inmigrant

Prepared by Elisabeth Lindsay.

The word inmigrant is of fairly recent origin (America, 1940-45), referring to one who is "coming in" from one region or part of a country to another, as compared to an "immigrant," who is coming into one country from a different country altogether, or an "outmigrant" who "going out," rather than coming in. Migrations from one place to another are common throughout history, and charting the movement of one's family and the causes of movement can be enlightening and my yield new information.

In family history, those who migrated into California from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl era of the Great Depression could be considered inmigrants, as would those coming into San Francisco during the California Gold Rush, and those coming into cities such as New York to work in factories during the Industrial Revolution. Many towns, states, and communities experienced an influx of people at different times. Studying the history of a place can help you identify the reasons. if your family moved from one place to another within a country, you may wish to consider what drew them to a particular place: land, work, family? Did they stay or did they move on? It is also good to consider the path they traveled going from one place to another, which may help in your search for records.

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