Emigration Patterns
Emigration – Causes and Patterns.
Most people tend to have a very simple view of the reasons for emigration but the picture is not as clear cut as all that. In a generalized but simple view people left Ireland on account of religious persecution, the effects of the great famine of 1845-1850, general poverty in Ireland or the unreasonable and tyranical rule of many Irish landlords. All these are good reasons to emigrate and to a greater or lesser degree played their part in persuading people to attempt a new life abroad.
All the above could be termed “push” factors pressurising people to emigrate but there were other reasons which persuaded people to go and these can be grouped under the term “pull” factors. Especially for young people, the lure of big wages, the possibility of getting a big American farm as their own property, the incredible wealth which could apparently be made digging gold in California, the thrill and adventure of getting away from home and away from a stifling religious and social society in Ireland were all powerful pulling factors which drew people to emigrate. So as well as the well known push there was the less known pull factors in operation.
We also tend to be a little too much focused on ourselves in terms of emigration. In the 60 years between 1820-1880 emigration to the USA from Ireland was 2,800,000, which is indeed a huge figure but 6,000,000 came from Russia with 3,000,000 from Britain 2,000,000, from the Austro Hungarian Empire etc. so the Irish were by no means the only emigrants. Rapid population growth, changes in land distribution, and the growing industrial revolution had stripped many European small farmers, peasants and artisan workmen of their livelihoods. As an example of the effects of industrialisation there used to be an occupation of nailor – a person who made nails and there was one in every neighbourhood. Now factories and machines turned out nails in millions and the occupation vanished from the face of the earth almost overnight.
Pre-famine emigration from Ireland tended to be more from the Protestant population while Roman Catholic emigration tended to predominate afterwards. Presbyterian congregations tended to emigrate as a unit with a pre-journey service and a service of thanksgiving on arrival. Many families emigrated piecemeal. Enough money was gathered to allow one or two of the family to emigrate and these sent home enough money to bring the rest in ones and twos. This process is known as chain migration. Others became indentured servants pledging their labour to an American employer for up to seven years in return for their fare being paid to take them to America .
From 1892 to 1924, more than 22 million immigrants, came through Ellis Island and the Port of New York . The ship companies that transported these passengers kept detailed passenger lists, called "ship manifests." Now, these manifests have been transcribed into a vast electronic archive, which you can easily search to find an individual passenger.
In the 50 years from 1880-1930 the emigration gates to the USA were wide open. Ireland was still exporting our people to the USA sending 1,700,000 in this period but from Italy alone came 4,600,000 and similar vast numbers from other parts of Europe . By the 1880's, steam power had shortened the journey to America dramatically. Immigrants poured in from around the world. In the 1880s alone, 9% of the total population of Norway emigrated to America . After 1892 nearly all immigrants came in through the newly opened Ellis Island . Up to this there had been many places of entering Canada and the United States . At one point Partridge Island, St Johns , New Brunswick , had taken in almost half of all immigrants to North America and another major route was via the cotton ships who traded between Liverpool and New Orleans on the Mississippi . They brought cotton to Liverpool and people on the return journey to the southern United States .
One immigrant recalled arriving at Ellis Island: "The boat anchored at mid-bay and then they tendered us on the ship to Ellis Island … We got off the boat…you got your bag in your hand and went right into the building Ah, that day must have been about five to six thousand people. Jammed, I remember it was August. Hot as blazes, and I'm wearing my long johns, and my heavy Irish tweed suit."
Probably as a consequence of chain migration people from Irish towns and villages often congregated in certain areas. People from Belleek tended to emigrate to Boston while emigrants from Pettigo to Australia tended to go to Goulburn in New South Wales about 100 miles from Sydney . A recent social event there had over 400 people who all traced their ancestry to that little village. Brookeborough seems to have had a link with the state of Indiana in the USA . A significant number of Scots-Irish frontiersmen settled in the southern part of Indiana during the late 1700s and early 1800s. With another wave of mass emigration between the years of 1815 and 1860 the Irish comprised twenty-one percent of the total foreign born population of Indiana during which time they had a significant role in the construction of the state's roads, canals and railways, and in the state's politics. The number of Irish aliens in Indiana peaked between the years 1860 - 1920 and they tended to live in urban areas, working in factories and skilled jobs just as the state was becoming more industrialized. In 1990 almost one million Indiana residents reported that they were of Irish decent.
Following the chain migration pattern, a handful of people from Brookeborough emigrated to Indianapolis , Indiana in the early 1900s and in particular were the McGirrs of Stranafely whom I have helped with tracing their ancestry. Several Ulster Irish had established businesses ranging from construction companies to saloons in the state of Indiana and they tended to employ Irish emigrants. Such is the case of Samuel and Thomas Kingan of Belfast , who brought their meat packing business to the USA in 1851 and soon pioneered the use of ice refrigeration for fresh meats. Kingen & Company had employed Charles McGirr and many of his kin and friends from Fermanagh at the Indianapolis processing plant.
Ease of travel and the Internet have hugely shrunk the world and what was a hugely difficult and indeed dangerous step for our ancestors is now a few hours flying time and a short journey to smell the fresh air of Stranafely and look down on Upper Lough Erne and the verdant fields of Brookeborough.
John B. Cunningham with McGirr Genealogical information courtesy of Genevieve Price a McGirr descendant.
