Roots: A journey to Poland
by Edward X. Young

originally published in the Monadnock Ledger, 12/12/2002

Jadaszewski harbors a passion for his ancestral pride and seeks to educate people to the enormous contributions Poland has made to the world.

Born in Florida in 1963, Jadaszewski grew up as Eric Yates. But despite the fact his parents changed the original family surname to something easier for Americans to pronounce and spell, the family made no secret of their heritage.

Consequently, the young Jadaszewski was subjected to ethnic jokes and cruel stereotyping about Polish people.

Things changed when he met a new classmate, who was a history buff, who introduced Jadaszewski to the proud history of his Polish ancestors.

From books he borrowed, Jadaszewski learned about Nicolaus Copernicus, the 15th Century Polish scientist, whose theories led to the discovery that the earth revolves around the sun.

He read about Generals Pulaski and Kosciusko, who fought alongside George Washington during the American Revolution. But what most fascinated Jadaszewski were the heroic accounts of the Hussars, the armored cavalry soldiers, who for centuries defended Poland from invading armies.

After quickly devouring every text he could find on the subject and frustrated by the lack of material on Polish history available in bookstores and libraries in America, Jadaszewski began ordering books with English translation directly from Poland. When that available pool dried up, he took lessons to learn the Polish language so he could read imported books that had no translation.

Jadaszewski is grateful to his mother, Irene Yates, who now lives in Peterborough, for the tremendous support she gave him in enabling him to find his Polish roots.

After Jadaszewski’s 18th birthday, he legally changed his last name from Yates back to the original Polish family name and then found the same surname in a New York City telephone directory, which led to the location of a long-lost cousin, who still had connections to other relatives living in Poland.

This discovery inspired the family to plan its first trip to Poland in 1980. Jadaszewski noted the ironic timing of their arrival in Poland coincided with the Solidarity Movement, when Polish trade unions rose up to fight against the oppression of Soviet communism.

“Fortunately the violence and political tensions were confined to the larger cities, while our relatives lived in rural farming towns, Jadaszewski said. “But we did see a lot of soldiers carrying machine guns all over the country.”

Jadaszewski recalled an emotional moment in the town of Rypin, where, after many decades of separation, his father, Stephen, embraced his last surviving brother.

Jadaszewski’s father, Steven Yates, was a decorated American World War II veteran, who fought in the Battle of Mount Cassino and was awarded the Purple Heart after he was wounded in combat in France. In Poland, he learned three of his other brothers, who were soldiers in the Polish Army, were sent to concentration camps after they were captured. He also discovered that other relatives fought with the Polish Resistance against the Nazi invaders.

Nevertheless, the family was still happy to be able to meet and establish close ties with the many cousins they still have living in Poland today.

Since then, Jadaszewski has made three more visits to Poland. His last trip was on special invitation from a renowned professor, who supplied research material and technical advice for a book Jadaszewski is writing and illustrating about the history of the legendary Polish Hussars.

Over the past year, Jadaszewski joined a Polish-American living history group, which currently boasts 30 regional members. The group collects and constructs authentic recreations of the weapons and uniforms of the 17th Century Polish knights.

In Jadaszewski’s home, he displays an imported szyszyk, a steel and brass armor helmet. He crafted his own szabla, a steel saber, and a nadziak, a spiked iron war hammer. He has many other authentic replicas of weapons and historical military apparel. Currently, he is constructing a pair of skrzydla, feathered shoulder wings that knights wore into battle to create a fearsome image that terrified enemies.

Jadaszewski said when his living history group began it only gave lectures. But since membership has grown, the group engages in battle reenactments, which he said are a lot of fun.

“We’re still looking for new members,” said Jadaszewski. “And you don’t even have to be Polish to join. All you have to have is a passion for history. We will train you in stage combat techniques. And we even supply newcomers with loaner weapons and uniforms to participate in battle reenactments.”

Jadaszewski added, “The warriors get to eat lots of great Polish food. At a recent cultural festival, members from a Scottish living history group came by to see if we could give them some of our kielbasa, pierogi, and golumki, because our food was a lot more appetizing than their haggis.”

Jadaszewski, 39, maintains a bi-lingual Polish and English speaking home in Dublin with his wife, Jeannine and his sons Stefan, 12, and Nicholas, 8. Stefan is also a member of the living history group.

The Jadaszewski family owns and operates the Moose Maple Nursery and Garden Center on Route 137 in Dublin, north of Carr’s Store and Citgo.

At the nursery, Jadaszewski offers, among other things, imported Polish wrought iron products.

To learn more about the Polish living history group, call 563-8284 or e-mail jrjadajuno.com