March 27 Meeting: How and Why We Got Here: Migration of Settlers to the South

Jim Thornhill, professional genealogist and Vice-President of the Dallas Genealogical Society, presented a fascinating program at the March 27 VZ County Genealogical Society meeting on the migration of settlers to the southern states.  His talk focused on how technology influenced how quickly people could get to the American colonies/states and how and where they spread out.
Mr. Thornhill stressed the difficulties of European passengers on the typical passenger ships that migrants traveled on in their quest for a better life in the Americas during colonial times.  Settlers/migrants on a typical ship slept 3 to a bunk in relatively squalid conditions, and the death rate was about 15%.  After arriving in the American colonies (and later the U.S.), settlers jumped at every opportunity to spread west and own land.  Travel was difficult by modern standards, dependent on roads that were little more than horse paths--if those even existed--and waterways such as rivers and canals, as well as coastal travel, none of which was convenient or safe.  Mr. Thornhill stressed that the character of a particular migrant usually dictated how (and how quickly) he/she would move.  Families moved more slowly and cautiously, taking safer methods and often stopping for long periods for the birth of a child or to earn money to get the family further along their planned route.  As technology improved in the 19th century, steamboats, railroads and improved highways made the trip much faster and less dangerous.  Mr. Thornhill pointed out that no amount of risk or inconvenience would deter most settlers, who were all looking for a better way of life, socially and economically, with land ownership the key ambition.  This made the country the thriving destination that it still is.
Jim Thornhill has been researching his family’s history for 20 years, five of those as a professional genealogist.  Jim is chief researcher for Heroes of the Past, a professional genealogy company.  He is a graduate of the ProGen professional genealogy course, the Genealogy Proof course, Texas Institute of Genealogical Research, the Trans Mississippi South at IGHR in Athens Georgia, and countless webinars and local and virtual genealogy presentations.   Jim is an active member in the Association for Professional Genealogists, the Texas State Genealogical Society, and the Dallas Genealogical Society, where he serves as Vice President and IT Administrator.   He is a native Texan whose third great-grandfather arrived in Jasper County in 1850.  He has lived in the Dallas area his entire life.  
Below, Jim Thornhill speaks at the VZGS meeting March 27.