James 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.
Annual Social
Share your favorite dish with the membership
For more information visit the PGST website
Polish Genealogical Society of Texas Annual Social Read More »
Sweepstakes Winners Announced
December 19, 2007
A big thanks to everyone who entered our sweepstakes for Polish Heritage apparel and gifts from either the Polish Heritage Gift Shop, the Polish American Gift Shop or the Polish Texan Gift Shop.
From October 1st to December 5th, we received 6638 entries. Each entry were assigned a number from 1 – 6638 in the order that they were received and a random number generator was used to pick the 4 winners. The winners are:
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Polish Texan Sweepstakes Winners AnnouncedRead More »
Polish Texan Sweepstakes Winners Announced Read More »
On November 11, 2007, the Polish Genealogy Society of Texas celebrated their 25th anniversary at Wyndehaven Terrace in Houston. The meeting room was beautifully decorated with Polish colors and a large display of Polish dolls and Wycinanki provided by Larry Gurka and Stanley Gorcynski. Teana Sechelski started the program with a presentation on the history of PGST.
Dolores Newman and Michael Kurtin drew the names of the raffle winners and the door prizes. Pete Wessner introduced PGST’s new book, Travel Notes by Stefan Nesterowicz. Monsignor Adam McClosky presented the invocation and Texas fiddler Brian Marshall entertained the guests with his great Polish music. A delicious meal was served and everyone had a great time. More information about the Polish Genealogy Society of Texas can be found on the PGST Website .
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25th Anniversary of the Polish Genealogical Society of TexasRead More »
25th Anniversary of the Polish Genealogical Society of Texas Read More »
Polish American Journal Releases “Polish Village Christmas, Vol. II”
Over 500 Years of Tradition on One CD
BUFFALO, N.Y.As a follow-up to its highly-successful 1994 release, “Polish Village Christmas,” the Polish American Journal has released the second in its collection of favorite Polish American Christmas carols, “Polish Village Christmas, Vol. II.”
This CD features performances by four Polka Music Hall of Fame artists: Lenny Gomulka, Mitch Biskup, Jackie Libera, and Mike Nowakowski; and award-winning musicians and vocalists John Bartley, Eddie Biegaj, Patricia Blust, John Jaworski, Kyle Kohan, Mark Kohan, Jim Kucharski, Joe Macielag, Robin Pegg, and Larry Trojak. (See “Biographies” below for more information on each artist).
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Polish American Journal Releases Polish Village Christmas, Vol. IIRead More »
Polish American Journal Releases Polish Village Christmas, Vol. II Read More »
Each year, my wife and I attend quite a few church bazaars and festivals, especially in the fall of the year. We enjoy them all, but our favorite is always the last one we attend each year, the Polish Festival in Brenham. This year, the 17th Annual Polish Festival was held on Sunday, October 28th at St. Mary Catholic Church in Brenham, Texas.
Polish heritage is a big thing in Brenham and the surrounding areas so it was no surprise that a big crowd gathered for the fun and food. In addition to the natives, there were a lot of people with Polish roots from all over Texas.
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Polish Festival In Brenham, TexasRead More »
St. Mary Catholic Church in Bremond, Texas held their annual homecoming bazaar on Sunday, October 21, 2007. Polish Texans with roots in Robertson county came in from all over to celebrate their Polish heritage. The weather turned out great with lots of sunshine and it seems to me that there was a larger than normal crowd.
A delicious barbecue beef and sausage dinner was served beginning at 11:00 am along with all of the fixings, home made deserts and ice tea. The long dinner line formed early and wound its way out of the hall.
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St. Mary Bazaar In Bremond TexasRead More »
St. Mary Bazaar In Bremond Texas Read More »
St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Anderson, Texas held their annual homecoming bazaar on Sunday, October 14, 2007. Polish Texans with roots in Grimes county came in from all over to celebrate their Polish roots. There was a large crowd this year and the weather was great.
A barbecue beef and sausage dinner was served beginning at 11:00 am along with all of the fixings, home made deserts and ice tea. As usual, the dinner was delicious.
There were Grocery, Cake, Fruit, Sausage, Kolache and other booths for the adults as well as activities for the kids. The traditional 'Babusha's Porch' booth had plenty of crafts and decorative items.
Tommy Szymczak and his crew had so many auction items that they were forced to start the live auction 30 minutes earlier then usual. The bidding was fast and furious and the live auction was a big money maker for the church.
Dancing on the wooden platform under the tent is a tradition at St. Stanaslaus and there were plenty of dancers of all ages. The music was provided by Brian Marshall, Phil Berger and Sonny Janczak with help from Jimmy Mazurkiewicz, Marion Seigal, Brian Wisnoski and others. The traditional Polish songs and music is always a hit with the Anderson crowd.
Click on the photos below to enlarge
St. Stanislaus Bazaar In Anderson Texas Read More »
Sunday, September 30, 2007
SPJST Lodge 88, 15th and Beall St., Houston, Texas
10:00 am – 7:00 pm
44th Annual Slavic Heritage Festival. 10:00 am Mass followed by ethnic foods, cultrual exhibits and entertainment.
St Cyril and Methodius Slavic Heritage Festival Read More »
