How Mobile Were Our Ancestors?

Do you think your ancestors stayed in one place? Guess again! A prevalent myth among genealogists is that our ancestors could not, and did not, travel freely.

The truth is that many of our ancestors traveled frequently. They were much more mobile than most of us realize. When you look across the centuries, you can find examples of our ancestors’ frequent trips in times when travel was difficult, slow, and often expensive.

While it may be true that our immigrant ancestors returned home more frequently in later centuries, after ships’ travel became faster, easier, and less expensive, we should not assume this is the case. I have found many 17^th century immigrant ancestors who frequently sailed back and forth from their new land to their homeland.

Read the rest of my article at How Mobile Were Our Ancestors?

Image credit: Original artwork copyright Brian L. Massey, used with permission