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Hebridean emigrants are digitally documented 1/6/10
A three year study on Hebridean emigration has made 250,000 digital copies of historical records.
The £96,000 project by the Seallam! visitor centre in Northton in South Harris is the most detailed study of emigration ever carried out on islands which have experienced changes in population from early times to the present day.
It digitised emigration information, researched by genealogist, author and historian Bill Lawson over 40 years, making it publicly available.
It has details on 20,774 emigrants from 1700 to 1900. Over half went to Canada; others headed to Australia and America.
Even earlier people were uncovered like Aud the Deep Minded, born in 834AD, wife of the King of Dublin, who as a widow set off from the Hebrides to Iceland.
Around 1,500 papers, letters, photographs, books and maps relating to
emigration were also catalogued in digital form by archivist Alan Brodie.
An associated exhibition, Na h-
There are also plans to host the records on the internet .
Bill Lawson explained: “The emigration digital records have become a valuable part of the Co Leis Thu? archive which holds 250,000 digital documented records for the whole of the Hebrides.
““We have traced details of 20,774 emigrants by name, in addition to which
we are aware of many other unnamed and therefore usually untraceable
emigrants who left in the 1770s, such as the unnamed 831 emigrants who left Lewis
for Pennsylvania in 1772-
He said: “The main methodology employed has been to identify families who disappear
from the extensive data-
“This has been done by consulting census records, cemetery records and many written sources in the settlement areas, along with ship’s passenger lists, where available.
“A vast amount of information has also been derived from the correspondence we have had with overseas genealogical clients over many years.
“In most cases we have been able to identify the emigrants, date of birth
(at least approximately), spouse and parentage, together with details of the
parish and township they left, and the state/province, county and township
of settlement. In some cases the emigrant ship has also been identified.
“As research continues, more information will be found on emigrants and
their settlement, and these can be added to the database. The next stage will
be to put the data-
achieve this.”