Anton Schermann

Antoni Schermann - First permanent Polish resident of Chicago, immigrating to West Town in 1851. He helped transport over 100,000 immigrants from Poland to Chicago. Organized St. Stanislaus Kostka society and donated land to help construct St. Stanislaus Kostka Church- the first Polish Catholic Parish in Chicago.

• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Apr 26 2021, 21:38:07 UTC

Text below from the following sources: American Warsaw by Dominic A. Pacyga; Polish Past in America 1608-1866 by Mieczyslaw Haiman; and Polish Pioneers in Illinois 1818-1850 by James D. Lodesky. Sources researched by Grace G.

Antoni was born about fifty miles outside of Poznań. He came to America with his wife and three children. He settled in Chicago on June 1, 1851. He was a carpenter and his first job was building Pullman sleeping cars for the Chicago & Alton Railroad. Antoni built a house, store and buffet on the northwest side of Chicago in 1867. His property was located at Noble and Bradley Streets (near the future Milwaukee Avenue). In order to attract more German customers to his business, he changed his name from Smagorzewski to Schermann.His German language family bible is currently in possession of the Polish Museum in Chicago.

In 1868 he switched occupations and became a shipping agent by adding a Polish immigration agency to his store. About thirty Polish families joined Schermann in Chicago during the early 1860s. This was the beginning of the neighborhood that would emerge as the capital of Polonia.