These pages are the result of genealogical investigations tracing the ancestors of  Kenneth Wayne Barbi back to Italy and Hungary in the mid-1800's.  My ancestors came from Italy and Hungary in the late 19th and early 20th century by way of Ellis Island. They spoke Italian, Hungarian, and German and obtained service related jobs in New York City.

Between 1880 and 1930, millions of Italians and Austro-Hungarians emigrated to the United States.  Visit our Immigration History page for more details.

For millions of immigrants, New York provided opportunity.  In Lower New York, one could find the whole world in a single neighborhood.  Between 1880 and 1930 over 27 million people entered the United States - about 20 million through Ellis Island.  But after outbreak of World War I in 1914, American attitudes toward immigration began to shift.  Nationalism and suspicion of foreigners were on the rise, and immigrants' loyalties were often called into question.  Through the early 20s, a series of laws was passed to limit the flow of immigrants.