Was it easy for your ancestor to simply “pick up and move?” While it is possible for anyone who really wants to move to do so, some occupations and lifestyles make it more difficult?
How portable was your ancestor’s occupation? Some could easily transfer themselves to the unsettled frontier and some could not.
3 Responses
I think moving is a very individual thing to do. Some have the travel lust and some do not. Some families will split up rater than move. Tthe reasons for moving are so varied, it is hard to think of the so many reasons.
Some have skills that are needed in a distant area and some are able to devise a job for themselves and stay put,
If people want to move, they will find a way, easy or not. It is easier for a single person to move than to move a whole family.
You could write a book about who moves and what motivates them that would take a lifetime to write.:}
No move is ever “easy”. Swapping bedrooms can be a big chore.:}
Some people like to move and practically keep their bags packed constantly so they can clear out and go almost immediately.
I think I am trying to say that moving can involve so many things from leaving family behind, or a great job is at the other end, to not wanting to leave in the first place and are sort of forced into it.
I have lived in other states but they were not “home’. My home was always where I left and was brought up .
Like me, many of my ancestors had what I call “itchy feet.” However recently I learned that one of my great-grandfathers from Morgan County , IL who listed his occupation as wagon maker in the 1850 census may have not moved by the 1860 census even though he was listed in Cass County. I haven’t absolutely proved it yet, but it is clear that the county line changed at some time. He may have stayed in the same place while the world changed around him.
My great grandparents moved about every 2 years and not very close. They went back and forth between the U.S. and Canada. Even in the U.S. they were in N.Y., Michigan, Kansas, Illinois, Missouri and perhaps other places I haven’t found. They were in Illinois more than once. I suspect they didn’t own much so it probably wasn’t too hard to pack up and move. Still, with a dozen kids it probably was a PITA for my great grandmother.