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j o s e p h   b a r t u l a   j o u r n a l

[Taken from Family Traditions, by Mary L. Smart, published by 4-Pines Publishing Company,
P. O. Box K, Bremond, TX 76629, pages 120 - 123.]

The first settler of Polish extraction in Bremond was Joseph Bartula.  The following was translated from his own writings into English by Reverend Thaddeus Tabak, SDS.  The translation was made in May of 1989 in Bremond, Texas.  It is as follows:

This handwriting contains the history of foundation of the Polish Colony in Bremond, Texas.  The history is written by Joseph Bartula in 1894.

In the year 1873, 16th day of May, I left my home country with whole my family, from the city P. (Polzno), Tarnow District, Pilzno County.  My family consisted of my wife, Katarzyna of Pankiewick (maiden name) and my sons:  Stanislaw, Wladyslaw, Mieczyslaw, Bronislaw, and Czeslaw and the maidservant, Catarzyna Gasior.

So, in the 16th of June, I took a drive through Beaumont and Houston to New Waverly where my brother-in-law Kasper Trybist was residing with his whole family.

In this journey, I lost all my fortune and my two sons:  Czeslaw and Bronislaw; they rest in the American earth at Danville, Montgomery County.  Also, our maidservant got lost there.  In the same year, I moved with my wife and three sons closer to Calvert.  There my oldest son Stanislaw passed away and he is buried five miles from Owensville and 6 miles from Calvert and there with the rest of the family we sustained most weakness and the sicknesses.  Finally, after one year of my staying there, I moved with my wife and my two remaining sons, Wladyslaw and Mieczyslaw, to Bremond and there I settled in the year 1875 in the 6th day of January.  I stayed at John Coleman Roberts where I was working by halves (in partnership) two years.  So, in the first year of being here in Bremond, there was no other Poles besides my family and Franciszek Bajonski, who did not have a fmaily.

The Americans were coming to see the Poles.  The City of Bremond was much bigger than it is now after nineteen years.  There was more stores and few families of Jews.  Herman Smith began his small grocery business worth up to $500 and now he is a banker, and he has the biggest business.

Finally, in the same year 1875, on the 10th of November, two Polish families arrived.  Pietrzykowski with his wife and three children (two daughters and one son) and Ohendalski with his wife and two children.  He was a son-in-law to Pietrzykowski.  They settled on the farm of Roberts. 

In the next year, Marcin Matysiak came and as the first of Poles he bought a farm of 50 acres for $500.  As the second was Michal Paszkiet with his family.  The third was Florian Bajonski, Franciszek Knast (?), Jozef Bajerowski - all with their families.  There was no Catholic Church there.  Only the French Priest Father Buisant was coming here to have services four times a year at Roberts' home.

And, in the same year 1876, our son Jozef was born as the first one of Polish families.  He was Baptized on 9th day of January by Father Buisant at Roberts' house.  As the Godparents were Holt Irish Storman and Mrs. Roberts.  Later in September, Franek Bajonski married Pietrzykowski's daughter Franciszka.  The wedding was at Roberts' house.  But, after one year, Franciszka passed away, also her two weeks old daughter.  They are buried in the American Cemetery two and one half miles from Bremond, in the south side of farm of Jozef Zabawa.

There was also two more Catholic graves of the Sxepertow's - the children of Francisszek Knopa's wife's sister.  All four graves are close together and the Chinese Berry (Chinaberry) is growing up on the graves.  Finally, in the same year, a certain nobleman - Apolinary Karwowski - got married in Bremond who was busy teaching and the in the year 1877 settled in Marlin, Texas, where already was a small Polish settlement of six families.  Father Henry, a Frenchman from Waco, was taking care of them.  This priest was with Karwowski, collected a few hundred dollars and they bought a store which was turned into a Polish Church.  But, in the same year, Father Jozep Mosiewicz came to Marlin.  His heart and soul were really Polish.  And, he was visiting Bremond from there every second Sunday.  The parish was small and poor - having only 30 families and the liturgy was celebrated in private homes.

Then, in the year 1878, Father Mosiewicz got the idea to build a Polish Church in Bremond.  But, the Polish people didn't have money.  They collected only $115.

