My ancestor, Demetrius (Daniel) Kolesar immigrated to the U.S. around 1893 and worked in the coal mines in Fayette County, PA. His death certificate says that his birthplace was "Poracz, Austria", so I suspect he was a Rusyn from present-day Porac, Slovakia.
Thanks to Brian for the tip about the 1869 Census--Demetrius wasn't born until 1872, but I was able to find what I believe to be his parents and siblings in the census record. The names & birth years match with Slovakian Church christening records that I also found on FamilySearch.
In 1895, Demetrius married another Slovakian immigrant, Anna Vrabel, but I haven't been able to find out which village she came from.
Sounds like your ancestors had similar stories. Thanks for sharing, and I'll be following this thread.