October is Family History Month! Of course to someone that loves genealogy, every month celebrates the very same thing. Today I’m looking at my Polish roots, from my maternal grandparents side. Everyone in the photograph above was either born in Poland, or were first or second generation Polish-Americans.

The two women in the center of the picture, Mary Satkiewicz Szmek and Sophie Satkiewicz Rozenek, and some of their children, were from Chicago, Illinois, and they were visiting my family in New Jersey. Mary and Sophie were born in the same Polish town that my grandmother, Zofia Szczerba Mirota was from, called Berdechow ad Bobowa. We are still trying to figure out what type of cousins they were. We know they were cherished family because they became the godmothers of two of Zofia’s children.

Jeść is the Polish word meaning come and eat, and is pronounced, yeshch. It doesn’t matter how small the kitchen table is, there will always be enough chairs for guests! I love Polish cooking, and it will always be my comfort food. The other day I made up a nice batch of potato pancakes, called placki, and enjoyed every bite drenched in sour cream and applesauce. At this table there is homemade cake, and lots of other food and drinks.

The adults in this picture below were either born in Poland, or their parents were. Joe Mirota is sitting on the right, and then going from right to left are, Jean Pucilowski Mirota, Pani Smek, Pani Rozenek, and her daughter, then Steve Mirota, and Ted Lubas. Pani is the Polish word for a married woman, and I remember in the morning greeting Polish neighbors with, dzień dobry Pan and Pani.  Dzień dobry, means I hope you have a very good morning.

Good luck researching your family this October! Happy Saturday!