In the upcoming weeks and months, the Daily News will periodically pick a group of questions and guide you to some resources that can you help you answer these questions as they pertain to your ancestors' lives. Today's installment will address the context of migration.

Migration
Was your ancestor one of the first into an area, or did he come only after the area was settled? Did he move with a group? What route did he follow to make the move? What were the roads like—or did the family use trains, canals, or river barges? Were many other people following the route at the same time?

Local histories can provide a wealth of data for those seeking answers to migration questions. The following example is from, "The History of Pittsylvania County, Virginia," Chapter XVI, 1800-60 Town of Competition—War of 1812—Period of Development. (Available to Ancestry.com members online here.)

"Among the many who left Virginia during the early part of the last century were the Quakers, a people not generally wealthy, for it was against their religious scruples to own slaves or to take an oath of office, but they were honest, peacable [sic] and industrious, making the best of citizens. From the large Quaker settlements in Louisa County numbers of families had moved down into Bedford, Campbell and Pittsylvania, among whom were the Johnsons, Moormans, Lynches, Terrells, Anthonys, Wests, and others. They built the old Stone Quaker Meeting House near Lynchburg as a place of worship. Later many of these same families and others into which they had intermarried moved to Ohio and settled in Highland and Warren Counties, forming Quaker communities there. An old Quaker lady, whose family had gone to Ohio from these parts, wrote in her reminiscences: 'In my childhood days I knew nobody but kinsfolk (Quakers), they were honest, quiet, kind and loving. There were no millionaires among them, but they all had homes and plenty, were contented and happy.' Among the Quakers settling in Pittsylvania was the family of Owen West, who is said to have been the brother of Benjamin West, the noted American artist of Revolutionary times. They were Pennsylvania Quakers and moved first to Louisa County, Virginia, later settling in the north eastern part of this county near Straightstone. Some of them, too joined the Ohio migration."

Articles and Helpful Web Sites
Immigration Chronology
From The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy
Revised, edited by Loretto D. Szucs and Sandra H. Luebking, Chapter 13, "Immigration: Finding Immigrant Origins," by Kory L. Meyerink and Loretto D. Szucs

Bibliography of Immigration Background Resources
From The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy
Revised, edited by Loretto D. Szucs and Sandra H. Luebking, Chapter 13, "Immigration: Finding Immigrant Origins," by Kory L. Meyerink and Loretto D. Szucs

The American Migrations Web Site
http://members.aol.com/gedsearch/migrate.htm

"Orphan Train Genealogy"
By Marilyn Irvin Holt
(Ancestry Magazine, Jan/Feb 1995, Vol. 13, No. 1)

Transportation and Communication
(From the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Collection)
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/trnshome.html

New York State Canal System Canal History
http://www.canals.state.ny.us/history/index.html

Organizations
Immigration History Research Center (IHRC)
University of Minnesota
826 Berry Street
St. Paul, MN 55114
Tel: 612-627-4208
Fax: 612-627-4190
E-mail: ihrc@gold.tc.umn.edu
http://www.umn.edu/ihrc/
From the site: "The collections focus primarily on the experiences of the immigrants and generally consist of documentation they themselves generated as opposed to information recorded by government officials or others involved in processing newcomers through American ports or assigning them citizenship. Nevertheless, the Center's holdings have proven useful to numerous researchers attempting to identify immigrant ancestors or to learn more in general about the lives and legacy of millions of Americans who came from other lands. The collections span the period between the mid-1800s to the present, reflecting more recent migration activity and manifestations of ethnicity as well as the mass migration period. Materials include the written records of American-born generations as well as immigrants. The collection is national (indeed, international) in scope, with strengths of geographic coverage relating closely in most cases to concentrations of immigrant settlement."

Steamship Historical Society of America, Inc.
University of Baltimore Library
1420 Maryland Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21201
http://www.sshsa.org/
The Steamship Historical Society of America has "one of the largest libraries in North America devoted exclusively to steamboat and steamship history. . . The growing collection includes many books, periodicals, special reports, pamphlets, brochures, menus, correspondence, records, drawings, postcards and photographs. The extensive photographic collection totals over 60,000 ship prints, along with 40,000 negatives, and more than 25,000 printed postcards. . . Copies of any pictures not restricted may be purchased either by mail or in person. Address mail to: Librarian, SSHSA Collection, University of Baltimore Library, 1420 Maryland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21201. The library is open for research Monday thru Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is advisable to call ahead. (From the membership page of the site)

American Museum of Immigration
Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island National Monument Library
Ellis Island
New York, NY 10004
212-363-7620
http://www.ellisisland.org/ellis.html
From the site: "The Museum offers visitors a fascinating look at the total immigrant experience, using innovative displays that feature historic artifacts and photos, interactive devices, computers and taped reminiscences of the immigrants themselves."

National Canal Museum
30 Centre Square
Easton, PA 18042
Tel: 610-515-8000 (Reservations)
610-559-6613 (Information)
E-mail: ncm@canals.org
http://canals.org/
From the site: "Take a journey back in time to the early 1800's and experience what the world was like before railroads, highways and airplanes. Interactive, hands-on exhibits build ideas and inspire exploration on your journey into the past. You can operate a lock model and pilot your boat through the lock! Artifacts, exciting exhibits, photomurals and life-size figures create a sense of "being there" as a canal boatman recounts tales of canal life interspersed with traditional canal songs. Stop and see the living quarters of a canal boat. See how canals help create the anthracite coal and iron industry. Learn how canals are still relevant today."

Maps
Westward Migration in the U.S., 1775-1860
http://www.ancestry.com/ancestry/FreeImages.asp?ImageID=299

Railroads in Operation, 1840
http://www.ancestry.com/ancestry/FreeImages.asp?ImageID=550

Railroads, 1827-1850, Eastern Division
http://www.ancestry.com/ancestry/FreeImages.asp?ImageID=417

Railroads, 1827-1850, Western Division (Midwest)
http://www.ancestry.com/ancestry/FreeImages.asp?ImageID=419

Railroad Maps, 1828-1920
(From the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Collection)
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/rrhtml/rrhome.html

Helpful Publications and Products
The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy
Revised, by Loretto D. Szucs & Sandra H. Luebking

Printed Sources: A Guide to Published Genealogical Records
edited by Kory L. Meyerink

Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County and Town Sources
By Alice Eichholz, Ph.D., C.G.

Map Guide to American Migration Routes, 1735-1815
(Identifies the important overland wagon roads used by Americans from about 1735 to 1815)

See the entire series:
Part 1: Turning Paper into People
Part 2: Historical Context
Part 3: Clothing and Food
Part 4: Migration
Part 5: Land
Part 6: Ethnicity
Part 7: Housing
Part 8: Community
Part 9: Environment
Part 10: Family