When I wrote about the migration of my ancestors across the United States last, on 14 July 2015, I left off with my grandmother and her father and sister just leaving Virginia for Missouri. That was in 1894. Many of her sisters and brothers, with their families, had already migrated west. The rest of her siblings but one would follow within a few years.
Asa Harvey McDaniel, my great-grandfather, along his two youngest daughters, Martha Alwilda Jane (my grandmother) and Sarah Carnelia, left their Virginia home for the last time just before Easter 1894. We have a copy of a letter written to Asa by another daughter, Mary Saphronica (Molly) Davis, dated 18 April 1894 that acknowledged a letter from him sent from Missouri. Asa and the girls had travelled to Tarkio, MO, near where daughters Virginia (Jennie), Elizabeth and Rebecca – all of whom had married men of the Slemp family in Virginia – and son George McDaniel lived. Two other of Asa’s children, with their families, had also moved west by then: Eliza Bundy to Savonburg, KS in 1885; and John McDaniel to Norman, OK in 1892. Other brothers were to join their siblings later: James McDaniel to Norman in 1896; William McDaniel to Neosho, MO in 1899; and Isaac to Savonburg about 1906.
Map showing the probable routes taken by Asa McDaniel and his children in their move west
Asa and his daughters likely travelled by wagon from Virginia, possibly to Louisville where they might have boarded a train for the remainder of their journey. There was no easy route across the Cumberland Mountains at that time. When McDaniel families had moved west in the 1880s, the trains were just beginning to branch into Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Land was opening up in the region which spurred migration of people seeking to start over or acquire new lands to farm. The McDaniels were part of that great push into the plains in the latter half of the 19th century and their moves appear to be directly tied to the development of the railroads.
(Map acquired 6 June 2016 from Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum website)
Maps showing the railway lines as they developed offer a great perspective on how, when and why families moved to certain areas of the country. Prior to their arrival in the plains, it was an arduous task for people, especially those with children, to travel and the only way was in a wagon train.
Other information that has allowed me to put together the times of the moves are the research done by my aunt in the 1960s and ‘70s, correspondence between relatives and the various censuses taken in the regions. From these I found out when and where Asa’s grandchildren were born. This narrowed down the places where the families resided and the dates they lived there.
By the time Asa arrived in 1894, his children were well established in Missouri and Kansas. New land was opening up in Oklahoma which prompted the move of John from Virginia and Rebecca and her family from Missouri. Both settled near Oklahoma City. Rebecca apparently took her newly-arrived younger sisters, Martha and Sarah, with her when she moved from Tarkio, MO, to Yukon, OK.
Yukon is where my grandmother met my grandfather, Edwin Miller, and where they were married in 1895. (I will detail how the Miller family arrived in the area in a subsequent post.)
Asa moved south to live with his son, John, within a year or so of his move west. He remained there until his death in 1901.
By the turn of the 20th century all but one member of the Asa McDaniel family, Mary Saphronica Davis, were living in the Great Plains and a new era in our history was under way.
Wayne Shepheard is a volunteer with the Online Parish Clerk program in England, handling four parishes in Devon, England. He has published a number of articles about various aspects of genealogy and is a past Editor of Chinook, the quarterly journal of the Alberta Family Histories Society. Wayne also provides genealogical consulting services through his business, Family History Facilitated
