Beginning of Siemuszowa and village life

The exact date of the founding of Siemuszowa is not known. Original Polish records of the Sanok lands from the 15th century mention the village as early as 1424. It is possible that Siemuszowa existed earlier since several other villages in the area (such as nearby Tyrawa Solna) were already thriving in the 14th century. The lords of the village in the early 15th century were Spithko ("Spithcone of Semussowa") and John ("Iohannes of Semussowa"), who, apparently, were members of the local Ruthenian nobility. According to existing records, Siemuszowa developed an important relationship with the more northerly village of Dobra ("Dobra Szlachecka"), which itself received special recognition from the Polish King Wladyslaw Jagiello for the military service of its Ruthenian inhabitants who were granted the status of nobility in the Polish Kingdom in 1402 AD.

Siemuszowa and the surrounding villages of the Sanok lands retained their unique "Ruthenian" character throughout the period of Polish rule which ended in 1773-1795 with the partition of the Polish Kingdom between Prussia, Austria and Russia. Although there was a Ruthenian nobility who actively participated in the social, political and economic life of the region, the majority of local inhabitants were peasant farmers.

Many of the peasants were originally invited into newly formed villages in the 14th and 15th centuries by the village owner or local administrator of the Crown to work the lands in return for a home and the right to grow food for their own families. In the 15th century, the service of serf-tenants for the local lord might only amount to 20 days per year. By the 1600's, the requirement of "weekly service" was introduced and each peasant family had to give 3-4 days of labor weekly to the lord. By the 18th century, the father and usually the oldest male member of each peasant-tenant family in a village had to work all week for the lord, while the wife and children were left to raise food for the families' consumption. Serfdom took a heavy toll on the lives of the Ruthenian peasants.

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