Map of Poland 1815-1918

Poland was partitioned in 1772, 1792, and 1795 by three empires—Russia, Prussia, and Austria Hungary—due to wars and weak government, “Poland” came to be identified with empires, provinces, and small villages.  It did not become an independent nation again until 1918.

Often lumped together as “Polanders”, a variety of Eastern European ethnic groups immigrated to the US including: Bohemian, Czech, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian.