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The personal is where we start from

I’m Barbara Dieu and Bohdan Pawłowicz (1899 -1967) was my grandfather. He was a Polish writer, journalist and globetrotter.

Bohdan left behind numerous writings and recordings that chronicle the times he lived in, documenting his impressions, feelings, and beliefs. After his death, much of this material was donated to the Jozef Pilsudski Institute (Archival Fonds 81) and the Piasa Archives (Online Inventory Fonds No 29) in New York,  but some more personal papers and family records that he kept,  are still with the family, in different boxes and suitcases scattered around the world: in Poland, in the US and in Brazil.

It is my intention to retrieve these family records, classify them and publish them in this digital suitcase, weaving in the family narratives, memories and photographs, to bring out the family saga.

The blog, which runs parallel to this collection of items, is a contemporary diary on the different stages of this project, a record of my findings, impressions, reflections and the challenges I meet as I go along.

This is very much a work-in-progress. If you have anything to share or contribute, please let me know at beeonline (at) gmail (dot) com.

 

2 thoughts on “Home

  1. Andrzej Niemczyk

    Hi Barbara! Please allow me to introduce myself, my name is Andrzej Niemczyk I was born in 1956 in Gdynia, Poland. In 1980 I graduated from Merchant Marine Academy as Master Electrical Ship Engineer. After working for few years on polish ships in 1988 together with my wife I emigrated to United States and since then we live in Bayonne, New Jersey. Several years ago, as a hobby I started collecting documents about Polish Merchant Marines who after WWII emigrated to USA. What started as a hobby turn out to be now my obsession. At the present time I already have enough materials for couple books. Right now my main interest is focused on Capt. Jan Cwiklinski, former master of polish passenger ship “Batory” who in 1953 escape from Communist Poland and later wrote a book about his ordeal “Captain leaves his ship”. Next venture with Cwiklinski’s involvment was polish shipping company Pulaski Transport Line and ship “Wolna Polska” – which he became Master. After this , maybe little to long introduction I will get to my point. In January of 1956 to comemorate flag raising ceremony on “Wolna Polska” Association of former Polish Seaman issued a biuletin “Ster” and in this publication is printed your grandfather’s text tilted “Wczoraj i dzis”. I suspect that you are familiar with this biulettin and this text. But if for any reason you don’t have this in your archive I will be more than happy to share it with you. And if you during your resurch came across any information about Capt. Cwiklinski I will be very interested to know it. One more piece of information: during WWII in England there was a Polish Merchant Marine school. One of the student was Stanislaw Gutt – who later became a Secretary to Polish Merchant Marine Officers Association in America, his best friend Boleslaw Daroszewski emigrated to Brazil in 1946 and he is 94 years old. If you would like to contact him there is his address Av.Pedro Lodovico 382, Centro Araguatins, TO. , tel.# 633-474-1287. Mr, Daroszewski wrote a book about his live in Portuguese , his hearing is very poor. But I think he could still be valuable source of information.

    Reply
    1. bdieu Post author

      Thank you for your contact and information, Andrzej. It’s always easier and
      more comforting when you have travel companions on a historical search
      journey. I have sent you a private email.

      Reply

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