Slovak Immigration To Upstate New York
by William C. Wormuth

For Slovaks, life under the Hungarian monarchy was not easy but in the western part of Slovakia, and in Moravian Slovakia, the influence of the Austrians was a moderating force since the Austrians in Vienna and on the large farms and vineyard north of Vienna, required laborers and the inhabitants of Moravsko, Slovacko and Zahorie were a large source for this labor pool. These people were treated with much more dignity than those in the East who were under the strict authoritarian Madar land owners.

However, the land and people, under the control of Madar land lords, was subject to taxation amounting to around 10% of Land output, leaving very little to live on. This left the people with a strong desire for a better economic life as existed in Austria.

Around the close of the 19th century, manufacturers in the highly industrialized north east USA, suffered from a shortage of labor and began to look toward central Europe, as a source of cheap labor.

It has not been made factually clear to me how the word of this need was spread in Slovakia but I do know that my great grandfather supplied money and told my grandfather he should go to America for a better life.

Great grandfather was not considered lower class. He was an army officer, and commander of Leopold prison, a commission given to him by a royal family member, whose daughter and grandfather had fallen in love and wanted to marry. This relationship was forbidden and grandfather was commissioned as an officer and ordered never to contact the girl again. He was then assigned to his command at Leopoldov.

My grandfather was born in Bojničky, near Leopoldov, and educated as a cabinetmaker, in Vienna. He immigrated, at age 18, to Pennsylvania, where he was to work in the mines
.
Having ill feelings about being buried alive for the rest of his life in a coal mine, he left and walked to New York City. In New York, he met a Slovak, who told him of work possibilities in the leather industry far to the northwest, in Johnstown, New York.

After working at odd jobs, for pocket money, they began the long walk (over 200 miles), to Johnstown. In a few days, they reached Tarrytown, NY.

As they stood gazing into a meat market window, they were approached by a young Slovak girl, who inquired as to their situation. They explained where they were going and she invited them to her home, a small farm, where her Mother, a widow was deep in grief over the recent loss of her husband.

She invited them to sleep the night in her barn and to share with them, what food she had. The following day, they “pooled”, their money, giving half to the widow, (who had several children), and proceeded on their journey to Johnstown.

Since grandfather spoke, read and wrote high German, low German, Hungarian and Slovak, it was not long before he made fast friends in the Slovak and Croatian communities and through his use of German, in the German American community, already established locally, and accepted, since colonial times.

This provides one, with an overview of how the Slovak populations arrived in this area. It is not clear as to whether the first immigrants arrived by accident, originally headed for Johnstown, PA or were recruited, in their home villages.

Grandfather arrived in 1901, at the age of 18 and told me that there were 9 Slovak “families”. They had already established a meeting place in a Saloon owned by a Croatian name “Charlie” Rauster.

Most of these “families” were related either by blood or marriage and were in process of sending for wives and families from all over Zahorie but principally, in the beginning, from Kúty and Kuklov which are neighboring villages.

It must be noted, that people immigrated for economic and not for political freedoms. The enjoyment of political freedom was an additional gift received for their sacrifices.

The original intent of immigration was to work, amass a fortune and return to “the old country”, to open businesses, or just to allow their families to live comfortably forever.

Although many did return, few found that they could live in that controlled society and soon returned to America, with their families. Some were forced to stay in Slovakia, to care for their elderly family members but those situations were very few in number.

From Kúty alone, it is has been published, that 1000 people left for Johnstown, NY. Best estimates, for Slovak population in Johnstown, was “700 families”.

Grandfather soon made friends with a prominent German American leather mill owner and was soon in a position to pay back for the kindnesses received, by using his influence to find jobs for many of our people.

Although he continued to help Slovak emigres people, (often strangers), of Slovak, Hungarian and German extraction, he was not alone in this endeavor. Many people opened their doors for Slovaks, (“greenhorns”), who were in need and had no relatives here. Many moved on to other locations and never returned to Johnstown.