"Nilipoandika juu ya uhamiaji wa mababu zangu kote Marekani, tarehe 14 Julai 2015, niliacha na nyanya yangu na baba yake na dada, wakiondoka Virginia kwenda Missouri.""" Hiyo ilikuwa mwaka wa 1894. Dada zake na ndugu zake wengi, pamoja na familia zao, walikuwa tayari wamehamia magharibi. Ndugu zake wengine isipokuwa mmoja wangefuata baada ya miaka michache. Asa Harvey McDaniel, babu yangu mkubwa, pamoja na binti zake wawili wadogo, Martha Alwild Jane (nyanya yangu) na Sarah Carnelia, waliondoka nyumbani kwao Virginia kwa mara ya mwisho kabla tu ya Pasaka 1894. Aliandika barua kwa Asa na binti yake Mary Saphronia (Molly) Davis tarehe 18 Aprili 1894 akiri barua yake kutoka Missouri. Asa na wasichana walikuwa wamesafiri kwenda Tarkio, MO, karibu na ambapo binti zake Virginia (Jennie), Elizabeth na Rebecca - ambao wote walikuwa wameolewa na wanaume wa familia ya Slemp huko Virginia - na mwana George McDaniel aliishi. Watoto wengine wawili wa Asa, pamoja na familia zao, walikuwa pia wamehamia magharibi wakati huo: Eliza Bundy kwenda Savonburg, KS mnamo 1885; na John McDaniel kwenda Norman, OK mnamo 1892. Ndugu wengine waliungana na ndugu zao baadaye: James McDaniel kwa Norman mwaka 1896; William McDaniel kwa Neosho, MO mwaka 1899; na Isaac kwa Savonburg mwaka 1906. Ramani ya njia za Asa McDaniel na binti zake katika safari yao ya magharibi: Asa na binti zake walisafiri kwa gari kutoka Virginia, labda kwenda Louisville, ambapo wangeweza kupanda gari moshi kwa safari yao iliyobaki. Wakati huo hakukuwa na njia rahisi ya kuvuka Milima ya Cumberland. Wakati familia ya McDaniel ilihamia magharibi katika miaka ya 1880, treni zilikuwa zinaanza kugawanyika katika Kansas, Oklahoma na Texas. Ardhi ilikuwa ikifunguliwa katika mkoa huo ambayo ilichochea uhamiaji wa watu wanaotafuta kuanza tena au kupata ardhi mpya ya kulima. McDaniels walikuwa sehemu ya msukumo mkubwa katika nyanda katika nusu ya mwisho ya karne ya 19 na hatua zao zinaonekana kuwa moja kwa moja kushikamana na maendeleo ya reli. Picha ya 6 Juni 2016 kutoka kwa tovuti ya Makumbusho ya Historia ya Picha ya Reli ya Pasifiki ya Kati, inaonyesha jinsi reli ilivyobadilika na jinsi familia zilihamia maeneo fulani ya nchi. Kabla ya kuwasili kwao kwenye nyanda, ilikuwa kazi ngumu kwa watu, hasa wale waliokuwa na watoto, kusafiri na njia pekee ilikuwa kwa gari-moshi. Habari nyingine ambazo zimeniwezesha kuunganisha nyakati za kuhamia ni utafiti uliofanywa na shangazi yangu katika miaka ya 1960 na 1970, mawasiliano kati ya jamaa na sensa mbalimbali zilizochukuliwa katika mikoa. Kutokana na hizo nilipata kujua wakati na mahali ambapo wajukuu wa Asa walizaliwa. Hilo lilipunguza idadi ya maeneo ambako familia hizo ziliishi na tarehe ambazo ziliishi huko. Wakati Asa alipowasili huko mwaka wa 1894, watoto wake walikuwa wamejiweka vizuri katika Missouri na Kansas. Eneo jipya lilikuwa likifunguliwa katika Oklahoma ambalo lilihamasisha John kuhamia kutoka Virginia na Rebecca na familia yake kutoka Missouri. Wote wawili waliishi karibu na Jiji la Oklahoma. Rebecca aliwachukua dada zake wawili, Martha na Sarah, waliofika huko kutoka Tarkio, Missouri, hadi Yukon, Oklahoma, ambako nyanya yangu alikutana na babu yangu, Edwin Miller, na walifunga ndoa mwaka wa 1895. (Nitaelezea jinsi familia ya Miller ilivyofika katika eneo hilo katika chapisho linalofuata.) Asa alihamia kusini ili kuishi na mwanawe, John, karibu mwaka mmoja baada ya kuhamia magharibi. Alikaa huko hadi alipokufa mwaka wa 1901. Kufikia mwanzo wa karne ya 20, wote isipokuwa mmoja wa familia ya Asa McDaniel, Mary Sapphronica Davis, walikuwa wakiishi katika Great Plains na enzi mpya katika historia yetu ilikuwa ikianza. Wayne Shepheard ni kujitolea na programu ya Online Parish Clerk nchini Uingereza, kushughulikia parokia nne katika Devon, Uingereza. Yeye pia ni mwandishi wa makala kadhaa kuhusu masuala mbalimbali ya genealogy na ni Mhariri wa zamani wa Chinook, jarida la kila robo mwaka la Alberta Family Histories Society. Wayne pia hutoa huduma za ushauri wa ukoo kupitia biashara yake, Historia ya Familia Iliyosahihishwa