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.