Then, John Coleman Roberts himself donated $250 and the rest was collected from the other nationalities in all Robertson County and this way built a small church 50 feet long and 35 feet wide for $1,200.  Father Jozef Mosiewicz said the first mass in the year 1879 on the second day of Pentecost.  But, Father Jozef Mosiewicz and his parishioners couldn't enjoy their well0being even for the rest of 1879 because in the month of October, Kazimierz Polianski appeared here as the newly ordained priest to be the associate pastor, completing his education under Father Mosiewicz's supervision.  Polianski was an illiterate Lithuanian but because he was in propaganda in Rome, Bishop Dubois has sent a few of such ninnies to Galveston, Texas and he has commanded to ordain them but they were not the good priests but the swindlers.  Nevertheless, we Polish people welcomes Father Polianski with the sincere heart but when he was saying his first mass here in the Polish Church in Bremond, Father Mosiewicz must assist him, correctly his many mistakes.  Few ploughboys and peasants got mad at seeing this and they were saying how such an old, stupid fellow can give the instruction to a young priest.

The first to step forward was Jacob Suchowicz, as a former soldier; the second was Jozef Sadowski.  Those two, and more than one half of the Poles, got irritated, deciding to drive out Father Mosiewicz and to proclaim as pastor Father Polianski.  This young priest found hospitality at Sadowski's home and there he was getting more education, thinking how to get rid of Roman Lambs and Father Mosiewicz.  Finally, Father Mosiewicz voluntarily resigned with the Bishop's permission and remained as a good friend of the parishioners and also of the Reverend Father Polianski.

And now the year 1880 came about.  During January, it was quiet.  Father Mosiewicz left for Polianski all the church's equipment needed for the Liturgy and this was like that till February 1st.  February first it was Sunday and on Monday we had the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and I, the author of this writing, had a son for baptism.  It was my wish to have Father Mosiewicz as the godfather of the child and Mrs. Roberts as godmother.  We came to the church.  Father Mosiewicz wanted to say his mass earlier, so the main mass could be said by Father Polianski.

But, there were two counselors of Father Polianski:  Jacob Suckowiak and Jozef Sadowski.  And, when Father Mosiewicz was ready to say the mass, they took away the chalice from his hands and they didn't let him celebrate the Liturgy. So, Father Mosiewicz took his church's things with himself and he baptized my son at my house.  The church was closed during two days of holidays.  Finally, when the Bishop's office was notified about that, four priests were sent and they were reviewing the case in the church near the alter, where there was examination of the women and of the men.

Final sentence was that Father Mosiewicz was and that he still is a pastor.  Then, the entire mob started quarrelling and all went to the American court.  It was during the holy week before Easter.  The lawyers demanded the testimony from the Poles and the court oath was taking place before two candles and the cross.  The sentence was in the favor of Father Mosiewicz.

Finally, at the order of the Bishop, Father Polainski must resign from Bremond and Father Mosiewicz was coming to celebrate the services, in spite of miserable Stachowiak who was visiting the homes and forbidding the Poles to go the church because "the old priest will have the services."   It was one year like this till the time when in 1881 the same Lithuanian Polianski intruded to our parish and started his prevalence not as a pastor, because he didn't know how to read or write but to collect the dollars in different ways.  During five years, he collected as much as he could and he left for Baltimore where he bought the saloon and he was living on it there.

Finally, Father Piotr Litwora from Galicia, Tarnow Diocese, sent a letter with an offer that he would take a charge of Polish Parish in Bremond, Texas.  So, the parishioners quickly collected the money needed for his trip.  And, for this money, in the 1883, on the 6th day of January, Father Litwora arrived in Bremond and took charge of the parish where he and his brother D. (Felix) are performing the services of the church till now.  But, I am not able to describe what was happening during the fifteen years while he was here, because my hand refused to write.  This book was even at Father Litwora's (suggestion) but he didn't write a single word in it.

At the end of this discourse, a list of Polish families was given as follows:

Ludwik & Boleslaw Kotonowicz arrived in 1885 and Teador Kotonowicz arrived in 1887.

The builder of the Church John B. (Klos?) the German.

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The Saint Mary's Catholic Church Cemetery in Bremond, TX has a Texas Historical Marker commemorating Joseph Bartula, the author of the above work.  The following information is provided at this cemetery:

BARTULA, JOZEF, 1840 - 04.08.1919, SEC 1, Historical marker reads: "Born in Poland, Joseph (1840-1919) and Catherine (1841-1907) Bartula overcame many hardships after migrating to Texas in 1873. They became the first Polish settlers in Robertson County in 1875. Assisted by John Coleman and Mary Roberts, on whose farm he worked, Bartula wrote letters urging other Polish immigrants to join him. Soon 50 families arrived from Poland and 60 moved here from the Marlin area. By 1885, the town of Bremond had the largest Polish settlement in Texas, 345 families. Bartula later bought his own farm and became a leader in community and church affairs. The Bartulas had ten children." (#10904/1975)