From Treaty to Trenches: Poland’s Path to Sovereignty (1918–1921)
2025-10-04 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Speaker: Professor Gordon Pueschner – MFA
Century College, White Bear Lake, MN
This presentation will cover what happened after the 1919 Paris Peace Accords, focusing on the rebirth of Poland and the challenges it faced in the years that followed. We’ll look at how the Treaty of Versailles helped restore Polish independence after more than a century of partition but left many questions—especially about Poland’s eastern borders—unresolved. Along the way, we’ll look at the often-overlooked Polish-Ukrainian War of 1918–1919 and how it set the stage for Poland’s bigger showdown with Soviet Russia in 1920. From diplomatic efforts to military conflicts like the Battle of Warsaw, this presentation will show how Poland fought to secure its place in a changing Europe—and how those early struggles shaped the region and laid the groundwork for future instability.”
This program will be held in person at the Minnesota Genealogy Center, 1385 Mendota Heights Road, Mississippi Room, Mendota Heights, Minnesota 55120 as well as virtually by Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to all PGS-MN members a few days before the program. Attendees (both Zoom and in-person) do not need to register in advance.
Not able to attend this event? The program will be recorded and available on the PGS-MN website (under Program Meeting Archives) about a week after the program is held.

Emigration between Countries and Pommern Ship History
2025-11-01 10:00 - 14:00
This is a joint program between the Polish Genealogical Society of MN and the Pommern Regional Group of MN.

Morning Program (10 AM – 12 PM)
Imigracja między krajami (Immigration Between Countries)
Speakers:
Alicia Byzewski, Member, PGS-MN
Jim Warzonek, President, PGS-MN
10 AM – 12 PM
The speakers will provide an overview of the experience of Polish immigration to America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. There will be examples of advertisements that promoted the journey by ship, as well as questionnaires and forms that Polish emigrants were required to complete before starting their journey. It will include the cost and course of travel by ship, as well as the routes taken once they arrived in the United States.
In addition, the speakers will address what is involved for a United States citizen to become a Polish citizen. They will cover the required forms, cost, and language needs to obtain Polish dual citizenship for individuals with Polish ancestry.

There will be a lunch break from 12 PM – 12:45 PM
For those attending in person, a light lunch will be provided.

Afternoon Program (12:45 PM – 1:45 PM)
Dar Pomorza (Gift of Pommern)
Speaker:
Jim Neuenfeldt, President, Pommern Regional Group of MN (PRG)
Pommern – The translations refer to “The People by the Sea” to “Land South of the Baltic.” No matter which interpretation is used, Pommern’s relationship to the sea makes it appropriate to name ships related to Pommern-Pomerania.
One of the legendary ships is the Dar Pomorza – “Gift of Pommern,” Poland’s greatest sailing ship. The speaker will cover the different ships named after Pommern, with focus on the Dar Pomorza, its historic stories, and how it is still used today.

This program will be held in person at the Minnesota Genealogy Center, 1385 Mendota Heights Road, Mississippi Room, Mendota Heights, Minnesota 55120 as well as virtually by Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to all PGS-MN members a few days before the program.This program is free – attendees (both by Zoom and in-person) do not need to register in advance.
Not able to attend this event? The program will be recorded and available on the PGS-MN website (under Program Meeting Archives) about a week after the program is held.
We hope you will join us!

2026 Program Meetings
2025-12-01 - 2026-12-31
Below are the titles for the 2026 Program Meetings. Keep checking back for more details.

March 7, 2026 – The Poznan Project and FamilySearch Marriage Records (Speaker: Terry Kita) – Now Available in the Program Meeting Archives
April 11, 2026 – Polish American Cultural Institute (PACIM) and Columbia Heights Sister City Program
May 2, 2026 – Forged in Iron – A Minnesota Rusyn Immigrants Tale (Speaker: Mary Soroko)
September 12, 2026 – Operation Vistula (Speaker: Marge Runnako)
October 3, 2026 – Polish Food
November 7, 2026 – Kowalski Family (Speaker: Janet Mitchell)

Previous programs can be found in the Program Meeting Archives in the Members Only section of our website. We encourage you to watch the ones that interest you at your convenience.

The Poznan Project and FamilySearch Marriage Records
2026-03-07 10:00 - 11:30
Speaker: Terry Kita, PGS-MN Past President
This program will combine information from two free online marriage record resources: The Poznan Project, and FamilySearch.
The Poznan Project originated in 2015, and is a compilation of all marriages between 1800-1899 in the Prussian Province of Poznan. Data includes parish name, date, names of groom and bride, and occasionally names of parents. Data was obtained from church books, and from civil records after a certain date.
FamilySearch records to be discussed are also digitized marriage records from Poznan. The records were written by the presiding priests, usually in Latin. The format of the records can vary from paragraph to tabular form. The speaker will also address ways to reveal additional family members through the FamilySearch site.
This program will be held in person at the Minnesota Genealogy Center, 1385 Mendota Heights Road, Mississippi Room, Mendota Heights, Minnesota 55120 as well as virtually by Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to all PGS-MN members a few days before the program. Attendees (both Zoom and in-person) do not need to register in advance.
Not able to attend this event? The program will be recorded and available on the PGS-MN website (under Program Meeting Archives) about a week after the program is held.

Introduction to PACIM and Columbia Heights Sister City Organizations
2026-04-11 10:00 - 12:00
PACIM (Polish American Cultural Institute of Minnesota) is a Polish-American cultural and language organization that has served Minnesota for over 40 years and is currently based at Landmark Center in St. Paul. It provides meaningful programming that promotes Polish culture, language, and history, and builds connections across the Polish-American community through membership and partnerships with other cultural organizations, schools, churches, and individuals.
Columbia Heights Sister City organization is based in Columbia Heights, MN. Its origin can be traced to the story of a Polish-American air force pilot who lost his life in WWII near the Polish city of Lomianki. The connection between the two cities has existed since 1991, and involves cultural, historical, as well as civic ties and exchanges.
This program will be held in person at the Minnesota Genealogy Center, 1385 Mendota Heights Road, Mississippi Room, Mendota Heights, Minnesota 55120 as well as virtually by Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to all PGS-MN members a few days before the program. Attendees (both Zoom and in-person) do not need to register in advance.
Not able to attend this event? The program will be recorded and available on the PGS-MN website (under Program Meeting Archives) about a week after the program is held.

Forged in Iron - A Minnesota Rusyn Immigrant’s Tale
2026-05-02 10:00 - 12:00
Speaker: Dr. Mary Soroko,
Retired College Educator and Consultant –
In 2015, the research staff of the MN Discovery Center in Chisholm, MN, asked the speaker for information on the Soroko family. The Center had just received the Soroko “location” home as a donation for their Glenn Location exhibit. Unlike the majority of these properties, the Soroko home survived because it was used as a hunting shack. The speaker knew very little about the family history and what began as an inquiry became a full-fledged research project, and eventually a book.
This program will be held in person at the Minnesota Genealogy Center, 1385 Mendota Heights Road, Mississippi Room, Mendota Heights, Minnesota 55120 as well as virtually by Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to all PGS-MN members a few days before the program. Attendees (both Zoom and in-person) do not need to register in advance.
Not able to attend this event? The program will be recorded and available on the PGS-MN website (under Program Meeting Archives) about a week after the program is held.
