Understanding Family Migration

Learn about the historic trails and trailblazers that lead early settlers to and from Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and the West. Get specific clues to help you solve difficult research questions.

Examine migration patterns from Wales to the US and Canada, looking at the push and pull factors. An understanding of the group migration and historical processes can help in determining the place of origin. We will examine all the Welsh settlements in the US and Canada.

We're all descended from migrants - it's a fact of history. But who left Europe when? Where did our earliest known ancestors come from? How can we use what we know about family to understand where to look for records? What if we have almost nothing at all? Join MyHeritage's Director of Content in Europe, Myko Clelland, as we delve into centuries of travel from the old world to the new, getting to grips with the historical rules and patterns that give us the context to better tell our ancestors stories and lead us to new discoveries.

Roads and trails are the "go-to" places we look at first when determining how our ancestors moved throughout America. However, there were other means of transportation available to them. Could your ancestor have traveled other by-ways?

Built between 1811 and 1837, the National Road was the first federally-funded highway in America. Extending from Maryland to the frontier of Illinois, this migration route allowed thousands of people to settle in the Midwest.

People have migrated away from their places of birth for eons. Within recorded history we can trace the dislocation of families, indeed whole communities, because of war, politics, religious persecution, racial and cultural intolerance, employment or lifestyle prospects, and any of a number of other societal-related reasons. But there were…

Considering the trails and reasons why your ancestor left Pennsylvania will give you some clues as to where you might search for his origins there.

Why did people migrate from one location to another? What routes did they follow, and how can identifying migration trails help you find your ancestors? Learn from maps and historical details how to follow the trail of your ancestors into and out of the Southern states.

Americans have always been a nation on the move. There were many reasons that brought them here, and once they were here they didn’t stop. Something “out west” always seemed to beckon them. In this class, we will study the major trails used for migration, and the ethnic...