My Mother often told that it was not unusual for the children to sleep “sideways, four or five to a bed, in order to make room for transient adults, who might stay for two or three weeks, until they settled locally or moved on to other locations.”

Some Slovaks chose to save their money and to purchase land for farming. Most worked in factories by day and the women tended to farm chores. Eventually, when the farms began to produce income, they were able to tend to the farms as a business, without the extra work in the mills.

Perhaps not enough praise has been expressed for the female immigrants, who traveled alone and began life here, first, as servants to the rich and later as labor in the glove manufacturing businesses.

These women were, as in the “old country”, the glue that held the society together. Their strength made it possible for all to withstand the homesickness, which they all felt and the prejudice, heaped upon them by the native populations.

As the Slovak population grew, the need for a Slovak church became apparent, since they were made to stand in the rear of the church at mass, since they were “foreigners” most speaking little or no English.

In 1915, they built and dedicated St Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Slovak Church and a large hall. All was not well within the Slovak community. The original priest had angered and alienated many people and many split from the Roman Catholic Church and formed their congregation, Sts. Cyril and Methodius Presbyterian church.

This split fractured the Slovak community and split families apart. The wounds inflicted remain unhealed to this day, although, surprisingly, relatives in Europe were not involved and knew little of the split.

The original Gathering center, before the erection of the church, was the Slovenská Telocvična Jednoty, [S.T.J.] Sokol hall. Sokoli, as well as members of the Národny Slovenský Spolok held meetings there, at the “99’.

Since the “split was discussed and organized during meetings held at the hall, it was known by the Catholics, as the ĉertová budá and those who split as “left footers”.

Surprisingly, many Catholics did not leave the S.T.J. Sokol as a result of the split but the Katolický Sokol was established in the parish, along with the Živena and Jednota.

Much of this history was the same for the Slovak community in Schenectady, NY. The Immigrant Slovaks were predominantly from Zahorie but there was a large group from other areas. They came to work in the Edison Co., later called GE. They built their own church, [Sts. Cyril and Method] and did not experience a break in the church.

They established a Katolický Sokol lodge, but some were members the Czech Sokol. There were smaller groupings of Slovaks , especially in the Saratoga, NY area and their center was the STJ Sokol hall in Greenfield Center.

Further to the West in the Mohawk Valley, a Slovak immigration occurred, with Slovak Lutheran immigrants arriving from the Myjava and Stará Turá areas. They were employed as laborers in the leather and shoe industries.

They built their own Lutheran church of Sts. Peter and Paul. They became members and built their STJ Sokol lodge. Although they were brother Sokoli and were involved in Gymnastics events, little or no social contact was made, outside this function.

Although there was no “hatred” or prejudice on either side, there was an unexplainable aloofness between the groups.

I am sure that there were groupings of Slovaks farther to the west, in the larger cities of Syracuse, Rochester and extending to Buffalo/ Niagara, I have no historical knowledge concerning these communities.

The other concentration and largest, of our people was in the Binghamton, Endicott, Johnson City, NY area, bordering PA. Slovaks, (from Zahorie), Eastern Slovakia, Moravian Slovaks, Czechs and Rusyns, came to work in the leather mills and shoe factories of Endicott Johnson.

These people established their own Churches, including Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran and Greek Catholic. They participated in every established Slovak, Moravian and tech organizations.

For many who will read this historical review, these events are far, far in the past but using the clock of modern history it was only yesterday. Some of these original immigrants are still living but their memories have faded.

As for me, I am forever grateful to my grandfather and grandmother, for their persistent story telling which I now find was his way of imparting history and my Mother for opening the door for me to store such memories as: The blinding sea of white kerchiefs, after mass.. .joy and laughter at weddings, baptisms and confirmations., the tears at funerals., gymnastic exhibitions, with visitors from near and far.. singing and dancing at seasonal festivities... etc.

We are what we are and have what we have because of these brave souls, who uprooted themselves in order that it could happen, yet, never forgetting those left behind and the debt owed to them.

This article was copied from Naśe Rodina, September, 1999 Vol. 11 No. 3 pp 106—108.