The history of Slovak immigration to Pittsburgh, PA

[@billconserva1461]

I am 72 and 100% Slovak. My parents were the first born here in the U.S. Both sides of my family, Grand parents immigrated here, to Pittsburgh area around 1905. The men all worked in the steel mills, including my father and myself. Very much as you described, both my parents had an 8th grade education but were quite intelligent and versed in most educational subjects.Grand parents as I was told had about 3 to 4 years of education in Slovakia. My one grand father made violins and did repairs to musicians string instruments as a hobby while working in the mill, where he became a foreman. They were inventive, and hard working talented people who became proud citizens of the U.S. When I asked my parents why us kids weren't taught Slovak language, she said you are Americans, you don't need to know that. It was that way, passed down to them by their immigrant parents, saying the same to them as children. Thank you for the information which most confirms what I had been told and learned over my life time.

[@GbawlZ]

My family's story is in line with yours exactly as you stated. My great grandfather worked in a rural PA coal mine, never learned English fully, but he also never passed his own language to his children fully. All of his sons ended up serving during WWII and they all were very proud.

[@mava7176]

Hi Joe, very interesting facts are in your talk. Actually, I did not realize the problem coming from combination of agricultural commodities prices decrease after the years of relative prosperity in Slovakia (Austro-Hungarian empire those days) in 1870 - 1880 and higher birthrate leading to increase of poverty and lack of land for farming for all. My grand-grandfather (born in 1887) also went to the US as 18 years old but after couple of years in Pennsylvanian mines and other works he eventually came back home. I am from Trnava, Slovakia. Good luck to you and your work and efforts.

[@mikeciul8599]

In 1936 my grandmother left Veľkrop with her mother and baby sister and came to McKeesport. They crossed the Atlantic on the Berengaria. Her father was already there, and he told her "war is coming, if you don't come here, you're not my daughter!" Seems a bit harsh but I'm glad she made it. My grandfather's family was already living in Hamtramck, MI. They came from Warsaw in 1920.

[@GbawlZ]

Wow, what a coincidence. My great grandfather was in the Austro-Hungarian army around 1904 (I don't quite understand how this worked, but your explanation in the video gave some insight) and ended up in small town PA by 1909, where he was a coal miner his whole life. He eventually got black lung and my understanding is he never fully learned English, but his sons (including my grandfather) all served in the military during WWII and went to college after that. This video filled in a lot of gaps for me, thank you very much, I love learning more about my family tree. My great grandfather had 10 kids, which is wild to think about. It should be noted that my grandfather was never taught the Slovak language, which seems to be a theme!

[@ernestconnell8087]

Many Slovakian families settled in Whiting, Indiana, bordering Chicago, with later generations still living in the area today.

[@Tom_Corvus5]

*Slovak

[@peterkuchar6532]

Greetings from Mosc-ow 🤗 my own life is signed by the way that my ancestry helps to keep .. 🚂 I already lived in 3 different countries .... My gran grandfather settled in Ontario CA and rest of the family are fragmented between Canada and USA ..... take care and God bless you all 😘😘😘

[@vernicejillmagsino9603]

4:33 John Paul II’s southern border and fellow Visegrads of Slovaks move and lives the his 2nd successor’s home country of Argentina

[@janlascko]

Great talk! I never even factored in the US Civil War aspect.

[@dukeridercalgary]

Awesome video i love it

[@Eric-zs9rh]

This is a great talk. My great uncle came in 1909 as a 20 year old. I was curious, he came here legally. He wasn't made to do military service. Was this common then?

[@mistersmooth79]

Maybe he was mentally challenged!

[@Jakez408]

The Slovaks and Czechs when they arrived un the US were called Bohuns as they were Slavs and treated like the Italians and Irish and were not offered employment. Only Germans and Austrians were. We as Slovenes had Austrian passports and all spoke fluent German as were were part of core Austria known as Carniola a region South of Styria. hence we were regarded as Germans and got employment. My great grandfather Andrew Skopec was a pastor from Laibach and went to America in Wisconsin and preached to the Germans in the logging camps in 1865 and my grandfather was born in 1872 and named Nicholas after the Czar of Russia ( Nikolai ) who was born in 1871.

[@vernicejillmagsino9603]

1:54 Some Hungarians lives in Slovakia and the man in this video Slovaks move to Hungary like Budapest it’s Capital but for me Slovaks descents in Budapest move and lives in Southern Slovakia

[@hollowwillow3960]

I am from Slovakia🇸🇰

[@jerseyforhawks]

Similarly, my Slovak grandparents settled in Buffalo NY. Gdad 40 years with American Brass.

[@DS-sk9ed]

hi im a proud 100 perent mill hunky slovak from whitaker. my granny was from indiana

[@FirstName-qq6rq]

hunky? That sound a bit as humiliating/degrading narrative used by previous imigrants in US, right? They used to call slovaks hunkies, right?

[@DS-sk9ed]

@@FirstName-qq6rq yup.

[@DS-sk9ed]

@@FirstName-qq6rq I wear it as a badge of honor. You wouldn't understand

[@DS-sk9ed]

@@FirstName-qq6rq so you know how to use wiki

[@FirstName-qq6rq]

@@DS-sk9ed Explain please, I am curious :)

[@chancepodrasky458]

This is how my family came

[@zdenekdanko4729]

8 000 000 a ako málo sa ich hlási ku Slovensku, to je strašne smutné, pozrite sa na Írov …

[@FirstName-qq6rq]

Fals information: population according to cencus in 1910 was 2,78 million not 4 million! Is it hard to google it? In years of 1880 - 1968 around 1/3 of slovak population emigrated to US. Can you inagine that 110 millions of americans will emigrate? In some parts of Zemplin municipality emigrated whole small villages.

[@skifisk]

1,3 million people emigrated to the US by 1910 so 2,78 stayed in Slovakia ... everything matches. I only find it "shocking" that a country lost every 3rd person .. that must have been a huge wave of people but it was also required as the "business" moved to the US so had the people if they didn´t want to end up starwing to death. I actually admire people with limited money and knowledge, no language knowledge to take on a journey like that .. the rumor of American Dream must have been strong in that time and mostly treu aswell so no doubt everyone who could went away.

[@laszlokovacs6154]

There was no Slovakia in this period. It was the Kingdom of Hungary. In Upper Hungary what corresponds to today’s Slovakia there was a majority 60% Slovaks mostly in the north and villages.

[@bobovoxar9296]

as 60% hungarians are slavs with hungarized names ...