Introduction

Miecislaus Haiman, a historian of Polish immigration to America, divides the flow of Poles to the New World into three general time periods: 1608-1776, 1786-1865, 1865-present. The circumstances stimulating emigration from Poland varied significantly between these eras, and the goals of immigrants in each movement, likewise differed significantly.

Pre-Columbian Period– Polish Navigators

Many legends allegedly purport the participation of Polish explorers in the early exploration of America. Most, if not all, however, lack the substantial historical documentation to be considered seriously.

In 1476, for example, some sixteen years before Columbus discovered America, a Danish expedition left Copenhagen, commissioned by King Christian I to sail in a westerly direction to discover the Old Norse colonies in Greenland. In addition, the expedition was to seek a new route to East Asia which was the desire of most European rulers and seamen. The flottila reached Greenland but did not find the Old Norse Colonies, and it returned to Denmark. While unsuccessful in accomplishing its primary objective, there is some historical data that suggests the expedition discovered Labrador and sailed as far south as the Delaware River before returning to Cophenhagen.

John Scolvus, the pilot of this expedition, was possibly the man who discovered Labrador; however, recognition seems to have been denied him because of his death. Apparently of Polish ancestry, his real name might have been Jan z Kolno, i.e., John of Kolno, a town in the Polish province of Massovia.^[1] Such changes of name during the exploration period were not uncommon. For example, John Cabot, the famous English explorer, was an Italian by the name of Giovanni Caboto whose name was Anglicized to John Cabot. Another figure was Francis Warnadowicz. According to legend, he lived under the Hispanic name of Francisco Fernandez and became a member of Columbus’ expedition to the New World in 1492. Allegedly left by Columbus on the island of Hispanola, Warnadowicz has been attributed the dubious distinction of being the first European to be killed at the hands of Amerinds.^[2]

Early Polish Interest in America

The news of Columbus’ discovery reached Poland at a fairly early date. Exchanges of ideas and news between Poland and her neighbors was, in part, a result of the harmonious, amicable relations of Polish merchants with Western Europe. Equally significant, the many scholars and scientists who studied at the Jagiellonian University of Krakow, founded in 1364 by King Casimir the Great, maintained a vibrant interchange of ideas and information.^[3] Reference to America appeared early in Polish literature. First mention seems to have been in the book Introductorium Compendiosum in Tractatum Sphere Materialis, written by John Holywood (Sacrobosco), with commentaries by a prominent philosopher, astronomer, and geographer from the Jagiellonian University, John of Glogau (?-1507), and published in Krakow in 1506. It is well to note at this point that scholarly studies were typically written in Latin rather than the vernacular, i.e., Polish. This practice was common in academic circles throughout Europe during this period. In 1512 another scholar at the University introduced what was probably the first map of America to be constructed in Poland with the publication of his monograph, Introduction in Ptolemei Cosmographiam.^[4]

The Polish attitude towards the New World is most significant, however, for its general indifference, especially in terms of colonization. Poland dominated Central and Eastern Europe, and had little reason to be interested in the West. Paul Palczowski, traveler and early settler of Jamestown, best characterized the Polish attitude towards New World colonization in his book Kolenda Moskiewski, (Muskovite Carol), when he advised his countrymen to eschew North America for better opportunities in Russia.^[5]