Michael Morys-Twarowski

The Olszar family from Sibica in Cieszyn Silesia from the 17^th to beginning of the 20^th century

The article presents the genealogy and material status of the Olszar family from Sibica (today’s outskirts of Český Těšín) starting with the progenitor of the family – Jan (died after 1654). The Olszar family from Sibica was a Protestant family but in the first half of the 18th century they converted to Catholicism even though families in their village remained faithful to Lutheranism. The interesting thing is that the conversion came after the Treaty of Altranstädt (1706), which had significantly improved the situation of Lutherans in Cieszyn Silesia. Because of their material status (owners of settlement land), the Olszars belonged to the rural elite throughout the discussed period. They also had a seat in the local self-government. Jan (1835–1921), a farmer from Kalembice near Cieszyn, Polish national activist and member of Macierz Szkolna Księstwa Cieszyńskiego (cultural and educational organization in the Duchy of Cieszyn), came from this line. On the basis of the Olszar family it can be stated that in the examined period, no great nationwide reform led to the exchange of elites on the local level in Cieszyn Silesia.
 

Nowości wydawnicze

Piotr Kropka, Rudzica. Dzieje wioski i parafii od założenia do czasów współczesnych, Towarzystwo Miłośników Rudzicy, Rudzica 2013, ss. 378

The Pszczółkas from Krasna near Cieszyn (17th–20th century)
The Pszczółkas were a Catholic family of peasants who lived in Krasna since the 17th century. Not later than in the 18th century they came into possession of land for settlement which remained in their possession for at least seven generations. If the father died at an advanced age, the household was taken over by the youngest son; if the father died prematurely, the household went into the hands of the oldest son. The Pszczółkas played an important role in the history of the village: Andrzej (1720–1783) and Jan (1787–1846) were heads of the village. Paweł (1825–1864) and his wife Maria contributed to the history of Krasna by adopting Jan Binkowski, who became the local teacher. Jan (1879–1926) took active part in Polish national movement just like his relatives and relatives-in law (e.g. Franciszek Tomanek from Ropica and his son Father Rudolf Tomanek, Franciszek Lipa from Bobrek, Andrzej Francus and his son Franciszek, Karol Biłko from Krasna).

Jan Śliwka’s Last Will of 1873
Jan Śliwka (1823–1874) was a teacher, reporter, author of textbooks, presbyter of the evangelical Church in Cieszyn and also one of the leading Polish nationalist activists in the district of Cieszyn Silesia. The present article contains an edition of a valuable source to Jan Śliwka’s biography which up until now has been unknown to scholars. The source in question is Śliwka’s last will which was drawn up on 23 June 1873 and is currently to be found in the State Archive in Cieszyn. The source may also be used in research on the mentality of the Polish intelligentsia of peasant origin belonging to the Augsburg evangelical church. It also gives one an idea about the quality of the Polish language used by the graduates of the evangelical high school and the six-week teacher training course in Cieszyn.

Addenda to the biography of Michał Dzierżanowski (around 1722–1809)

The present article contains rectifications and addenda to the biography of Michał Dzierżanowski, a famous adventurer and one of the leaders of the Bar Confederacy.
In all likelihood, he was born around the year 1722 and not 1725 as has been assumed in the literature up until now. After he had enlisted in the French army, he was subsequently taken captive by the English in April 1744 while on his way to Flanders (earlier on, this event was reported to have occurred around the year 1744). It was confi rmed that in the years 1753–1754, he had served in the French army in India, where he was promoted to the rank of commander of the village of Chalambaram; it was also confi rmed that in 1761 he had visited Spain. Michał Dzierżanowski died on 25 March 1809 and not in 1808, as had been assumed earlier.
The accounts of Claude-Carloman de Rulhiere and Henryk Rzewuski concerning Dzierżanowski’s foreign adventures prior to the year 1764 had also been partly verifi ed. Further research should bring about successive addenda to the biography of this adventurer.