Researching Polish-Americans in the Archives Department - Polish-Americans - Archives Dept. - Research & Course Guides at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Search PantherCat

Search the library catalog to locate archival and manuscript collections which provide sources on the history of local Polish-American people and organizations.

Use the search box below, already limited to the Archives Dept.'s holdings. Note that these results will include some books on the subject, but more of them will describe archival or manuscript collections.

Here are four examples of simple keyword searches. Note that the boolean operator and is not necessary between keywords.

1) Polish Americans Wisconsin

2) polish world war

3) polish music

4) polish press

A general search hint: when reading any catalog record, follow the links found at "Subjects" to locate other material in the UWM Libraries on that same subject.

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Recommended Collections on Polish-Americans

In the Archives Dept., we have a significant amount of primary sources for your study of 19th and 20th-century Polish-Americans in the Milwaukee metro area. Our strengths are cultural and social organizations, businesses including the local press, and religion. Also, we have rich visual documentation of the lives of southside Polish Milwaukeeans in the Roman Kwasniewski photographs.

A list of pertinent collections follows. We have many other collections on the general topic, which you may explore by using the search strategies described elsewhere in this guide, or by asking an archivist.

Kuryer Publishing Company Records and the Kuryer Polski Records
Title: Kuryer Publishing Company Records
Creator: Kuryer Publishing Company (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Call Number: UWM Mss 46/see also Milw Micro 29
Abstract: This company produced a Polish language newspaper in Milwaukee.
Roman Kwasniewski Photographs
Title: Roman B.J. Kwasniewski Photographs
Creator: Kwasniewski, Roman B.J., 1886-1980
Call Number: UWM Mss 19
Abtract: Images taken in Milwaukee's Polish-American community (Polonia) during the early 20th century.
Polish Fine Arts Club Records
Title: Polish Fine Arts Club Records
Creator: Polish Fine Arts Club (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Call Number: Milw Mss 63
Abstract: This group was founded in 1930 to disseminate Polish culture by performing and sponsoring plays, concerts, and operas.
Polanki, the Polish Women's Cultural Club of Milwaukee Records
Title: Polanki, the Polish Women's Cultural Club of Milwaukee Records
Creator: Polanki, the Polish Women's Cultural Club of Milwaukee
Call Number: Milw Mss 74
Abstract: A club organized in 1953 to create interest in Polish culture & tradition.
Polish National Alliance of the United States of North America Records
Title: Polish National Alliance of the United States of North America Records
Creator: Polish National Alliance of the United States of North America
Call Number: Milw Mss 82
Note: We also have the records to many of the PNA local branches.

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Search Finding Aids

We write finding aids, or guides, for most of our collections. These guides explain the creator, contents and dates of the collection. This information is important to you when deciding if something is useful to your research. A finding aid also provides the information you will need to request and use a collection when you visit the Archives Dept.

All of our finding aids are included in Archival Resources in Wisconsin, a database of over 4,000 finding aids of collections held in seventeen repositories statewide.

Search our finding aids by using the search boxes below. Be sure to select an operator (and, or or not) as appropriate, and then click on "Search." Then explore the links in the grey band that appears with each result. Note: this search is limited to our holdings at the Archives Department, UWM Libraries, which is also known as the Milwaukee Area Research Center.