At least it’s a little easier with a backhoe than with a plow.
Relocating has become easier, and more options to assist in the moving process are available than ever before. But at the end of the day, it’s still one of the most stressful of life events.
I’ve written quite a lot about my Cathcart ancestors who came to this country from Northern Ireland, settling in South Carolina, beginning around 1812. I’ve tried to imagine how daunting it must have been—especially for the first wave of immigrants—to pack up all their earthly possessions and travel by boat for weeks, not knowing what to expect when they arrived. Another family in my direct line who no doubt felt similar trepidation about leaving Northern Ireland for America is the Curry family. Also Covenanters, some of the Currys arrived even earlier—in the 1790s.
But not all of my immigrant ancestors were of Scots-Irish descent. Nor did all of my ancestors arrive in the late 18th/early 19th century. One such family was the Harding family.
My great great-grandfather, Walter Henry Harding (1849-1933), was born in East Grinstead, Sussex, England. He was one of six children born to Timothy Harding (1815-1886) and Eliza Jones Harding (1819-1884.) In 1876, he married Marian (Mary Ann) Harvey (1849-1940), who hailed from London. The young couple resided in Sussex, England. Five boys and one girl were born to them, including my great-grandfather Reginald Harding (1886-1956.)
Walter Harding and his family immigrated to America.
In 1890, Walter Harding and his family departed Liverpool, bound for America aboard the S.S. Lake. Junction City, Kansas, was their final destination. Walter would later say that he and his wife had arrived in Junction City with only “a great big family.” [“Forty-two years ago…” (article directly below) must be a misprint: the ship manifest as well as the newspaper clipping from The Junction City Republic below that one indicate that the family arrived in 1890.]
April 5, 1911
The smart way in which the family members are dressed in the photo immediately above suggests that the Hardings were relatively well-off. I’m guessing that they arrived in this country with far more money than my earlier immigrant ancestors I mentioned previously. For that reason, and because this newspaper article introduced them to the community in such a welcoming public manner, I suspect that their adjustment was a smooth one, relatively speaking, with great assistance from the community itself.
Immigrating in 1890 had to have been easier in general, compared to the time in which my Cathcart and Curry ancestors came to America. This is particularly true when one considers just the difference in available modes of transportation. Before 1890, most travel was by horse- or mule-driven carriages or wagons. But by 1890, rail travel was well-established in Kansas. The automobile followed in 1896.
Life in the early 1800s versus when the Hardings immigrated to America differed in other ways as well.
- Candles, fireplaces, and oil lamps were relied upon for illumination in the early 1800s; in 1890, street lights existed and some urban homes had electric lighting as well, aided by centralized power stations.
- In 1810, news traveled—by horse, ship, or stagecoach—by letter. By 1890, the electrical telegraph and then the telephone allowed for immediate communication.
- Between 1810 and 1890, there were many modernizations in terms of running water and food preservation.
- The common mule-driven plow that broke the plains upon which my previous farmer ancestors lived and farmed was becoming antiquated by the time Walter came to Kansas and purchased a farm. He would certainly have been very interested in the new combustion-powered tractor–invented just a few years after the Hardings’ arrival– and other farm implements that were products of the Industrial Revolution.
So, establishing themselves in their new home would most certainly have been easier than had they come at the time my earliest ancestors did. And yet, I’m quite certain that relocating was still no small matter. And, unlike those previous ancestors, this family did not come to this country in the company of many other family and friends.
Walter’s parents, Timothy and Eliza Jones Harding had six children including Walter. None of their other children came to America, nor did they. The other children remained in England. I have been unable to find information about Marian Harvey’s immediate family, but she was certainly not accompanied to this country by any of her relatives.
The two censuses prior to the family’s departure from England list Walter’s occupation as “traveller (com)” in 1870 and “gardener” in 1880. (Perhaps the earlier listing refers to the job of traveling salesman?) Although Walter’s father Timothy was listed as a “farm worker,” I’m not sure how much experience Walter himself had in running a farm. It might have been a new challenge for him—one in which he needed to succeed, being responsible for a family of six.
Walter and Marian’s children came to this country when they were ages 16, 12, 10, 7, 5, and 4–the youngest being my great-grandfather Reginald Harding (1886-1956.) The oldest four children would probably have attended school, and I’m guessing that the adjustment to a new school and making new friends would have been challenging for them, particularly for the older children.
Walter, Marian, and their children probably simultaneously felt a lot of excitement and trepidation about the move. Once they arrived, in spite of modern conveniences, there were probably really good, encouraging days, and there were probably days of real discouragement and tears.
I graduated from high school at age eighteen. After that, I moved and lived in six different cities—for undergraduate school, graduate school, and then for various jobs. Of course making the break from my parents and moving into a dorm five hours away from home as a college freshman was the first and hardest move, but each time represented challenges, logistics, and farewells that were daunting. And every time I relocated, the upheaval was disconcerting. It took me some time to become accustomed to the new residence itself, the new city, and finding new physicians, grocery stores and pharmacies, and basic services.
I’m sure there were days each of the Hardings wished to be back in England, near family and friends and familiar customs. Marian got pregnant again in Kansas and gave birth to another son in 1892. Having had a child myself, I can easily imagine that having a new infant shortly after their arrival, might have made the distance between her and her family across the Atlantic seem even greater and might have made the care of a new infant even more difficult–physically and emotionally.
Thankfully for all those who leave home today—either temporarily or permanently—there are infinitely more ways of communicating and staying in touch with family and friends back home. And now, most places one puts down roots can be reached today by commercial airlines. The world as we know it has truly grown smaller.
Written for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge: Week 26–“A Hard Choice.” PROMPT: We usually don’t know exactly what an ancestor thought about a choice they faced, but when you remember that they were human, it isn’t hard to imagine. For instance, imagine how it would feel to contemplate moving to the other side of the country – or the other side of the world.
