American Migration Fact Sheets

by Beverly Whitaker, MA

A note from the author:

Ten years of study of American Migration Patterns and the Routes followed
have led to the development of this set of fact sheets in PDF format.

Each 2-page fact sheet expands upon a "preview paragraph"
still available at my RoadTrails site,

I am a professional genealogist and author, located in Kansas City, Missouri.
I am keenly interested in the influence geography
has had on both history and genealogy.

Genealogy + History + Geography = Enriched Heritage

~ Link to This Site ~
You have permission to place a link to this site on your own genealogical or historical web page:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gentutor/facts.html

~ How to Cite References ~
This is copyrighted material. (can be printed for personal use only; not for distribution)
You may include small portions of information from my fact sheets or this web site
in your own compiled genealogy or history sketches if you cite as your reference:
American Migration Facts, Beverly Whitaker, Kansas City, Missouri,
online <http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gentutor/facts.html>

Directions for opening these documents:
1. Notice that the documents are divided into tables for three different time periods.

2. Click on any one of the 18 documents shown on the three tables.

3. The document opens in Adobe® Reader®.
(If that program is not on your computer, you can download it for free.)

4. You can save or print the PDF document if desired.

If you want to return to this web site to view or print another document:
BEFORE closing the PDF document, use the BACK ARROW of your browser.

Colonial America, 1607-1783

Boston Post Road	King's Highway	Mohawk Trail (Iroquois)	Braddock's Road
Pennsylvania Road	Great Valley Wagon Road	Upper Road	Fall Line Road

Beyond the Eastern Shores, 1784-1839

Wilderness Road	Zane's Trace	Natchez Trace
Old Federal Road	National Road	Chicago Road

Note: The Trail of Tears (1828) also belongs here, but I defer to better research and maps,
as already referenced from my Road/Trails page.

Note also that the Santa Fe Trail opened during this period, in the early 1820s,
with much influence on commerce,
but continued well into the next period.

Opening of the West, 1840-1865

Santa Fe Trail	Oregon Trail
California Trail	Mormon Trail

Note: More work needs to be done to explore trails in the Southwest, including:

Ft. Smith Trail, Red River Trail, South Texas Trail, Desert Trail, Spanish Trail

The Butterfield Overland Stage Route (1858-1861), The Pony Express (1860-1861), Cattle Trails

~ See also: another of my sites relating to migration patterns in America ~
Rivers and Waterways. . . pathways to migration, commerce, and entertainment

~ If you need additional information ~
The subject American Migration Patterns and Routes goes way beyond the information I have chosen to share with you in my web sites and fact sheets. I am not prepared to tell you the routes your ancestors may have used as they relocated through the generations. My expertise does not extend to specific stops along these or nearby roads and trails. Nor do I have time to do the research which would be necessary to answer questions.

I do encourage you to investigate the possibilities by noting the dates of special events in your family history and by comparing the locations of those events to the routes of the old roads and trails. Here are some suggestions for you to follow:

1. Using a family group sheet and an outline map of the United States, place circles on the locations of births, marriages, deaths, deeds, wills, etc. Connect the circles with a line.

2. Contact your regional historical societies, library reference and/or local history department, or area genealogical societies. Resources (including maps and county histories etc.) are most likely to be located at such locations.

3. Visit my Bibliography List for recommended reading.
In the section labeled "Migration Trails," favorite books in my own library are highlighted in pink.

4. Follow web links specifically recommended by Genealogy Tutor Beverly Whitaker at American Migration Patterns.

5. Follow links at Cyndi's List, Migration Routes, RoadsandTrails

6. Use Internet Search Engines such as Google, typing in two or three keywords related to your search.

Genealogy + History + Geography = Enriched Heritage.

Return to My Full Directory of Genealogy and History Web Pages

Choose from 4 Categories of Links
Genealogy Resources
Family Connections
Migration Routes
Religious Features

Email: Genealogy Tutor Beverly Whitaker