Talpash families emigrate to The United States of America

Before 1840 the USA was a developing country.

The population was 17 million (not counting aboriginals or the slaves).

The Louisiana Purchase increased the size of the country, and newcomers were needed to inhabit the west.

1840-1880 - The first big wave of immigrants:

'the old immigration,'- 8 million immigrants came to USA from Western and Northern Europe - the British, Irish, German, French and Scandinavians

1880-1930 - The huge second wave:

'the new immigration,' - 23 million came from Europe, mostly from southern, central and eastern Europe - Germans, Austrians, Italians, Greeks, Poles, Hungarians, Slovaks, Russians, Ukrainians, Jews and many others.

Emigration from the crumbling Austrian, Prussian, Russian and British Empires was caused mainly by overpopulation, poor economic prospects, forced military service and oppressive taxation. Furthermore, agents from steamship lines were paid 'by the head' to fill the immigration ships with fare-paying passengers. These agents promised 'streets paved with gold' in America. 

When the immigrants arrived, they often encountered resentment from the established American population, even though most of the Americans were recent immigrants themselves. This hostility was because the newcomers were willing to work for lower wages, were "different," spoke little English, and were soon introducing elements of their "foreign" cultures, such as newspapers, churches and social institutions. Furthermore, established American unions found that striking for improved wages and working conditions failed because mines or factories simply employed the cheaper immigrant labourers as strike-breakers.

These were the circumstances into which the Talpash families came, starting with Theodosiy Talpash, in 1884.