of the ones sponsored by the mine. He made very little, and the mine disabled and killed him. However, it gave his kids a chance for much better lives in America. Grandma and Grandpa K were heroes!
When we were kids, nationality was a big deal to me. However, your Grandma L would always insist that she was NOT Polish; she was American!
The best - perhaps the only - person who could answer your questions is your Great-Aunt S.
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