Ancestors on the Move: Migration from Farms to Cities, 1870–1920
Annette Burke Lyttle, CG®
Content
About this webinar
The 1870 census was the first time farmers fell below 50% of American wage earners. Even then, they were still close, at 47.7%. By 1920, farmers were less than one third of the American population. Between 1870 and 1920, 11 million Americans migrated to cities. Learn about the events that spurred this migration and changed our ancestors from rural to urban dwellers and how to reconstruct their stories.
About the speaker
Key points and insights
In this engaging webinar, professional genealogist Annette Burke Lyttle explores a pivotal yet often overlooked migration pattern in American history: the movement from farms to cities between 1870 and 1920. While genealogists frequently focus on westward expansion, this session highlights how millions of Americans—and newly arrived immigrants—shifted to urban centers in search of opportunity. Through a combination of historical context, case studies, and research strategies, Lyttle demonstrates how understanding this migration enriches family history and uncovers valuable records that tell the real stories of ancestors’ lives.
Key Takeaways:
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Economic Push and Pull Factors: Financial crises, droughts, falling crop prices, and mechanization drove farmers and tradesmen away from rural livelihoods. At the same time, industrialization, technological advances, and factory jobs pulled millions into cities, reshaping families and communities.
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Researching Urban Ancestors: Beyond vital and census records, resources such as city directories, want ads, union archives, church registers, Sanborn fire insurance maps, and newspapers can reveal ancestors’ occupations, neighborhoods, and even working conditions. Lyttle illustrates this with a detailed case study of a Pittsburgh bricklayer, showing how layered sources tell a fuller story.
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Social History and Daily Life: Tenement living, factory dangers, child labor, and union activity were defining features of urban life. By examining contemporary reports, photographs, and accident statistics, genealogists can gain insights into the challenges and resilience of ancestors who left the farm for city streets.
This webinar is a valuable resource for anyone tracing families during this transformative era. Viewing the full session offers deeper insights into methodology, case studies, and record sets that can enhance genealogical research. Attendees are encouraged to explore the rich array of additional resources provided in the syllabus, which expand on strategies and collections introduced in the presentation.
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Comments (55)
Great presentation! I enjoyed the way that Annette has woven history into her research. I have ancestors who moved around a lot as well and now I understand more why this happened after listening to Annette's presentation. Thank you!
Annette followed her syllabus fairly consistently which was a great help. The syllabus will be very much appreciated as I continue my own research on family lines of mid-west ancestors who settled here after the Civil War. Thank you.
This was an excellent webinar! Not only did we learn about the reasons for migration from rural areas to the big cities from 1870-1920 and what happened once our ancestors migrated to the big cities, but we were given excellent tips for finding genealogy resources on the topic as well as tips for using these resources and others to learn about the social context of this period so we can bring our ancestors to life through family stories. I highly recommend.
Annette showed us a whole new side to the industrialization that in America in this time period, the types of jobs available for men, women, and children, and tips for us to use in our research. I liked the photo of the Studebaker car factory. In the early 1960s we drove an hour to the Checker car dealership to compare them to the Studebakers, but didn't buy either one.
Excellent presentation. I discovered search locations that I had not considered. Newspaper ads to determine the pull for the local that my ancestors immigrated to is a fun idea.
One of the best speakers!! Interesting and useful information. Annette's pace is perfect and I LOVE case studies! Thank you so much.
Presentation highlighted the reference resources created and circulated as evidence of family migrations
She gave a lot of good information about that time period. My Grandfather and his brother moved around between Indiana and Tennessee. I never could understand why they moved. Now it makes sense.