Hi all, My 3.g grandfather Alphons Eder left Lljubljana in about a1856 and went to London. Can anyone advise of any major reasons for emigaration at that time, as his younger brother also left Slovenia at about the same time. and what route is the most likely that he would have taken ? by rail to trieste and then by boat- or overland over the alps to Austria and then down through Germany and so on. The lack of English language books on the social history of Slovenia and its inhabitants is a big drawback in finding this kind of information. Any suggestions and even wild guesses would be welcome. Cheers..Ed

Ed, I was reading a small book called Slovenia put out by Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com) which is actually a travel book but gives some history. An excerpt below on why your family probably left Slovenia at that time. "The 19th Century and the decade before WWI were marked by economic development for the ruling classes - the railroad from Vienna to Ljubljana opened in 1849, industrial companies were formed at Kranj and Trbovlje, and a mill began operating at Ajdovscina. However, material conditions declined for the peasantry, whose traditional sources of income were being eroded. Between 1850 and 1910, more than 300,000 Slovenes - 56% of the population - emigrated to other countries." Recommend this book to any one interested in Slovenia! Georgea Sharkey [email protected]