The arrival of the railroads brought an end to the canal era from about 1860 to 1880. Migration Maps A number of Internet sites contain maps showing migration routes in America. See especially the heading Migration. The American Migrations Web Site attempts to have an online database of immigration and migration records. Land records sometimes will show a previous place of residence.
Gravestones sometimes show where a person was born.
Military records are very useful in tracing migration. Printed sources, such as biographies and compiled genealogies are useful as a beginning source. Voting registers Selected Bibliography Atlas of American History. Charles Scribner s Sons, 1984. Billington, Ray Allen and Martin Ridge.