Josephine Czaja Collection

1936-1987
1 box (0.25 linear feet)
Call no.: MS 189
rotating decorative images from SCUA collections

Born in Poland, Josephine Latosinski emigrated with her parents to the United States as an infant in 1905. After study at the Booth and Bayliss Commercial College in Waterbury, Connecticut, she worked briefly as a secretary for a Waterbury firm, however in 1926, she married an electrical engineer, Joseph Czaja, and moved to Springfield, Mass. An active member of the Polish community and a talented musician, Czaja sang in the St. Cecilia Choir of Our Lady of the Rosary Church, was an officer in the church's Ladies Guild, and she became a key member of the local Polish Women's Club.



The collection consists of photocopies of news clippings, probably compiled into scrapbooks by Josephine Czaja, depicting her activities, her family, the Polish community of Springfield more generally, particularly the Polish Women's Club.

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Background on Josephine Czaja

Born in Niewszawa, Poland in 1904, Josephine Latosinski emigrated to the United States with her parents as an infant, arriving with her mother Stacia in 1905, four years after her father Frank had settled in Waterbury, Connecticut. The eldest of a family of at least seven, Josephine studied at the Booth and Bayliss Commercial College and then began work as a secretary for a Waterbury firm.

In 1926, Josephine married an electrical engineer, Joseph Czaja, the son of Polish immigrants who was born and raised in Connecticut. After moving to Springfield, Massachusetts, Joseph worked for Westinghouse for many years and he and Josephine were deeply involved in the local Polish community. A talented singer and musician, Czaja was an active member of the St. Cecilia Choir and the Ladies Guild of Our Lady of the Rosary Church and she was a stalwart of the Polish Women's Alliance and the Polish American Club. The couple had three children, Ronald, Jean, and Caroline.

Josephine Czaja died in 1993 and is buried with her husband in St. Stanislaus Cemetery in Chicopee.

Scope of collection

The collection consists of photocopies of news clippings, probably compiled into scrapbooks by Josephine Czaja, depicting her activities, her family, the Polish community of Springfield more generally, particularly the Polish Women's Club.

Inventory

Newsclippings
1930s
Folder 1
Newsclippings
1940s
Folder 2
Newsclippings
1950s
Folder 3
Newsclippings, part 1
1960s
Folder 3
Newsclippings, part 2
1960s
Folder 3
Newsclippings
1970s
Folder 3
Newsclippings, part 1
1980s
Folder 3
Newsclippings, part 2
1980s
Folder 3

Administrative information

Access

The collection is open for research.

Provenance

Gift of Josephine Czaja, Sept. 1987.

Processing Information

Processed by I. Eliot Wentworth, July 2017.

Languages:

English, Polish

Copyright and Use (More information )

Cite as: Josephine Czaja Collection (MS 189). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.

Search terms

Subjects

  • Polish Americans--Massachusetts--Springfield
  • Polish Women's Club
  • Springfield (Mass.)--History

Contributors

  • Czaja, Josephine [main entry]

Genres and formats

  • News clippings

Link to similar SCUA collections