Name: "Herodot Polonii ameryka?skiej Mieczys?aw Haiman (1888-1949) Price: 45.00 PLN

SUMMARY Mieczys?aw Haiman (1888-1949), in spite of being modest, quiet and never trying to assume high status or to be in the limelight, nevertheless played an important role in the life of Polish-Americans in the first half of the 20th century. He was a human being with many diversified talents (traveller, poet, journalist, writer, librarian, translator, archivist, historian and collector), but his greatest successes related to his historical research and writing of the first chronicles about the evolution of Polish-Americans. Through his multi-faceted activities he helped in the first half of the twentieth century to create in the United States a number of Polish cultural institutions as well as special publications for Polish emigrants. Furthermore, working as a journalist and later a historian, he brought to light much information about the history of early Polish settlers in North America as well as the participation of Poles in various American battles and conflicts of the XVIII and XIX centuries (battles of independence and secession with Mexico and Great Britain). Haiman was a pioneer in historical research about Polish migration to America covering the period from the XVII to the XIX centuries. Because of his own personal dedication and unending work in historical archives and libraries as well as his fascination with Polish national identity, he was the first to demonstrate that Polish emigrants were part of the earliest wave of colonists to America, that they were on American soil right at the start (as early as 1608), that they fought in all American battles, that they helped to build a new country and had a big input into the creation of the might of the United States. His independent research and personally achieved results Haiman wrote up in scientific journals as well as periodicals by Polish societies in both English as well as Polish languages. To this day his groundbreaking discoveries form the basis of the historical profile of Polish emigration to America and undoubtedly contribute greatly to a better understanding of Polish-American interactions. They had a profound impact, both on Poles of American birth as well as fully fledged Americans, who were forced to re-evaluate the benefits created by and the overall standing of immigrants during the colonial period. They also eliminated feelings of inadequacy among the Polish immigrants themselves, by confirming the services rendered by their predecessors towards the American heritage. His works titled ?Polish Herodotus as a Poet? were enthusiastically received also in Poland as well as elevating the status of Poland during the XX century. They even most certainly contributed to raising the income level of Poles in America, which was something for which Haiman had always strived. The contributions made by Mieczys?aw Haiman to the pool of knowledge about Polish emigration to the USA is enormous. In my first bibliography of his works (not yet completed) there exist already: 14 books of which some are scientific for the general public and some fictional, five scientific works, 2 popularised scientific publications, 65 significant newspaper articles, 2 narrative tales, 51 poems plus 2 translations ? in total 159 titles. It should be mentioned that Haiman performed his pioneering and laborious investigations and reports under very difficult conditions. The task of sourcing materials and historical information required enormous effort, especially since he had to work twice as hard because he had to simultaneously earn a living as a journalist. As a researcher he had a tough task because he did not have access to any souvenirs or archives which would serve as a source of information about Polish people. Instead, his own historical research became a major source of information for other scientific investigations. Within the ranks of American historians who relied on research done by Haiman was the author of the iconic ?The Oxford History of American People?, but even more significantly Haiman?s research served as a reference point for anyone studying the history of Polish-American relations both in Poland as well among the migrant groups. To this day such people base their historical knowledge on the research of this ?father of Polish immigration to America?, even though they often cite more contemporary historians as their source. However these in turn had earlier relied on the works of Haiman. Some researchers, such as Gerard Labuda, consider Haiman as a scientist of Polish descent, who contributed enormously to the development of science scholarship throughout the world, while others are united in their belief that Haiman was a writer of enormous merit and achievement, to whom much is owed by the Polish community in strengthening their national identity, because he created great interest and respect for the Polish nation, resulting from his writings which provided much greater awareness for both Americans and Polish migrants about the lives and deeds of Polish people within the new territories between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Haiman was also the creator of the Polish Museum in America (MPA) which exists to this day, together with the archives, library and reading rooms ZPRK as well as the largest collection in America of Polish artifacts, known as ?American Rappersville?( in reference to the splendid Polish museum of Rappersville in Switzerland). Thanks to his influence as well as the generous response from Polish migrants , contributions during the creation of this MPA were very substantial, and included souvenirs from Ignacy J. Paderewski (after his death in 1941) as well as artifacts from the Polish Pavilion at the 1939 World Expo in New York. Thanks to his enormous effort, Haiman managed to create within only a few years an institution of culturally-educational and promotional significance equal to that of other nationalities. Haiman was the first (and to this day unequalled) trustee of this institution, starting from the foundation of the MPA in 1935 until his death in 1949. None of the subsequent trustees of the MPA managed to collect as many artifacts relating to the history of Poles in America, or physically expand the area of the museum, or increase its fame as a Pantheon of Polish identity. Haiman was also the creator and manager of 2 other cultural institutions within the USA: The Polish Association of Historical Museums (1937) as well as the Commission for Research about Poles Abroad (1942), or as it is now known as the Polish American Historical Association. Both these institutions awakened the interest of Polish Americans in their own history, supported the Museum in its activities and members of the PAHA organised educational courses about Polish-American history and culture in co-operation with many other historical associations. Haiman was their ?pillar of strength?, managed them, motivated, found financial supporters, encouraged membership and established their agendas of activity. Haiman was also the editor and creator of English language periodicals: ?Annals of the Polish R.C. Union Archives and Museum? (between the years of 1936 and 1947 managed to issue 11 editions, including 5 which were his own dissertations) as well as ?Polish American Studies? (a half-yearly publication by the PAHA which has been published since 1944 to this very day). Both of these pioneered the concept of creating a written record of Polish-American historical events, incorporated new historical dissertations about Polish migration to America and were kept by the most important libraries in USA, Poland and