Judy Ross
I was born in The United States and so were my parents, but my ancestors are from Poland. Some came from Posen - the part of Poland that was occupied by Germany at the time they were growing up. My father's maternal grandparents were from Galicia, a part of Poland that was annexed to Austria as early as 1772. From what I've read, the people in these parts of Poland that were controlled by other countries maintained their Polish identity - language, religion and customs.
Growing up, I was subjected to numerous "Dumb Polack" jokes. As a result I've never had much pride in my ethnic origins. Now that I've become interested in genealogy, I'm ready to look into my Polish roots. Who were the brave people who suffered persecution in their country and made their way to this country? Can I uncover their stories? I hope so.