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Julian Niemcewicz in Skoki, Poland wrote to Susan Niemcewicz in Elizabethtown, NJ. In this immensely long dispatch Julian detailed his journey through Europe to Susan step by step. The first stop on his trip was Berlin where he witnessed thousands of troops completing spectacular military drills, however, his stay was short and abrupt there as he was in a hurry to return to Warsaw to see his friends and family. To his disappointment, he found a shell of the city he once remembered as he wrote, "Warsaw the capital of a kingdom, the home of so many kings, the home of the nobility, of so many friends and relations, now it became a foreign town, filled up with foreign troops, the most magnificent of the palaces of the nobles, in a moment of terror and despondency had been sold for mere nothing and turned into taverns and hotels." He went on to explain how he was bombarded with company upon his arrival at the city and found a great deal of friends and acquaintances wherever he went. Additionally, he elaborated on how the Polish population was much happier than he anticipated under foreign rule as the Prussian king granted many different freedoms to them. He continued his journey onward towards the city of Brest in modern day Belarus and would reunite with his cousin, sister and two of his brothers. Julian and his family members shared an extremely emotional moment as they cried tears of joy and happiness. They then asked Julian many times about Susan and Peter and wished they had made the trip out to Europe as well. He stayed the night at his cousins and the next day traveled to his sister's home. While dining there, Julian learned that his childhood home had been purchased by her husband after falling out of the family hands during the revolution. After his meal he then traveled to his brother's large brick mansion estate known as "The Palace" and resided there for the night. The next page dealt primarily with the difficult financial situation that faced Julian's family and his plan to use money from America to earn eight percent interest and buy stocks while they were low in Europe. Next, Julian shared the regret he felt in not being by his father's side when he had passed away as there were rumors going around that priests had stole valuable materials from him shortly after his death. The rest of what Julian wrote focused mainly on Susan and Peter as he sent his best wishes back their way, although, it is noted that he planned to make a visit to Prince Czartoryski and the Potocki family, both of which had a great deal of influence within Poland at the time.

Author/Creator

Julian Ursin Niemcewicz (1758-1841)

Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz (1758-1841)

Recipient

Susan Ursin Niemcewicz, formerly Susan Livingston and Susan Kean (1759-1833)

Creation Date

10-23-1802

Document Type

Manuscript

Location

Skoki, Poland

Collection

Liberty Hall Collection, 1711-1847 (bulk 1790-1830)

Inventory Location

103 C

Rights

This collection is open to the public for research use. Copyright remains with Kean University. Credit this material. Personal photographs may be made for research purposes. Inquiries regarding publishing material from the collection should be directed to the Special Collections Research Library and Archive at keanscrla@kean.edu.

Publishing Repository

Special Collections Research Library and Archive, Kean University

Julian U. Niemcewicz to Susan U. Niemcewicz, October 23, 1802

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