Now it's time to invite you to visit virtually your family ancestral home and lands in Poland. It must be something beatiful in your heart that you, like all of us on this forum, are looking for the past of ancestors, that is telling about our present and future. Please give us your hand, here is our forum next help:
All your ggparents Jan and Aniela's ancestral lands Czerwona Gora and Goloszyce are located in the south-central Poland, in the area of the Swietokrzyskie Mountains:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Awi% ... _Mountains
Please see both places, and family ancestral churchces Ruszkow, and Modliborzyce with the Angels view - with the google maps, you have zoom + and - to see more, to touch the ancetral lands and local roads to the family churches, where in the 19th century every Sunday family members were going to have a Sunday holy mass, where all newborns where baptized:
https://www.google.pl/maps/@50.8146296, ... a=!3m1!1e3
The base information about your GGFather Jan's family ancestral home Czerwona Gora:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czerwona_ ... oivodeship
And same with your GGMother Aniela's Goloszyce:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go%C5%82oszyce
You deserve also to have the pics of your family ancestral churches, for your Family History Book:
Modliborzyce:
https://parafiamodliborzycedotcom.wordpress.com/
Ruszkow:
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruszk%C3% ... 0_1187.jpg
And yes, your next documents would confirm our discoveries, because we are not sure in 100%. Yes, the naturalizations papers, and the petition for naturalization are the most valuable, see the example with the virtual gallery Narodowa GA.PA help room:
https://narodowa.pl/exhibits/ga-pa-pgf- ... om-no-155/
This the place where you can send the scans, as well as the photos of your GGParents, if you have any, and you want to share them with us. Please use this page, click on English flag, registrate and and send all with "Add your Exhibit":
https://narodowa.pl/dzial/genealogia-epigenetyka/ - all page is absolutely for free and fully open.
Yes, we know it would be for you the next challenge with registration with the Polish webpage, but soon the webpage will be in English version, just to help others from the world.
Now, our forum next help would be with you GGParents Jan and Aniela's families' church and civil records from Poland, however, this is the next challenge from our forum members. And please note with all the 19th, and the beg of 20th century Poland was as Russia, under the Russia Tzar occupation, thus, in any immigration ducuments the country of origin would be given as Russia.
Re your "My grandfather who was Jan & Aniela's son did not share anything about his parents and everyone was very opposed to talking about anything from Poland." - yes, we must understand their hard times of life after immigration, and their all so big efforts to give the best life to their children.
Now, to conclude, all this family past from Europe - Poland is in your blood and genes. I think your ancestors, with rich roots and traditions are the Polish peasants and nobles - as your GGMother Aniela's family names is Szydlowski, and Szydlowski is listed with Polish noble names:
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szyd%C5%82owscy
Something about Polish and American peasants:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Polis ... nd_America
This was possible Small Szlachta - Szlachta Zasciankowa, Zagrodowa from this area of old Poland:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szlachta
but most of Polish szalchta lost their szlachta rights after political partitions od Poland from the 1772 year:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Partition_of_Poland
Your family records from the past Poland would confirm, but the problem is that most of church and civil records are survived only from the beg of the 19th century.
We are also trying to help Anna in contacting your family in the present Poland, who knows...
And finally sorry for my school type English, I've never been to the US, or England.
Christina, all the best good luck with your search and life.