Saturday, January 5, 2008

"History of ...Calumet, Red Jacket..." c. 1883

Excerpted from "History of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan containing a full account of its early settlement; its growth, development and resources; and extended description of its Iron and Copper Mines." (Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1883)
Transcribed by Joseph F. Martin

Calumet
Rev. Fabian Pawlar, resident priest of the Church of the Sacred Heart. Father Pawlar was born in Silesia, Prussia; was educated in Germany; studied theology and was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Church in Italy in 1874. He came to America in 1875, and directly to Lake Superior, and from January 1875 till July 1878, was in charge of the Church of the Sacred Heart in Calumet. He was then assigned to the church at Houghton, of which he was the resident priest from July 1878 till May 1880. In June 1881 he returned to Calumet to his former charge. He has been lately assigned to the Polish church at Red Jacket. (p. 305)

Red Jacket
The Polish Church society was organized the present year, 1882, with Rev. Fabian Pawlar as the organizing pastor. The Church Executive Committee are M. Mytkowski, Andrew Bartkowiak, Simon Tobianski, A. Osinski and Vincent Saltka, who have in charge the construction of a frame church building 40 X 75 feet in area, which will seat sixty people and cost $2,900. (pp. 306-307)
The Roman Catholic Polanders resident here have a benevolent society called St. Stanislaus Kostka which was organized in 1874 with a membership of twenty-five. Its first officers were John Zwierzchowski, President, Anton Osinski, Vice President, Martin Flens, Secretary, Mathias Mydkowski, Treasurer; V. Nowicki, A. Nowakowski, M. Ernad, Stephen Swiderski, Frank Swiderski, A. Gorski, Anton Adamski and Frank Zienta, with the six last named to an Executive Committee. The present membership is seventy-five. (p. 307)