Collections : [Central Connecticut State University]

The Ludwik and Juliana Trzcinski Collection consists of materials reflecting their lives in New Britain, Connecticut. The Trzcinski's were first generation of Polish immigrants. They actively participated in the Sacred Heart parish and school. Family members belonged to various religious societies and veterans' organizations. Items in collection range in dates from the 1890's all the way to the 1980's. There are many family and professional photographs of family gatherings, weddings, first communions, and other church related events.

Walter and Florence Lasinski were historians of the Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC) and Polish American life. They resided in New Jersey and were members of the PNCC, a reformed Roman Catholic Church started by Francis Hodur in 1897 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The collection includes extensive information about parishes (past and present) and clergy members in the PNCC from its creation.

This collection includes letters written in Polish to members of the Gromko family, along with genealogical documents, marriage and death certificates, and family photographs. The letters provide insight into life in Poland during and after World War II, offering a vivid portrayal of family experiences and everyday challenges.

This collection contains documents and objects from the life and career of Henry J. Gwiazda and his family. Gwiazda was a former Mayor of New Britain, Judge of Probate, and considered a leader in New Britain's Polonia. Collection includes papers and documents on the Gwiazda and Cieszynski families, including Dr. Genevieve Cieszynski, as well as information on local New Britain politics. Also includes books from Henry J. Gwiazda's collection, awarded plaques, scrapbooks, a campaign poster, and a typewriter featuring letters from the Polish alphabet.

The Karpinski and Sadoski family collection consists of family photographs taken at the beginning of the century. It illustrates the life of Polish immigrants in New Britain and surrounding towns.

The collection of Joseph G. V. Maciora, alumni of CCSU, consists of genealogical work done by Mr. Maciora about both sides of his family (Mik and Maciora). Most of the documents are written by Mr. Maciora either from memory or oral histories of his parents, Mary Agnes (Mik) Maciora and Joseph George Maciora. There are some correspondences, prayer cards, and church programs. It also includes some general information on Poland and Polish Americans in Meriden and New Britain, CT.

Msgr. Stanislaus Musiel was born in Poland and attended seminary in Louvain, Belgium. He was later appointed for pastoral work in the Hartford diocese in Connecticut. He was a pastor at St. Cyril and Methodius parish in Hartford from 1917 till his death in 1966. Material in the collection illustrates Msgr. Musiel's appointments in various parishes in Connecticut and decades of pastoral work in SS. Cyril and Methodius parish in Hartford. Collection consists of correspondence, publications, and photographs related to Msgr. Musiel. A substantial part of the collection's material relates to Msgr. Musiel's relatives from the Kazowski and Boniarczyk families.

Waclaw Graczewski, a first generation immigrant from Poland, came to the U.S. at the turn of the century. He was active in many social organizations established by Polish immigrants in Thompsonville, Connecticut. The collection consists of constitutions, by-laws and dues paid to these organizations.

Msgr. Alphonse A. Skoniecki was born in Poland in 1884. He attended seminary in Louvain, Belgium and was ordained a priest in 1917 in the US. During WWI he supported recruitment efforts for the Polish Army in France. Skoniecki served in several parishes in Massachusetts and was named pastor of St. Mary's Parish in Turners Fall, MA in 1925, a parish he would lead for 23 years. He was instrumental in expanding the parish and was active in many religious and secular organizations that promoted and served the Polish cause. He wrote to many local newspapers. His work and contributions were recognized by Poland's government-in-exile and in 1954 he received the honorary title of colonel in the Polish Army and was decorated with the Haller's Swords medal and the Gold Cross of Merit from the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America. The collection consists of extensive correspondence, seminary notes, sermons, and writings of Msgr. Skoniecki.

Collection consists of personal papers of Mr. Bronislaw Krzyzewski, a World War I veteran of the Polish Army under General Jozef Haller in France and later in Poland.