I would like to read your publication, how do Igo about to get it, is it in English?  This article is so interesting, thank you for providing it. Judy ----- Original Message ---- From: Fred Hoffman <wmfhoffman@sbcglobal.net> To: poland-roots@rootsweb.com Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 11:06:26 AM Subject: Re: [POLAND] How Did They Get The Resources? Hi, Mike Stupinski asked: > It is 1882 and, as a resident of Southeastern > Poland, you have decided > to go to America to pursue your future. > Unfortunately, you live in a > small village and are poor. How much would it > cost you (US currency > stated at then-year dollars is the preferred > economy) to get from your > village to a seaport (by train, I would presume) > and then to book > passage (assume steerage) to America? By what > means would you be > likely to accumulate the money (assuming no rich > uncle is around!)? > > The question seemed almost trivial when he first > asked it but, based > on the current cost of making that trip, it > poses a dilemma. > Wouldn't the cost to a peasant have been out of > reach? Well, it wasn't easy. But when you feel something is a matter of life and death, you find a way. For a lot of people who emigrated, there really was no choice. They could stay put and starve, being ruled by foreign *!#s who never missed a chance to grind them down, or they could risk everything for a chance at a life worth living. As the poet said, "When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose." Iwona Dakiniewicz wrote an article on "The Journey to America" in the Spring 2008 issue of _Rodziny_ (PGSA's Journal), and she talked a little about this. I don't think anyone would mind if I quote a few paragraphs: ========== The first obstacle to overcome was collecting the necessary sum of money: for the trip to the railroad station, then for train tickets, ship tickets, other expenses on the road, and a minimum to help them get off to a start in their new country. The total cost of the trip could range from 150 to over 200 marks or rubles, depending on where the trip began. How difficult it was to save the necessary funds is illustrated by the situation of a typical married couple living in a Prussian village with several children in the 1840s. Both husband and wife, employed in physical labor at the nearby manorial farmstead, could not hope to attain a combined income of more than 40 dollars annually (the equivalent of about 120 marks later). At the most, they could save perhaps 10 dollars a year. At first, several families would contribute to buy a single ticket to America, in the hope that the one chosen to go would quickly find work and repay the loan, thus providing financial assistance to those departing subsequently. As of the years 1888-1889, a ticket from Bremen to New York cost 150-200 rubles, or 120-200 Austrian crowns, and about the same amount in German marks. A trip from Poznan to Chicago cost 30 dollars in American money, by the rate of exchange at the time. The firm Red Star offered a competitive price: 21 dollars for a trip from the Prussian partition to many American ports. The Polish emigrant often had a tragic view of the price of ship tickets, for he was sure that they wanted to cheat him. Although the prices were fixed, he felt he would not waste the money and would be very cautious and frugal with it. ========== It seems to me Iwona researched this pretty well, and I think her observations are worth reading. Of course, if you want to read more, you can always join PGSA and get _Rodziny_, and Iwona's column, four times a year. (Oops, apparently I just made a shameless plug for one of the publications I edit. I am a naughty boy....) Fred Hoffman ********************************* Need to contact the list manager?  Write to Marie at Poland-Roots-admin@rootsweb.com ---------------------------------- Discussion of Polish food, culture, and customs are welcome on the list as long as the discussion stays pertinent to the topic of this list: researching our Polish roots. ---------------------------------- Browse the list's archives here: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=poland-roots Search the list's archives here: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?aop=1 ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to POLAND-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hi, Referring to a note I posted quoting an article in _Rodziny_, Judy <judybevans@sbcglobal.net> asked: > I would like to read your publication, how do > Igo about to get it, > is it in English? This article is so > interesting, thank you for providing it. It is in English. It is the Journal of the Polish Genealogical Society of America, and the simplest way to get it is to join the Society: http://www.pgsa.org/membership.htm But if that specific article is what you want, and you're not interested in joining the PGSA, you can buy a copy of that issue. The basic info is here: http://www.pgsa.org/Books/back_issues.htm They haven't updated that page in five years, which is something I hope will change when PGSA completes arrangements for a new Webmaster. But I believe the basic procedure is the same. Just specify you want a copy of the Spring 2008 issue, Volume 31, #2. If I'm reading correctly, the price is $5.00. The ordering info on that Web page should be correct, but you can verify it, if you wish, by contacting the Society at PGSAmerica@aol.com. I'm sorry I can't be certain about all this, but I just edit _Rodziny_. Once I send the master off to the printer, my involvement ends. PGSA volunteers handle other matters such as selling back issues. So it wouldn't hurt to write PGSAmerica@aol.com and make sure I haven't misled you. But I believe that's correct. The article I quoted was by Iwona Dakiniewicz, an excellent researcher. The articles she writes for PGSA are, in my opinion, outstanding. If you'd like to read some of her articles in past issues, a nice selection is available here: http://www.ipgs.us/iwona/artdirectory/artdir.html I hope this answers your question. Fred Hoffman Editor of _Rodziny_ www.fredhoff.com