Migration Talk at Society of Genealogists

I am giving a talk about Mother Nature’s Impact on Family Migration & Relocation for the Society of Genealogists on 4 January 2024.

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 many circumstances where Mother Nature had an important impact on the decisions people made to pick up and leave. Among these are:

·         long-term changes to the environment through climate change,

·         gradual alteration of habitat through natural processes, and

·         loss of homes, businesses or family members from disasters.

Sometimes the moves were relatively local – across a parish or county; sometimes they were across the country; sometimes people moved from rural to urban settings; sometimes moves involved travel to other parts of the globe.

Throughout most of their existence, humans have been preoccupied by the need to obtain food. And for at least the last 100 centuries that involved primarily first-hand production in agricultural settings. Because of that, the condition and quality of the land being cultivated has been of paramount importance. When natural phenomena prevailed to impede the capability of producing food – through such events as drought, floods, land erosion, weather, or other disasters – many people elected to seek out better conditions elsewhere.

Tune in to learn more about whether Mother Nature played a role in your own ancestors’ lives. The presentation is aimed at everyone curious about reasons their ancestors moved.