United States Migration InternalEdit This Page From FamilySearch
Wiki Value of Migration Research Mountains, forests, waterways,
and the gaps between them channelled migration into predictable
settlement patterns. Events like gold or land rushes, and Indian
treaties also affected settlement. Understanding the
transportation systems available to ancestors can help
genealogists better guess their place of origin. Connect the
place where an ancestor settled to the nearby canals,waterways,
trails, roads, and railroads to look for connections to places
they may have lived previously. Migration research may help you
discover: Types of U.S. Migration Records Actual lists of
travelers are unusual. A few passenger lists are available at
the New York State Archives for the Erie Canal from 1827-1829.
But lists of pioneers who settled an area are sometimes
available on the Internet, or in the form of county or local
histories. The diaries and journals of people on the move may
help you learn who they had as companions on