January Galizien Descendants Group newsletter

  The January 2024 issue (#117) of the GGD newsletter is now available on our website.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Our ancestors on the Polska1926 website

The website https://polska1926.pl/ is a presentation of one of the largest censuses of society in interwar Poland. Among the 5.5 million signatures, almost each of us can find our loved one. The opportunity to learn about a fragment of family history, while taking a broader look at the society of the Second Polish Republic and including, among others, private individuals, teachers, students, representatives of non-governmental organizations and local governments to talk together about 100 years of Polish independence, is the main idea of the project. 5.5 million signatures can be the same number of individual stories that allow us to look into the past to understand the present and be an important lesson for the future. We encourage you to look for your loved ones, students of your schools, former residents of nearby or distant towns and ask for help in reading their signatures and telling their stories!

A hundred years ago, thanks to the efforts of, among others, Ignacy Paderewski, the USA not only recognized Polish statehood as a condition for peaceful order in Europe (the 13th point of President Woodrow Wilson's peace program provided for the rebirth of an independent Polish state), but also provided material support to the Second Polish Republic worth approximately $200 million. The American humanitarian mission, led by the future US president Herbert Hoover, made a real contribution to maintaining Poland's newly regained independence. On the 150th anniversary of the announcement of the American Declaration of Independence, the Polish nation decided to thank the American nation for this help. Between April and July 1926, 5.5 million signatures were collected nationwide for the Declaration of Admiration and Friendship for the United States.

The so-called the thanksgiving address is a unique collection not only because of its scale and the involvement of the signatories. 5.5 million signatures of the inhabitants of the Second Polish Republic: Poles, Jews, Ukrainians and Germans, which is almost 20 percent of the country's population in 1926. A specific collective portrait of society was created inside the Second Polish Republic. During the signature collection campaign, the May Coup took place. Polish society, immersed in political turmoil, was able to create a unique document, not only in Polish-American relations. The delegation of the Second Polish Republic took to Washington and presented to President Calvin Coolidg 111 volumes with over 30,000 pages, with signatures - from the highest state authorities to the youngest writing children - with graphics by outstanding Polish artists. The original, deposited in the US Library of Congress, disappeared over time from the memory of Poles, as well as from the diplomatic relations of both countries.

Below I present the signatures of students from schools the German Gymnasium in Stanisławów (Ivano-Frankivsk today). More about this school you may read in my article “The history of the Evangelical Gymnasium (High School) in Stanisławów” published in GGD #112, October 2022 (https://galiziengermandescendants.org/cms/en/).

Leopold Adam , Erwin Andress , Heinrich Bachmann , Michał Bal , Amalie Bechtloff , Al. Bojcny , Johann Broder , Erna Brubacher , Friedrich Buffi , Franz Burghardt , Edward Christoffel , Jakob Daum , Josef Dicker , Jakob Dressler , Roman Eger , Bernhard Ernst , Gustar Fischer , Heinrich Frank , Philipp Frank , Elisabeth Fregh , Frieda Fuhr , Leopold Gross , Frieda Haas , Edmund Hack , Heinrich Hack , Otto Haikenwalder , Erika Hargesheimer , Ottilie Hargesheimer , Rainfold Hargesheimer , Vilma Hargesheimer , Julius Harlfinger , Hugo Heinz , Franz Heuchert , Johann Huber , Julius Janko , Erwin Jung , Feliks Knot , Armin Kopf , Rudolf Kossowski , Romualda Krajewska , Edmund Kramer , Philipp Launhardt , Bruno Leibrock , Friedrich Lowenberg , Jakob Mame , Gustar Mattern , Reinhold Menner , Leopold Muller , Philipp Muller , Johann Niklas , Sophie Philipps , Wilhelm Pierkloff , E. Pnyvembel , Herbert Ravler , Otto Reutelmann , Mathilde Risch , Georg Rossler , Karl Rossler , Else Ruckier , Karl Rudolf , Adolf Ruh , Benno Rumpold , Marie Rumpold , Jan Rupp , J. Rybczyn , Hedwig Scharer , P. Schatner-Fnikowa , Julius Schick , Ferdinand Schmalenberg , Wilhelm Schmidt , Valentin Stamn , Erwin Stoffel , Emilie Tempel , Adolf Trapp , Martha Trohal , Johann Walter , Karl Werstler , Ernest Philipps, Janina Wójłekówna , Georg Zapf Erwin Andress , Heinrich Bachmann , Michał Bal , Amalie Bechtloff , Al. Bojcny , Johann Broder , Erna Brubacher.

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Gertrud Andes , Adolf Armbruster , Rudolf Bachmann , Helene Baczyńska , Sigmund Bagiński , Eihard Braghardt , Pauline Bremer , Else Burghardt , Julja Chrzanowska , Oskar Daum , Edward Decker , Emil Decker , Gustar Decker , El Dietrich , Wilhelm Dietze , L. Echkaris , Alfred Geil , Heinrich Gerhardt , Otto Gresel , Alga Grinl , Leopold Harlos , Edmund Harłusig , Alfred Hartmann , Elisabeth Heine , Rudolf Heinrich , Georg Hemhat , Philippine Henchel , Oswald Hesel , K. Jaki , Mathilde Jaki , Edward Kohl , Kohle , Gustaw Kohle , Otton Kolb , Brunhilde Kopf , Johan Kramer , Georg Kulmer , Otto Kulmer , J. Lafw , Jozep Licht , Erna Lowenberg , Olga Łahodyńska , Otto Mack , Helene Mahler , Edward Makler , Edmund Manz , Shohal Masic , Hildegard Philipps , Herman Pretorius , Hilde Radke , Friedrich Rech , Izydie Rech , Walter Rech , Rudolf Rentelmann , Salomea Romanów , E. Ruckreich , Sabine Saginur , Herman Schick , F. Schmalenberg , Leopold Johann Schneider , Gustaw Adolf Scholzel , Adolf Schweitzer , Henriette Schweitzer , Johann Strohal , Luise Terechowski , Philipp Thomas , Wladimir Tkaczuk , Rudolf Volpel , Mathilde Wagemann , Herbert Wagner , Elfriede Weinheimer , Jakob Wolfer , Wiktorja Wolkanowicz , Martin Zöckler Martin Zöckler ( born 10.09.1911 in Stanislawow - Knihinin, the son of the pastor Thedor Zöckler, also later pastor

As my ancestors were just from Stanislawow, I was interested in this school, but on the website polska1926.pl you can look for your ancestors from other places in the territory of Poland at that time.

I encourage you to read the newsletters published by Galizien German Descendants - you will find more interesting articles there.