Emigration – Causes and Patterns.
Most people tend to have a very simple view of the reasons for emigration but the picture is not as clear cut as all that. In a generalized but simple view people left Ireland on account of religious persecution, the effects of the great famine of 1845-1850, general poverty in Ireland or the unreasonable and tyranical rule of many Irish landlords. All these are good reasons to emigrate and to a greater or lesser degree played their part in persuading people to attempt a new life abroad.
All the above could be termed “push” factors pressurising people to emigrate but there were other reasons which persuaded people to go and these can be grouped under the term “pull” factors. Especially for young people, the lure of big wages, the possibility of getting a big American farm as their own property, the incredible wealth which could apparently be made digging gold in California, the thrill and adventure of getting away from home and away from a stifling religious and social society in Ireland were all powerful pulling factors which drew people to emigrate. So as well as the well known push there was the less known pull factors in operation.
We also tend to be a little too much focused on ourselves in terms of emigration. In the 60 years between 1820-1880 emigration to the USA from Ireland was 2,800,000, which is indeed a huge figure but 6,000,000 came from Russia with 3,000,000 from Britain 2,000,000, from the Austro Hungarian Empire etc. so the Irish were by no means the only emigrants. Rapid population growth, changes in land distribution, and the growing industrial revolution had stripped many European small farmers, peasants and artisan workmen of their livelihoods. As an example of the effects of industrialisation there used to be an occupation of nailor – a person who made nails and there was one in every neighbourhood. Now factories and machines turned out nails in millions and the occupation vanished from the face of the earth almost overnight.
Pre-famine emigration from Ireland tended to be more from the Protestant population while Roman Catholic emigration tended to predominate afterwards. Presbyterian congregations tended to emigrate as a unit with a pre-journey service and a service of thanksgiving on arrival. Many families emigrated piecemeal. Enough money was gathered to allow one or two of the family to emigrate and these sent home enough money to bring the rest in ones and twos. This process is known as chain migration. Others became indentured servants pledging their labour to an American employer for up to seven years in return for their fare being paid to take them to America .
From 1892 to 1924, more than 22 million immigrants, came through Ellis Island and the Port of New York . The ship companies that transported these passengers kept detailed passenger lists, called "ship manifests." Now, these manifests have been transcribed into a vast electronic archive, which you can easily search to find an individual passenger.
In the 50 years from 1880-1930 the emigration gates to the USA were wide open. Ireland was still exporting our people to the USA sending 1,700,000 in this period but from Italy alone came 4,600,000 and similar vast numbers from other parts of Europe . By the 1880's, steam power had shortened the journey to America dramatically. Immigrants poured in from around the world. In the 1880s alone, 9% of the total population of Norway emigrated to America . After 1892 nearly all immigrants came in through the newly opened Ellis Island . Up to this there had been many places of entering Canada and the United States . At one point Partridge Island, St Johns , New Brunswick , had taken in almost half of all immigrants to North America and another major route was via the cotton ships who traded between Liverpool and New Orleans on the Mississippi . They brought cotton to Liverpool and people on the return journey to the southern United States .
One immigrant recalled arriving at Ellis Island: "The boat anchored at mid-bay and then they tendered us on the ship to Ellis Island … We got off the boat…you got your bag in your hand and went right into the building Ah, that day must have been about five to six thousand people. Jammed, I remember it was August. Hot as blazes, and I'm wearing my long johns, and my heavy Irish tweed suit."
Probably as a consequence of chain migration people from Irish towns and villages often congregated in certain areas. People from Belleek tended to emigrate to Boston while emigrants from Pettigo to Australia tended to go to Goulburn in New South Wales about 100 miles from Sydney . A recent social event there had over 400 people who all traced their ancestry to that little village. Brookeborough seems to have had a link with the state of Indiana in the USA . A significant number of Scots-Irish frontiersmen settled in the southern part of Indiana during the late 1700s and early 1800s. With another wave of mass emigration between the years of 1815 and 1860 the Irish comprised twenty-one percent of the total foreign born population of Indiana during which time they had a significant role in the construction of the state's roads, canals and railways, and in the state's politics. The number of Irish aliens in Indiana peaked between the years 1860 - 1920 and they tended to live in urban areas, working in factories and skilled jobs just as the state was becoming more industrialized. In 1990 almost one million Indiana residents reported that they were of Irish decent.
Following the chain migration pattern, a handful of people from Brookeborough emigrated to Indianapolis , Indiana in the early 1900s and in particular were the McGirrs of Stranafely whom I have helped with tracing their ancestry. Several Ulster Irish had established businesses ranging from construction companies to saloons in the state of Indiana and they tended to employ Irish emigrants. Such is the case of Samuel and Thomas Kingan of Belfast , who brought their meat packing business to the USA in 1851 and soon pioneered the use of ice refrigeration for fresh meats. Kingen & Company had employed Charles McGirr and many of his kin and friends from Fermanagh at the Indianapolis processing plant.
Ease of travel and the Internet have hugely shrunk the world and what was a hugely difficult and indeed dangerous step for our ancestors is now a few hours flying time and a short journey to smell the fresh air of Stranafely and look down on Upper Lough Erne and the verdant fields of Brookeborough.
John B. Cunningham with McGirr Genealogical information courtesy of Genevieve Price a McGirr descendant.