Józef Skawiński - this is my name and surname. I come from a small village called Sarnaki, where I was born on September 27, 1812. I didn't get to know my parents because they died when I was little. In the years 1830-1831 I took part in the November Uprising. After its fall, like many young soldiers, I was threatened with arrest, so I emigrated. Fleeing the Russian persecution, I traveled from one place to another. From 1833, I took part in the Carlist War in Spain for seven years. Later I found myself in the ranks of the French Legion, and from 1848 to 1849 I also fought in the Hungarian uprising. Fate drove me even to the United States, where in the years 1861-1865 I was also a soldier in the Civil War. My attitude towards the war history and commitment on the battlefield were appreciated - I was awarded many times, I also received several medals.
When the hostilities calmed down temporarily, I looked for income in various parts of the world. I often changed jobs: I was a gold prospector in Australia, I hunted whales with a harpoon, I looked for diamonds in Africa, I had my farm, I worked as a shooter for the government of the East Indies, I tried to become a trader, doing business with wild Brazilian tribes, I was the manager of a cigar factory, and in Arkansas I had a blacksmith's shop. One day I also became a deck panty on a ship and that's how I ended up in Aspinwall, where I started working at the lighthouse.
As a lighthouse keeper, I watched the passing ships for almost a year. I decided to board one of them again and sail to New York. At sea, I once again started looking for my own place on earth.