In partial answer to the migration question, since 1829 when the Welland Canal opened for passage around Niagara Falls, Jefferson County has been a jumping off place for the Great Lakes States. Settlers came from the Mohawk Valley or New England, stayed a few years, or a few generations, and then moved west. Water provided cheap, quick, convenient transportation, and Jefferson County had lake ports at Henderson Harbor, Sackets Harbor, Cape Vincent, Clayton, and perhaps others. As for the Canadian border, it was a factor only recently. People thought no more of moving from Town of Orleans to Wolfe Island, ON, than they did from the Town of Lyme to Grindstone, Grenadier or Wellesley Islands on the American side, and then back again. They needed no passport, no citizenship papers, no red tape. Uncle Will, born in Canada of American parents, voted in Canadian elections as a matter of course, and when times got bad and he moved "home" he voted in New York State elections without question. Times have changed. As for timing, look at depressions. They happened regularly, and when a family lost nearly everything here, they tended to move there (wherever here or there was) in the hope of better days. After a depression in the 1850s, the Dixons lost their farm in the Town of Orleans and moved to Wolfe Island. After the economy here improved, the next generation trickled back, family by family beginning around 1880 until well into the 1900s, settling in the northern part of Jefferson County, where they still had friends and relatives. When Uncle Isaiah moved to Michigan (with Ohio and Wisconsin, favorite Jeff Co destinations) and sent back a glowing report, all his sisters and his cousins and his aunts picked up and went west, to settle in the same county or township. Read some Michigan County histories for lists of settlers from Jefferson County. Nan Dixon Joyce Rowley wrote: > > In reference to Gina's message, I too have relatives which migrated from > Canada to Jefferson County to Michigan. Unlike Gina's, my relatives stayed > in Jefferson County and then went on to Michigan. From reading the mailing > list, I have noted alot of Jeff County people moved to Michigan about the > same time. Does any one know why? Perhaps we have a migration specialist out > there, who can answer Gina's Canadian migration question and my Michigan > migration question. > > Joyce > Baltimore > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jeff & Gina" <jeffgina@bunt.com> > Subject: living in Canada > > > Hi, > > My ancestors (Amos Hill & family--of Jeff. Co., possibly Adams) > > moved for a few years to Canada around 1848 or so, then moved > > back to Jefferson Co. after a few years. I thought I remembered > > reading someplace on the Jefferson Co. Website about another > > family who did that, but now I can't find it. > > > > I know a lot of times when people moved back then, they did it in > > groups. Does anyone else out there have family who did that in > > that time frame? I was wondering where in Canada they went, I > > could check for census info there because Amos disappears from > > the census in 1850, then by 1860, they moved to Michigan. Any > > help would be appreciated, > > Thanks, > > > > Gina Scott -- http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyjeffer/