Everyday life of the Kępiński family in the history of Huta Głodowska
The story of a family rooted in a single village for more than a hundred years — from the return from America and the purchase of the farm in 1922, through the occupation and post-war poverty, to electrification, grandchildren and a memory that endured.
The book was written — as the author himself puts it — "out of longing for the atmosphere of my childhood and of extraordinary respect for the hard-working people I met on the farm". It is a record of everyday life: work in the fields, bread baked once a week, Lenten lamentations sung by a paraffin lamp, weddings, church fairs and evenings spent with neighbours.
There is a harder history here too: the occupation, the seizure of the farm, the death of Franciszek Kępiński on Christmas Day 1939. And the story of a new beginning: Jan's return from the army, his marriage to Tekla, three sons, and the electricity that changed the village in 1963.
The book can be read online, listened to as an audiobook, or ordered as a printed edition.
Table of contents
Wstęp Introduction — why this account was written On longing for the atmosphere of childhood, respect for hard-working people, and a book written for the grandchildren. I A historical outline of the village of Huta Głodowska Where the name "Huta" came from, how the manor farm changed hands, and what the censuses of the last two hundred years tell us. II The history of the Kępiński family farm The journey to America, the purchase of the farm in 1922, and the division of the land among Waleria's children in the first years after liberation. III Everyday and extraordinary life on the farm of Tekla and Jan The longest chapter of the book: the layout of the fields, lines of production, the electrification of 1963, transport, buildings and social life. IV The children of Tekla and Jan and their education Memories of earliest childhood, schooling, lodgings far from home, and the working lives of three sons. V The more important events in the family Lodgers and carers, father's troubles with the authorities, the handing over of the farm, illnesses, accidents and the death of the parents. VI My own family Changes of home, the birth of children, martial law, building the house in Wielgie, and the next generation. VII The Kępiński family in the United States — contacts and visits The American branch of the family: letters from across the ocean, the last letter from Stasiek, and mutual visits across half a century. VIII Everyday tasks of the villagers (1950–2020) Thirty-two accounts of vanishing rural tasks — from setting hens and thatching roofs to baking bread and village weddings. IX Conclusion A village emptying out, a farm without an heir, and memories set down for future generations.Book order
PDF edition
The complete book to read here on the site — on a computer, tablet or phone.
Colour book in leather binding
Full-colour print, leather binding — the keepsake edition for the family.