Several people have asked me why our ancestors left their homes and came to America. Though we might never know for sure on some of them, this may help explain some of it. Often there is no record though. Bud Caudle FAMILY TREE FINDERS Monday - 19 June 2000 Some of our ancestors were forced to emigrate against their will. Brought to you today by CyberBounty *********************************************************** FAMILY TREE FINDERS Monday - 19 June 2000 Forced Emigration There are times when we have wondered why our ancestors decided to brave the terrible traveling conditions over the Atlantic ocean to arrive in what for many was an unknown world, the American colonies. However, not all of our ancestors had a choice in the matter. For some, it may have been a decision based on the economics of their present situation, such as the Irish Potato Famine. For others though, the decision was made for them in the form of forced emigration. In the years 1607 to 1776, the English government found this to be a great method for ridding their country of those that they considered to be undesirables; felons, destitute children, political non- conformists, religious non-conformists, beggars and others. To be fair, England wasn't the first to do this. The practice of transporting undesirables to remote areas can be traced back to the Roman Empire. However, England has the distinction of having relied the most on this method. In fact by 1776, England would have transported some 50,000 inmates to the colonies. For some of these inmates though, this was the best thing that could ever have happened to them. Through this program, some of them would achieve freedom, something they couldn't have hoped for back in England. Unfortunately, the majority of them would suffer a life of serfdom with little hope of freedom, much the same life as bonded slaves. Not surprising of the 50,000 inmates that were sent to the Americas, the majority of them were those from the poorest class, sentenced for crimes that today we would regard as petty. For many of the poor, the need to survived forced them into some sort of illegal activity. In the earliest of the 1710s in the city of London alone, the number of professional thieves was approximately 2,000. However by the 1720s that number had reached 12,000. For many of us it is difficult to truly comprehend the squalor that some of these people were forced to live in that resulted in their turning to crime. Another popular reason to be transported was to be a non- conformist. After the Civil War in England many of those that were "transported" were guilty of having lost in battle. In 1650 and 1651, some 450 Scottish would be transported to New England because of this. The shipping of prisoners of war would continue. In 1653 100 from Ireland would be shipped to Virginia. In 1656 some were shipped from Surrey. For those interested in reading more about this particular subject, the best resource is Peter Wilson Coldham's "Emigrants in Chains" which was published in 1992 by Genealogical Publishing Company. This book is also available on CD-ROM on FTM-CD #350 "Immigration Records: Complete Book of Emigrants, 1607-1776." Rhonda R. McClure rhondam@sodamail.com