Family History The Beginning
THE BEGINNINGS
OF THE
RICHETTI'S
AND
SUSTIK'S
IN
AMERICA
The first immigrants of our family to the United States were from Western Europe. The first great influx began early in the 19th century and continued on into the 20th century. Large numbers of Europeans left their homelands to escape the economic distress resulting from the transformation of industry in Europe to the factory system and the shift from individual small-scale to large-scale farming. Famine, floods, and rampant disease were also a contributing factor. At the same time, wars, political oppression, and religious persecution caused a great many Europeans to seek freedom and security in the US. The history of Italy and Czechoslovakia (Bohemia) where the De Matte's, Richetti's, and Sustik's (Szuscik) are from will attest to that. It is more than likely that due to those factors and the promises of good jobs in the US by the railroads, and coal mines, that these families came to America wanting a better and brighter future for their families. They made their mark in history as you will see.
