TIP #224: MIGRATORY PATTERNS According to the Kentucky Encyclopedia, "the movement of settlers into Kentucky began in the 1770s when it was still a part of Virginia. " This came about of course, due the issuance of land warrants to the veterans of the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. Movement continued for several years in the boundaries of what became the Commonwealth of Kentucky with most settlers coming overland through the Wilderness Road and by water down the Ohio River. With the 1850 census, Kentucky decided to track places of birth on its citizens. Most of the settlers came from neighboring states with Virginia giving up the largest amount of its people followed by Tennessee, Ohio, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. This changed so that by 1870, most of Kentucky's new arrivals came from Tennessee and 100 years later, from Ohio. There were also large numbers from Indiana, Illinois and West Virginia whereas North Carolina and Pennsylvania dropped sharply. Kentucky has never ranked high in foreign immigrants. In 1850, there were approximately 31,400 so shown, less than 4 percent of the state's population. The highest recorded tally was in 1870 with 63,400. This took a dramatic decrease over the next few years and in 1980 less than 1% of the citizens claimed foreign birth. The latter is to be found in a large degree in the towns with universities and colleges. Where did some of our Kentucky citizens go when they left Kentucky? There was a dramatic shift to the west in the 19th century and another shift to the north in mid 20th century. Missouri and Texas claimed the largest amount of Kentucky people in 1850 and this trend continued until about 1910. Gradually, according to the Kentucky Encylopedia (p. 636) this trend shifted again then to the north and northwest with Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan becoming the major destinations. Why did they move? Good and inexpensive land, industrial jobs lead the list. Some selected states who took our people! CALIFORNIA: "Thar's gold in them thar hills!" rang out and enticed many from Kentucky and other states. Mexico ceded California to the United States in 1848 and the gold fever struck almost immediately. It is said that the gold rush increased the population of California from 15,000 to 250,000. Many a Kentucky lad packed up his vittals and headed out in groups formed in many towns to strike it rich. Information on California can be found at the CAGENWEB site at: http://www.compuology.com/cagenweb/ ILLINOIS reached statehood in 1818, formerly known as the American Territory in 1797 and then the Illinois territory in 1809. Settlers began arriving here in numbers in 1825 with most of the coming from the eastern states and from foreign countries. Many Kentucky residents who headed off to the Illinois Territory were attracted by good land, and industries that sprung up around the Lake Michigan area. The St. Clair county area was the first county organized in IL with many Kentuckians' names showing up on records there. For a wonderful view of the settling of Illinois go to this URL: http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/athome/index.html It is part of the ILGENWEB project and takes the reader on a visual and written tour of the beginnings of the state. INDIANA was known as the Indiana Territory until reaching statehood in 1816. Vincennes was one of the first developed area Knox, Harrison, Switzerland and Clark Counties were early settlement locations for many settlers, including those from Kentucky. Many Quakers left Tennessee on the slavery issue and headed to Wayne and Randolph counties along the Ohio border. For a good look at Indiana, check out the INGENWEB page at: http://www.usroots.com/~kyseeker/indiana/index.html KANSAS drew many Kentuckians to its lands. This was part of the Louisiana Purchase when it was annexed in 1803, then became a state in 1861. In 1861, Kansas had about 110,000 citizens drawn primarily from the southern states including Kentucky. An excellent history of Kansas can be found at the KSGENWEB site at: http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/index.html OHIO became a state in 1803, again part of the Northwest Territory. The Virginia Military Bounty area was here with over a quarter of a million acres set aside for the soldiers and was heavily settled by Virginians and Kentuckians about the year 1800. The Chillicothe section in Ross County, OH attracted a great number of Kentuckians and Tennesseeans. After this, other districts were opened up for settlement and Scotch-Irish, Germans and Quakers came in from Pennsylvania and other states. MICHIGAN: Michigan became a state in 1805 after being a part of the Northwest Territory. Many were drawn early to this state because of public land sales, the Erie Canal, the territorial road through the Kalamazoo Valley in 1829. Lumbering and oil drew many speculators and citizens as it took many men to work these trades. Later, the industrial growth of Michigan drew many in automobile manufacturing. OKLAHOMA, although not among the highest in the list of snagging Kentuckians, did entice many of its citizens there. "Oklahoma's lands were opened in five land runs, land lottery, land auction and enlarged by a decision of the Supreme Court. See the OKGENWEB page at : http://www.brightok.net/~smcb0824/oklands.html for more information. TENNESSEE: Tennessee followed Kentucky into statehood four years later with many of its citizens coming from North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Only the eastern counties were originally settled and many wandered northward into Kentucky. For an excellent look at Tennessee's first people, check out the TNGENWEB page at: http://www.tngenweb.org/ TEXAS led an interesting early development by the time it became a state in 1845. It has had the flags of 6 governments fly - France, Spain, Mexico, The Republic of Texas, The Confederacy and the United States. It is stated that in 1820 there were less than "four digits" of white settlers in this vast land. Shortly after that, individuals from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee became coming in under the leadership of Moses and Stephen Austin. For some wonderful Texas style history, check out the TXGENWEB pages at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~txgenweb/ Today, every state in the Union can lay claim to have Kentuckian blood running through their veins. They can be found in every political office, in every pulpit, in outer space. Hearty stock they are! I will likely have other posts about churches or communities who packed up and moved together as I am able to locate the materials. (c) Copyright 11 February 1999, Sandra K. Gorin, All Rights Reserved, sgorin@glasgow-ky.com TIP OF THE WEEK! CHECK OUT THE KYRESEARCH TIPS by chosing TIPS below. Col Sandi Gorin 205 Clements,Glasgow, KY 42141 (502) 651-9114 PUBLISHING: http://www.members.tripod.com/~GorinS/index.html GORIN WEBSITE: http://members.delphi.com/sgorin/index.html SCKY: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ky/BarrenObits TIPS: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ky/Tips KYBIOS: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Ky/Bios ARCHIVES: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl