True Heroes of Jamestown
by Arthur L. Waldo

True Heroes of Jamestown is a fascinating foray into the earliest era of European settlement in North America and further back into relations between Poland and England, which led to the presence of Poles in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1608.

Trade between England and Poland started in the Middle Ages and an English factory existed in Gdansk (Danzig) in the 14th century. In the 15th century, 50 Polish merchants conducted business on Poland Street in London still known by that name. In 1581 there were 500 permanent English residents in the Polish city of Elblag. Poland exported to England grain, lumber for shipbuilding, tar, hemp and flax. When the English started colonizing North America, it was natural that they enlisted the help of Polish artisans, expert in tar making and glass manufacture. A group of them was brought to Jamestown by Captain John Smith.

True Heroes of Jamestown is the story of their struggle against nature and the Indians, their hardships and achievements. The Polish settlers were the first Americans to strike for their civil rights, demanding equality with the English and thus initiating the pluralistic society which was to become the United States. The story of Jamestown is a thrilling chapter of American history, of particular interest to Polish Americans by proving that their ancestors were among the very first pioneers on this continent and builders of our nation.

Publishing House: American Institute of Polish Culture, Miami 2007
PaperBack book measuring 6" x 9"
252 pages, 150 illustrations
English Language Version

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