Food for thought about North Devon emigration

A few weeks a ago, the August 2012 edition of the Devon Family Historian landed in my mailbox - always a welcomed event and interesting read. Published by the Devon Family History Society, the journal is a fascinating glimpse into the research of other Devon family researchers and a record of the Society's events and activities.

I found this edition particularly interesting as the lead article, Faith, Fish, Farm or Family: Motivations for Emigration from North Devon, 1830-1900, by Janet Few, challenged readers to rethink their preconceptions about the reasons why our ancestors might have left their Devon homes. Few outlined clues to consider when evaluating why a family member moved - including date of migration, conditions at new/old locations, life stage, migration companions, occupations in old/new locations, and religion. She also lists reasons for emigration, ranging from economic, educational, familial, religious, political and social. Few then recounts her family's migration story to Canada. Their end destinations, Mariposa (near Peterborough)and Toronto, are well known to me (I grew up in the west end of Toronto). According to the research quoted by Few, 434,806 people left via a Devon port between 1840-1900. Nationally, 75% of Victorian emigrants moved to America, but Devonians headed for Australiasia, but in the case of those from North Devon, their destination was Canada.

Few's article has gotten me thinking about why William Huxtable Ball left Devon in the late 1858-1860. Was it for economic reasons? Were there other Ball family members who lived in the Gower area? Were there religious tensions? What was happening in North/South Molton and in the Gower which might have contributed to a push or pull out of Devon?

Always something to think about and more research to do!

Cheers, K.

Devon Family History Society

First off, I want to apologize for my lack of posts recently. I've been battling bronchitis for the past month and am now finally starting to feel like I'm back in the land of the living. I will endeavour to be more diligent with the frequency of my posts.

I was happy to receive my copy of the Devon Family Historian in the mail today. Its appearance was a wonderful reminder that family history or genealogy societies are a great resource in terms of expertise, local-on-the-ground information and support. While I haven't come across Ball family researchers working on my particular branch of the family, I have been helped by so many DFHS members via their e-mail (also known as 'mailing') list, website and the volunteers who staff their resource library called the "Tree House" in Exeter.

As I settle in to enjoy my copy of the Devon Family Historian, I would encourage researchers to join the local family history or genealogy society in the geographic area where their ancestors lived. You can really tap into great people, resources and local knowledge that you may not be able to access as a non-member, so far removed from your ancestors' county, state, province or country.

Cheers, K.