other countries. It is worth noting that Haiman arrived at the historian?s workshop unassisted, by way of systematic evolution. With passion and determination as well as a great enthusiasm for the subject (over a quarter of a century of historical journalism) he sought out traces of his countrymen from the Atlantic to the Pacific, discovering their existence among the settlers of New Zealand as well as tracing the activities of Polish pioneers in the American states of Virginia, Texas, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania, New Mexico and California. He also described the fate of Poles during the American wars as well as their voyages across uncharted oceans and lands. Today, thanks to advances in technical analysis, not all his studies can be universally accepted, but we should appreciate his research abilities and energy, which were appreciated with amazement by many contemporary historians and scholars, not only among the Polish migrants but also by local Americans and Polish people back home. Without the work and discoveries of Haiman, our current knowledge and further studies of the problems relating to Polish migration would be impossible. Even his biggest critics regard Haiman as a writer of great merit and achievement, endowed with those unique qualities essential for a historian: passion, great imagination, precision, conscientiousness and independence (in spite of belonging to ZPRK), who recreated the start of the era of Polish settlement in the USA. In addition to this Haiman managed to stir up a passion for scientific research among the younger migrants as well as strengthening the emotional bonds of these Polish migrants with their homeland. Because of this, back in his native Poland Haiman?s works got a lively and sincere reception as a result of which he was nominated as an active member of the Institute for Migration Studies in Warsaw (1928) and received various awards, incl.: Knight?s Cross of ?Polonia Restituta? Order (1932), The Silver Laurels of the Polish Academy of Literature (1935), the literary-journalism award of the World Union of Poles Abroad (1935). The Polish people themselves were taken by Haiman?s attachment to Polish culture, his lively, though sometimes naïve patriotism, pride in belonging to Polish society. Haiman, although seeing himself as a patriotic American citizen, always remained a patriotic Pole in his heart. Haiman also played a key role in many other activities of Polish migrants to America in the first half of the 20th century. As one of 4 delegates from the ZPRK to the 2nd World Congress of Poles Residing Overseas held in Warsaw in July and August of 1934, he was one of the creators of a new foundation from America, later named the ?Polish-American Declaration of Independence?. Immediately after World War II he joined in defending the independence of two libraries of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences in Europe, located in Paris and Rome. The action in Paris was successful and as a result the Polish Library on the Seine retained its independence from the communist system, serving as a base for a major concentration of the Polish anti-communist movement in the West (Giedroy?, Grudzi?ski, Czapski and many others). As curator of the MPA Haiman also helped the Director of the Library in Paris, Prince Franciszek Pu?aski to save for posterity by hiding in Chicago 9 historical swords of Joseph Pi?sudski and 2 daggers as well as $8,000 in cash. Haiman, as a contemporary expert on the subject of Poles overseas, worked extensively with and often wrote to many scholars and institutions: colleges, libraries and archival organisations not only in Poland and the USA but also in other parts of North and South America as well as Europe and even the migrants in London. Summing up the achievements of Mieczys?aw Haiman as a historian, it is worth emphasising once again that he was a pioneer in the field of research relating to the Polish community?s development in America. It was he who initiated this research on such a large scale, both through his discoveries as well as the setting up of the Polish Museum (as a source of original materials) and the creation of institutions which would continue this historical research (such as PAHA and ?Polish American Studies?), thus paving the way for his successors. The multi-faceted activities of Mieczys?aw Haiman have been presented here against the background of his personal life. Little known facts from the biography of this historian have been enriched through many new details (such as his family origins, his childhood, education, and in the USA his adoption of children, dates of some relocations, etc.). Much erroneous information has been rectified (e.g. his surname ? from Haimann to Haiman, poetic pen-name changed to ?Nie-Tersytes?, changes in his functions as editor, etc.) Following the analysis of previously unknown documents describing the travels of Haiman in search of work, from New York, via Paterson, Boston, Buffalo and finally to Chicago and Orchard Lake, it was proven beyond a doubt that the life of this migrant from Lwów was neither easy nor abundant. In spite of all this, because he was a great Polish patriot who regarded his life as ?serving the national cause?, Haiman achieved professional success. Although he had to start in New York with hard physical labour, he eventually managed , through his amazing output and unyielding strength of character, to progress from modest tasks working with 4 publishers in Boston, Buffalo and Chicago, to eventually attain the position of trustee and principal historian of Polish migration to America. He achieved so much for Polish migrants and for Poland that he was honoured with the highest accolades, enjoyed universal respect, not only among his countrymen who had emigrated, but also in his own country and even within the American community itself. For all the above as well as his unending dedication to the history of Polish migrants in America, Mieczys?aw Haiman nevertheless had to pay a high price. His achievements in the fields of literature, journalism and historical research for museums never managed to improve his financial position. His whole life he had spent with his family in poverty, in rented premises, and when he finally fell gravely ill, Polish migrants had to start raising funds through special appeals to restore the health of this historian. He died at the age of 61, mainly from exhaustion. He also was not able to achieve success in his personal life. He did not have children of his own and his wife Kazimiera, from the Nigbor family, was herself of frail health, even though she eventually outlived him by 28 years, finally passing away in a public shelter. Undoubtedly the lack of family descendants had a negative influence on keeping alive the memory about this ?Father of the history of Polish migration to America?. He is quickly being forgotten. The name of Haiman, once widely known amongst Polish migrants in the first half of the XX century, is today virtually unknown by most of his countrymen overseas as well as in Poland. Polish migration societies have not yet combined to publish his historical works, or to present a detailed account of his activities and achievements. Published materials about Haiman are rarely available and, as a result, Polish migrants do not even realise that they would have very little knowledge about the deeds of their ancestors in the USA if it had not been for the intensive labours for 25 years by one man who tirelessly devoted his life to this task ? to unearth, bring to light and record the deeds of their forefathers. English Translation by Mark Krawczynski, 2008