Notes

Basically, in the late 1800's Russia was undergoing difficult economic times. There was a general depression going on which left many out of work and, in an age before public relief, there was much starvation and disease. thousands were dying from lack of nutrition and the czar would not or could not do anything to relieve their suffering. Thus many simply chose to find their way to the Americas where they had heard you could receive free or low cost land in the vastness of the US or Canadian West.

There was unrest that took the form of riots and uprisings and these likewise encouraged many to leave their homeland. Remember, the Ukraine is part of Russia at this time, so Russian problems are simply filtered down to the rich farms of the Ukraine.

It is during this time that the later leader of the Russian Revolution, Lenin, will lose his brother in a riot in the 1903 revolts. The pattern had been pretty well set with all these events and the likelihood of peaceful resolution seemed pretty remote to many, I would suppose, so a mass migration to the Americas was begun. It is worth noting that a smaller, but just as desperate, immigrations are begun to Southern Africa and South America as well as even Australia. Potential immigrants went to ports like Odessa and simply caught the first boat that they could afford to wherever that ship was sailing and took their chances when they arrived, be it Ellis Island, Rio de Janiero, Capetown or Sydney