U.S. MIGRATION PATTERNS
PRIOR TO 1860
Mary E.V. Hill, MLS, AGCM
REASONS FOR MIGRATION
 Adventure
 Wealth and power - Land
 Over-population
 Religious and political freedom
 Individual unrest or discontent
 War
 Famine
 Pestilence
 Forsake the past / seek a better future
SETTLEMENT PATTERNS
INDIANS
These hardy people were driven and displaced by the settlers who killed the game and
took possession of the land.
HUNTERS TRAPPERS
Alone, they ventured into the wilderness not leaving a lasting imprint, but they marked
the way and gave their knowledge to those came after them.
PIONEER FARMER
Ever-moving, seeking new, more fertile lands, the pioneer shifted his home six or more
times in his lifetime. As civilization crept in, he moved on.
FARMER-SETTLER
Settling permanently in a new area, the settler improved his lands to make a profit to buy
goods for his family and to pay for services he once provided for himself.
URBAN PIONEERS
Artisans, shopkeepers, and professionals – these people came west, lured by opportunity
and the desire to cater to the needs of the settlers. They sought wealth at each place
they stopped.
A NEW NATION
 The King’s Highway helped unite the colonies.
 Daniel Boone’s Wilderness Road opened Kentucky.
 Loyalists went north to Canada and south into Florida.
 Western expansion became “Manifest Destiny” and national policy.
WAYS TO FIND PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
Locate the movement of ancestors in newspapers:
Legal notices
Insolvent debtors
Forced land sales
Educational opportunities
Professional services
Missing persons advertisements
Example: The Search for Missing Friends; Irish Immigrant
Advertisements Placed in the Boston Pilot, published by the New England
Historic Genealogical Society, covering 1831-1860.
Run-away indentured servants
Example: William Riddle, indentured servant from Scotland, ran away
from William Austin, 1769, Bedford County, Virginia. Advertised in
Virginia Gazette.
Plans to move
Example: James Riddle advertised in the Virginia Gazette that he planned
to move to Kentucky, 1779.
In person and local news columns:
Announcements of trips to see distant relatives
Farewell parties for families about to move
Visits back home from those who had moved away
Mail sent “general delivery” and not called for was advertised in the local paper
Persons setting up a business in a new community announced it in the paper
INTERNET SITES:
 www.migrations.org/ Migration information state by state and links to other migration
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www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/histus.html Historical maps of the United States
lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/gmdhome.html American memories map collection,
Library of Congress
www.glorecords.blm.gov Federal lands website. Use the Standard search and pick
“All States” to locate people on the move.
www.rootsweb.ancestry.com FamilyTrees Individuals with surname-specific websites
www.genealogybank.com Newspapers
www.cyndislist.com/migration.htm Master list of migration sources
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Main_Page - Wiki of family history information
SOURCES
1. Billington, Ray Allen; Martin Ridge. Westward Expansion : A History of the
American Frontier. 5th ed. (New York : Macmillan, 1982) [FHL US/CAN 973
H2bw 1982] Considered to be the definitive work on migration in the United States.
Includes very useful maps.
2. Dollarhide, William. Map Guide To American Migration Routes, 1735-1815.
(Bountiful, Utah: AGLL Genealogical Services, 1997) [FHL US/CAN 973 E3d]
Outstanding work – one of my favorite sources.
3. Jackson, Kenneth T. Atlas of American History, 2nd Revised Ed. (New York :
Charles Schribner=s Sons, c1984) [FHL US/CAN REF 973 E7at; computer number
0373068] Wonderful, clear maps. Identify this book by the border around each page
number.
4. Eckle, Arlene. American Migrational Patterns. (The Genealogy Institute, 1973) The
“circles” showing migration patterns.
5. Flanders, Stephen A. Atlas of American Migration (New York [New York] : Facts on
File, Inc., c1998) [FHL US/CAN 973 E7fL]
6. Fischer, David Hackett, James C. Kelly. Bound Away: Virginia and the Westward
Movement. (Charlottesville, [Virginia] : University Press of Virginia, c2000) [FHL
US/CAN 975.5 W2f] Contains a study of migration to, within, and from Virginia.
7. Rouse, Parke Jr. The Great Wagon Road from Philadelphia to the South. (New York
[New York] : McGraw-Hill, c1973) [FHL US/CAN 973 H2rp] The story of the
Shenandoah Valley. Well written, and very readable.
8. Gregg, John M. Early Pee Dee Settlers (Bowie, Maryland : Heritage Books, c1993) 2
vols. [FHL US/CAN 975.786 D2g] Those who came in through South Carolina.
9. Wright, Norman Edgar. Pioneers On the Move : The Migrations Within North
America : General Migration Patterns. (Salt Lake City : Genealogical Society of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1969) [FHL US/CAN 929.1 W893 I8 &
9a] A wonderful summary of the subject.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
MIGRATION TRAILS – MAPS FROM WILLIAM
DOLLARHIDE
The National Road