Polish Nobility Association Foundation

Battle of Vienna, 1683

1683

Battle of Vienna 1683

Library Resources

From the Desk of the Chairman
Dr. Roger Chylinski-Polubinski

UPDATING OF PNAF HISTORY AND UPDATING OF THE PNAF WEB SITE FOR THE 21:

We are taking this opportunity to clarify some misinterpretations made by some members and non members regarding the PNAF.  The Executive Committee has begun an update for the 21st century of the PNAF History and other aspects of the web site.  We begin with the history of the PNAF and move on to Orders of Merit. Certain representations made by well intended members around the world to public inquiries have lead to a misinterpretation and translation difficulties of documents that are almost a century old. With careful research we have begun to clarify certain areas that in the past have led to incorrect speculation and assumptions by non members. Formal requests for clarification were never made directly to the PNAF Headquarters at Villa Anneslie. An example was the term “CONSTITUTION” which somehow became confused with the Constitution of the Republic of Poland when it actually referred to the Constitution (By-Laws) of the PNAF. 

Orders of Merit does not mean that the PNAF administers seven National Royal Orders but is clarified as an Eastern European Federation of Fraternal Societies and Political Organizations representing several countries including the Royal Order of Piast representing Poland, (all early 20th century organizations operating under an umbrella organization incorporated in New York in 1927 as the Slav Catholic Club -Association) which would work together to maintain the Culture, History, and Political awareness of the contributions of the Nobility to their respective countries.  Hence the PNAF has two Orders of Merit, the Royal Order of Piast (circa 1927 founded by Paul Ridelski and the Rev. Joseph Paul, Count Chodkiewicz) and the Royal Order of Jagiello (created in 1969 by the PNAF) both awarded by the authority of the Executive Committee  representing the noble membership of the PNAF.

The PNAF does not grant nobility, titles of nobility, or coats of arms.  It does however register and issue to successful PNAF Heraldic Name Search Applicants/Members Certificates identifying a recorded researched surname and coat of arms and registration date(s) recorded in authoritative existing historical reference works. We should also point out that Heraldry and Genealogy are Semi-Sciences and while numerous books dealing with Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth families are available there may also be contradictory information regarding families origins, arms etc.

Click here to read a poem about John Paul II.