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James Smock

James SmockJames Smock has always held an interest in his Polish ancestors and heritage. He is a native Houstonian with Polish roots in Bremond, Marlin and New Waverly, Texas.

James is a past president of the Polish Genealogical Society of Texas and was the founding webmaster of the PGST website. He also served as the Surname Index Coordinator from 1994 - 2000.

In addition to serving as the webmaster and editor of this Polish Texan website, he maintains a number of other websites including;

With a lifelong passion for photography, James can often be found with a camera around his neck. In addition to photographing family events and his grandchildren, he is the church photographer for St. Mary Catholic Church in Plantersville and St. Joseph Catholic Church in Stoneham. Many of his photographs can be found on the church website or his photography gallery.

Back To Back Festivals In Houston

News / By /

Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic Church will host back-to-back ethnic festivals on Saturday and Sunday. Dożynki – Polish Harvest Festival will be held on Saturday, September 12, 2009, from 10 am – 10pm and the 46th annual St. Cyril & Methodius Slavic Heritage Festival will be held on Sunday, September 13, 2009 from 10am – 6pm. Both festivals will be held on the church grounds at 1731 Blalock Dr. Houston, TX 77080. Here’s a quick rundown on the two festivals.
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Back To Back Festivals In Houston Read More »

Polski Noc Polish Heritage Celebration In Bryan Texas

Current Events / By /

Polski Noc RehearsalIt’s always good to see the Polish community get together to celebrate our heritage and honor our ancestors who brought their culture, work ethic and faith to Texas. Polski Noc, hosted by Bryan residents Dr. Jim and Kathy Mazurkiewicz also honored a Polish American from Wisconsin, an American army veteran returning from a tour of duty in Iraq. The things that defined our ancestors lives were well represented at this party and it’s interesting to compare this event with the lifestyle of the early Polish settlers:
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Polski Noc Rehearsal

Celebrations, Current Events / By /

Polski Noc RehearsalIf you’re going to have a big Polish party on Saturday night to honor an old friend, what do you do to prepare for it? The most logical thing to do would be to have a rehearsal; at least that’s what Jimmy Mazurkiewicz figured. Jimmy and his friend Bernie Kroll and their families along with a good size crowd of other friends and locals met at Jozwiak Grocery in Chappell Hill, Texas for a scaled down version of the big party.

There was lots of cold piwo and hours of some really good acoustic music played by Jimmy Mazurkiewicz and his son James, Bernie Kroll and his son Jeremy, Brian Marshall, Sonny Janczak, Brian Wisnoski and Joshua Behrens.
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Polski Noc Rehearsal Read More »

Bigos Recipe

Food and Drink, Recipes / By /

BigosBigos or Hunters Stew is one of the most popular of Polish foods. It is sometimes called the national dish of Poland. The best thing about Bigos is that there is really no standard recipe, it varies from region to region and from family to family. So each time you eat Bigos, it is likely to taste slightly different. The main ingredients are sauerkraut, cooked cabbage, mushrooms and a variety of meats. It is best to make a large batch since this dish gets better each time it is reheated. Below is the recipe that I have developed over the years, but even it varies depending on what kind of meat I have available.
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Bigos Recipe Read More »

Texas-Polish Music at Sengelmann Hall

News / By /

TEXAS-POLISH, TEX-MEX and Louisiana Cajun Music at Sengelmann HallTEXAS-POLISH, TEX-MEX and Louisiana Cajun Music at Sengelmann Hall in Schulenburg on September 6, 2009!

Houston area, Texas-Polish fiddler Brian Marshall (Marszalek) joins button accordion, Chemnitzer concertina and trumpet player Bradley Jaye Williams (Szumila) for a “POLSKI DZEM SESSION” with members of The Gulf Coast Playboys as they perform polkas, obereks and Cajun two-steps and waltzes to keep the dancers on their toes.
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The Ripkowski Brothers – True American Patriotism

Culture / By /

Stash and Mattie Ripkowski FamilyWhile going through my grandmother Agnes Polka Smock’s old photographs, I found a newspaper clipping from the Houston Chronicle. It was a photo of one of her neighbor’s large family from New Waverly, Texas. The photo was titled "Twelve Brothers Served Uncle Sam" and the caption reads "These 12 sons in a family of 16 children, of Mrs. Stash Ripkowski of Dayton, have served with the United States armed forces. Husbands of three of the daughters were in service also, and a fourth husband worked in a defense plant. Members of the family are, left to right, front; Mrs. Ripkowski, Bernie, Felix, Alex, August, Leon, Bill, Raymond; second row: Herman, Catherine, Virginia, Franklin, John J., Pearline, Mike, Anna Lee and Stanley."

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The Ripkowski Brothers – True American Patriotism Read More »

2009 Polski Dzien In Bremond, Texas

Current Events, Festivals and Bazaars / By /

2009 Bremond Polski DzienTexas has been in the middle of a severe heat wave for the last week or so, but the hot weather didn’t stop a large crowd from enjoying the 22nd annual Polski Dzien Polish Days celebration which was held on Saturday, June 27, 2009 in downtown Bremond, Texas. As always, the day began with the Polish Pickle 5 K Run at 8 AM followed by the Kids K Run. It always fascinates me that so many people, young and old, show up in the middle of summer to run. As the race ended, the runners were fed a feast of fruit, kolaches and good kielbasa sausage with water, soft drinks and cold beer to wash it down. Cold piwo at 8:30 AM may sound strange to some, but I’d have been right there drinking with them if I had just pounded out 3 miles on the hot asphalt. After all of the runners made it to the finish line, a raffle drawing was held and awards were handed out.
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