The Virginia Historical Society has held noontime talks that are open to the public. The informal air of them should not belie the careful preparation by the speakers. Several years ago I heard one (I do not live in Richmond) and it was good. (I wish that I could tell you the name of the speaker but I can't.)
This particular talk looked at the motives and disincentives that existed among the people who were moving west, especially to the new lands. The speaker considered both whites and blacks, males and females. She had found written sentiments of many people, who were candidates for moving, were moving, or had moved.
Women, white or black, were generally not in favor of moving, for it often meant separation from family and friends. We heard here the comments that Elizabeth McClure expressed. While she was not in favor, she went along with the plan for it seemed to be the only way they could progress. Certainly after the move was underway, she expressed her disappointment and homesickness. Seldom were women in favor.
Blacks saw no gain in such a move and they had much to fear. First, it might lead the breakup of their family if things did not go well. And often it meant leaving friends and relatives. The women, in particular, saw it as disruptive and perhaps very divisive. Black men faced the prospect of extra work, often of a hard nature. New lands meant there was clearing of land to be done, lumber to be sawn, and all the problems of converting forest land to cultivation and homes.
The one group that was the most inclined to see a reward were the white men. Often there was discouragement with conditions where they had been, with bleak prospects of earning a living from the land. James McClure searched for land in Virginia but could find none that was worthwhile. So the projected move to Texas was a road to economic advancement. His wife, who seems to have been a partner with him in decision making, came to the same conclusion, albeit reluctantly.
It was a hard decision for a young couple to make, because they were probably leaving family, especially parents behind. Often, the problem was solved by moving with the entire family, or by encouraging relatives and friends to join the endeavor. It was very hard if there were only one couple who had never been away from home.
Of course, the problem is very similar to emigration from the old country, which, in our case, was from Germany. The ties were so strong that in some cases return visits were made. Just recently we were talking about Cyriacus Fleshman, who obtained permission to leave Virginia to visit Germany. To undertake a journey of this magnitude shows how strong the ties could be to the home land, to relatives, and to friends.
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.