Saturday, May 19, 2012
My 3rd Great Grandfather, Able Jay Hubble left Connecticut and settled in Cramahe sometime before 1819. In winter of 1844 his daughter Mary and her husband Elias Williams made a 300 mile trip Michigan. Her father and some of her siblings followed. I am wondering: Why would someone move from Connecticut to Cramahe and then why brave a winter trip to Michigan? In other words, what was the draw to Ontario and then what made them leave? I'm sure there are many possible reasons, but was there some historical or political reason for such migrations?
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This is really two questions:
ReplyDelete1. Why did Able Jay Hubble move from Connecticut to Ontario before 1819?
2. Why did Elias and Mary Williams move from Ontario to Michigan in 1844?
1. Many British came to America for "better opportunities" (e.g. land ownership, less taxation, etc.) but were dismayed by the aggression exhibited during the Revolution, the War of 1812, etc.; so many subsequently moved north to what is now Ontario for "better opportunities" under Crown rule: unless an earlier ancestor renounced their citizenship, later generations were still considered British by birth right and were given opportunity to simply move. This migration was especially notable for Quakers, Mennonites, etc.
2. 1840's Michigan was a boom time with the opening of the northern peninsula; with promises of jobs and cheap (sometimes free) land.
Something I find is that many genealogists fail to look at these situations in historical context. In 1819 and 1844 neither Canada or the United States had significant immigration laws or schemes: if you were a British subject (or descendant) moving from either country to the other was as simple as packing your wagon and going.