John Barzynski

JOHN BARZYNSKI, dealer in real estate in Howard, Greeley, Valley and Sherman Counties. first came to St. Paul in 1877. permanently located in 1880. He first came in the interest of the Polish Catholic Colony, from Chicago, Illinois. He has been the means of locating about 500 families in homes in Nebraska.

He came to America in 1870; first located in Texas; established Polish Catholic Gazette, in Union, Missouri, in 1871. Moved it to Detroit, Michigan, in 1872, and moved the same to Chicago, Illinois, in 1874; formed a stock company, and was chief editor five years, and is now president of same company. Paper has a circulation of 4,000, in all parts of the United States. He now owns a farm in Virginia, 200 acres of which is improved.

John became interested in a paper, the "Gazeta Katolicka" which he published in collaboration with Wladyslaw Smulski, a good friend of his. The two friends lived and roomed together until John was married to Bronislawa Virginia Wilkoszewski on May 2, 1880, and Smulski's family came from Europe. At about that time John published the first Polish primer in America.

Just before his marriage, the Union Pacific railroad was given a large grant of land by the United States government for the purpose of building a railroad through the west. Their land was situated in alternate sections along the proposed line. In order to make use of the land, they decided to try to settle it with immigrants who began to come from Poland in large numbers at the time. The officials of the railroad looked around for someone who could get in touch with the immigrants as they came to Chicago, and approached John Barzynski on the subject.

He married in Chicago, Illinois, in 1880, to Miss Bronislawa Wilkoszewski, who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They have a daughter, Mary Margarette Elizabeth. Mr. Barzynski is an active member of the Catholic Church.

He had been in America about fifteen years at that time, and saw the hardships these people suffered after they arrived in this country friendless, with little money, not knowing the language, and with no trade. He knew that most of them were peasants who came from the land in Poland good farmers, thrifty, and industrious. So he decided that they would not only be good colonizers but would have a much better chance to improve their own condition and give their children an opportunity to become useful citizens of this country.

He advertised in the Polish papers, talked to many immigrants and found many among them who were willing and anxious to go on the land.Right after his marriage, John took his bride to St. Paul, Nebraska, where he established a home and opened an office.

In his home he had two large extra rooms which were furnished as bedrooms and which he kept ready for the immigrants and their families as they arrived. Many families had only money enough to buy the land but no money for equipment or a home. These families remained in the Barzynski home until they could build themselves a "sod house". Then they would move into the sod house and start from scratch. They settled the country for miles around and established small towns like Darmebrog. Their descendants are still on the land.

After five years, Father Vincent Barzynski asked his brother John to return to Chicago and help him with some newspaper venture. John tried going into politics (he was urged by his brother Vincent) but was not good at it. Instead he invested some money in the coal mining business. Suddenly he became sick (possible brain cancer) and three months later he died on April 27th, 1889 at the age of 40.

Researched and composed on the basis of Barzynski family history written by Mary Barzynski Smietanka in 1942 and additional research by Grace G.