
This project focuses on the first arrivals in Texas in 1850s (three groups all together) that came from five regions of Poland (Opole, Strzelce Opolskie, Wielka Ploznica, Blotnica, Wielkie Strzelce, Toszek-Gliwice, Lubliniec, i Olesno) as pioneers and established the first Polish community in America.
In the fall of 1854, as a result of Father Leopold Moczygemba's efforts, about hundred families from his own village and nearby villages, were leaving their homeland forever. They sold their farms, and packed their belongings, including bedding and farm equipment. The group arrived in Berlin by railroad on September 26th, and left the next day again by railroad to the port of Bremen from which they departed by ship to Texas. After nine weeks of sailing they arrived in Galveston. They sailed on SS Weser.
Traveling by wagon down the coast to Indianola and then inland, the group reached a spot on the coastal prairie about 55 miles southeast of San Antonio. With the celebration of a Christmas Mass, they founded Panna Maria, the first Polish settlement in North America.
In 1854 was only the first phase of migration, then there was more in the years that followed.
A year later about 700 more Silesians came to Texas. In 1856 a third group of 100 persons came and in the following years even more. The estimated numbers of Poles who came to Texas during 1854-56 by Olmstead as 1,300 to 1,400.
Today there are at least 228,309 Texans of Polish ancestry, according to the 2000 U.S. census, making them the seventh largest ethnic group in the state. But, the history of Polish Texans goes back before Panna Maria.
Source: https://texasalmanac.com/topics/culture/polish/polish-texans
F.L. Olmstead, "A Journey through Texas", New York, 1861.
In Panna Maria, Texas region some people still speak Texas Silesian. The Silesian language is a dialect of Polish. Cestohowa, Kosciusko, Falls City, Polonia, New Waverly, Brenham, Marlin, Bremond, Anderson, Bryan, and Chappell Hill were either founded or populated by the Poles.
Helpful sites: https://zlukaszem.pl/polonia-w-usa-historia/
http://info-poland.icm.edu.pl/classroom/PM/PM.html
https://www.jstor.org/stable/25776708?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior...
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/st-hedwig-tx?fbclid=IwA...
W grudniu 1854 roku po mozolnej podróży ponad sto Polskich rodzin przybyło do Galveston na pokładach dwóch okretów. Przybyli z kilku śląskich wsi należących wtedy do Prus (ta część Polski w tamtym okresie była pod zaborem Pruskim). Były to rejony takie jak Opole, Strzelce, Toszek-Gliwice, Lubliniec, i Olesno.
Po przybyciu do Galveston pojechali wozami i zaprzęgami do Indianola poprzez prerię ponad 55 mil na południowy wschód od San Antonio. Tam założyli pierwszą Polską osadę w Texasie o nazwie Panna Maria. Później w roku 1855 i 1856 przybyło ich z Polski nieco więcej.
Dziś ta grupa rozrosła się do ponad 228,000 osób zamieszkujacych Texas a majacych Polskie korzenie. Ten projekt jednak opiera się na tych pierwszych przybyszach, tak zwanych pionierach którzy przybyli w latach 1850-tych i byli pierwszymi założycielami farm i gospodarstw w powiatach Karnes, i Wilson w Teksasie.
Source: https://texasalmanac.com/topics/culture/polish/polish-texans