Being Polish in Texas back when

Insert "If I understand correctly" caveat here.  Polish was the first language for both Grandma (b. 1910) and Grandad (b. 1904), descendants of Polish settlers who arrived at Galveston first in 1854 and in a few boats afterwards.  Grandad grew up near Panna Maria in South Texas and may not have learned English until he was about 10 in school.  Grandma's dad and uncle had come north to the Panhandle to seek more land (and I guess convinced her mother to come), and she was born in Rhineland.  I know her parents lived at least a short time in a dug-out when they were first up north.  Yes - underground!  Perhaps part of her babyhood was spent there.  At any rate, German farmers had arrived first in both South, Central, and Northern Texas, so they had a better lay of the land and spoke better English.  They made fun of the Polish (and Catholic) kids, so the Poles pretty much were friends with other Poles.  Grandma had hardly any accent and better English than Grandad, who said "teet" instead of teeth, etc.  He had good Spanish, though!  I wonder if that was his second language, due to the fellow Mexican Catholics and farmers in South Texas, who were nicer to them than the Germans. Ahem.