To find your own ancestors' motivations for moving on and to begin tracing their migration, Whitaker of RoadTrails advises that you start by working backwards in time—look for clues to a family's origins at the last destination where you can positively locate them. Then follow these steps to try to puzzle out how they got there:

• Learn the local history and geography. Local histories can document patterns that may explain your family's move. My hometown of Kearny, NJ, for example, drew large numbers of Irish and Scottish immigrants to work in its textile and linoleum industries. Similarly, silk mills in Paterson, NJ, attracted skilled workers from Poland. Incorporate any local history details into your timeline that may explain the movement of groups of people that might have included your ancestors. Also ask your local public library about 19th-century books and pamphlets used to entice immigration and financial development, Hadden advises. My hometown published a booklet in 1895 to lure New York City businessmen to the bucolic setting of suburban New Jersey.
• Identify boundary line changes in counties and states. Map aids such as the US Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System at mapping.usgs.gov/www/gnis/ can help you find place names used on USGS topographical maps, especially where location names and boundaries may have changed. Named places, including some schools and family cemeteries, can be identified from this system. Also check out one genealogy buff's method of finding US locations using online aerial photos and topographical maps at www.cswnet.com/~sbooks/genealogy/html/topo.htm.
• Use historical maps. The US Geological Survey, state history maps and other resources let you follow the path of your ancestors. William Dollarhide, in his book Map Guide to American Migration Routes, 1735-1815 (Heritage Quest, $9.95), advises, "Get a good map and trace the old migration routes with the modern highways of today. Find the counties that the routes pass through, and make a list of the places where an ancestor may have stopped en route to a final destination."
• Create your own map. Show the junctions of families through marriage along with their places of origin and their subsequent moves. Your own "map" may be a simple chart on paper, a tracing-paper overlay on a printed map, or a slick creation using one of the many mapping-software programs.
• Create a timeline. Who was where when? To keep track, document your family's movement, indicating significant events by date and location. Incorporate any local history details into your timeline that may explain migrations. Your regular genealogy software program may be able to create timelines for you; see page 58 for instructions on how to do this with Family Tree Maker and Generations. You may also want to use timeline software such as Genelines (Progeny, $29.95) or The Genealogy Timeline (Computer Management Corp., $49.95) to put your family's history into a broader context. (See the April 2001 issue of Family Tree Magazine or It's About Time for a complete review of Genelines.)

More steps to mapping migration

Barbara Krasner-Khait last wrote for Family Tree Magazine on "Postcards from the Past" (February 2001).