"Chicago has been the historic stronghold of Polish-Americans. Poles came to Chicago for the opportunities it offered, and then scattered across the Midwest and the United States. Millions of Americans today can trace some line of ancestry back to the Polish population of Chicago and greater Cook County... This book focuses on the years 1860 to 1945, and the target ancestry group is Polish Catholics.... To make this book practical, its focus is on Poland as defined by its boundaries today, not five hundred years ago..." This Second Edition includes Appendices some of which cover DNA and genetic genealogy, websites of interest, and recommended readings.