Danbury Connecticut Lithuanian Tatar

A little-known part of Polish-linked history in the U.S.: Lipka Tatars in Danbury, Connecticut

In the early 1900s, a small group of Lithuanian Tatars, Muslims historically connected to the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth settled in Danbury. They arrived from regions of today’s Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus, finding work in local industry. Their Islamic faith was maintained mainly through family tradition and private practice. Because they were often recorded simply as Polish or Lithuanian in U.S. documents, their distinct Tatar identity remained largely unnoticed.