From Bandera, TX

Polish heritage items at the Frontier Times Museum in Bandera, TX. No wonder, there were many Polish pioneer families in that region of Texas.

 

The picture on display is the Holy Mother of Częstochowa, not sure what the wooden items are. Perhaps one of them is part of a butter dish (churn)?

 

I left a similar set of wooden Easter eggs in Poland. I also had one with yellow and one with red background.

 

When I was in kindergarten, before Easter, we decorated egg shells with straps of fabrics (glued on the shell). Both the egg yolk and white had been blown out prior to the decorating process.

 

History of One Cradle

From photos to people's lives stories. History of one cradle made in Silesia.

Józefa Adamiec (Adamietz) nee Konieczko, born in Polish Silesia (Prussia then) in 1816, traveled with her husband Szymon (Simon) born in 1802, their two sons Jan Szymon (born in 1841), Albert (born in 1844), and other Silesian families. They went from Silesia to Bremen and then, on the bark Weser, from Bremen to Texas. 

On 3 December 1854, they reached Galveston. One of the items Józefa brought from Silesia was a cradle (she was a midwife). 

 

The Silesians settled in Bandera in 1855.  Five years later, Józefa, Simon, and their sons were registered in the Census. They lived in the town of Bandera. Simon was a farmer, John worked as a mail rider, Albert was a laborer (1).

Tax records from 1861 inform that Simon Adamietz had 40 acres of land (originally granted to William Keller) worth $100 then. The man owned a town lot no. 23.4, 2 horses and 9 head of cattle (2).

On 10 May 1866, John (Jan) married 20-year-old Miss Constantinetina (Konstantyna?) S Pyka (3), born on 31 August 1846 in Silesia. She was the daughter of Johann Pyka and his wife Franciszka.

John and Constantine had 11 children (4). During the Civil War, John served with 6th Field Artillery and Capt. Dege's Batallion (8th Field Artillery), Texas Light Artillery. Private was his rank (5).

Under the guidance of Józefa, her daughter-in-law learned the midwife skills. Eventually, Constantine inherited the crib that belonged to her mother-in-law. She passed it later to her daughter Mary Ann.

In 1978, the old cradle pieces were taken to a restoration shop in Hondo, and the crib was made (see the photo). Nowadays, you can watch the restored piece of furniture in the Frontier Times Museum in Bandera, TX.

The photo of the cradle was taken during our visit to the Frontier Times Museum in Bandera. 

🎕

Simon Adamietz passed on 24 November 1879, his wife Josepha on 12 December 1884.

Their son John died in 1911. Constantina live till 2 May 1931.

 
Source:
Findagrave.com
1. "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXFP-VMQ : 18 February 2021), Simon Adamicz, 1860. 

2. "Texas, County Tax Rolls, 1837-1910", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VBMC-LG5 : 20 February 2021), Simon Adamick, 1861.

3. "Texas Marriages, 1837-1973", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FX39-F98 : 22 January 2020), Constantinetina S. Pyka in entry for John S Adamietz, 1866. 

4. "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3LK-X2R : accessed 15 October 2021), John Adamitz, Justice Precinct 1, Bandera, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 1, sheet 1A, family 5, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,608. 

5. National Park Service

My Texas Alphabet: B for Bandera

In the second edition of "My Texas Alphabet", B is for Bandera.

Nowadays, Bandera is mostly known/advertised as "the cowboy capital of the world". Not many people have any idea about its origin and that some of the town's first inhabitants were 16 Polish families who came to Texas from Silesia.

 

Local cattle brands

The intended destination of those Silesians was originally the settlement of Panna Maria, where they arrived in 1855. Since the land in that area had already been taken, the immigrants tried to find land around Castroville. It was Charles de Montel, who persuaded those Silesian families to go to Bandera where they could find employment at de Montel's  (saw and shingle) mill.

 

Charles de Montel was born in Königsberg, Prussia. He was a lawyer, soldier, engineer, and commander of Texas Rangers company. The man supplied the Polish immigrants with ox-driven carts so that they could relocate their belongings to the designated place. 

 

Frontier Times Museum, Bandera, TX

In Bandera, the Polish men worked for Charles de Montel. They also obtained town lots and land that they systematically cleared. The women worked at the local gristmill, which belonged to the Mormons, and helped with the farmland cultivation.

 

St. Stanislaus Church, Bandera, TX

In 1858, the Poles constructed St. Stanislaus Church in Bandera (the second oldest Polish church in America) - I have already written about the church in one of the previous posts. At first, the church building was a log structure. Years later, a rock church replaced the original one. In 1874, the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception opened a Polish school there.

 

The building of the Polish parochial school in Bandera

 

We have visited Bandera a few times - enjoyed watching a parade and ProRodeo there. We also went to the Frontier Times Museum (among others). People seemed nice and friendly there. 

 

It could be also a good place to settle (depending on what you look for).

 

Source: 

"The Texians and the Texans. The Polish Texans" The University of Texas, Institute of Texan Cultures, 1972.

Our Facebook page posts:

From our visit to Bandera

St. Stanislaus Church - our photos

Our adventures at the ProRodeo in Badera

History notes:

More about Bandera here

More about Charles de Montel: here

 

In the previous edition of "My Texas Alphabet", B was for Beans