I am reposting and adding few more sites this being you have posted under 2 different names.
Austria-Hungary:
http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/austhung.htm http://www.brainworker.ch/Oesterreich/Austria-hungary.png where 12 different languages were spoken. Do you know language of your ancestors?
John could have come as Janos, Jan, or Ivan/Iwan and Mary as Maria.
MALINAK try MALINYAK; SEFCHICK is americanized spelling so look for SEVCIK, SEVCSIK, SZEVCSIK, SZEVCIK or SEWCZIK.
www.ellisislandrecords.org http://genforum.genealogy.com/how-to/http://www.progenealogists.com/genealogysleuthb.htmwww.surnamenavigator.orgwww.helenezx.homestead.com [Slovak Pride Index]
www.iabsi.com/gen/public www.tccweb.orghttp://genforum.com