Book Description

Although it is difficult to estimate the figure accurately, experts believe that 100,000 Scots emigrated to the United States or Canada during the middle of the nineteenth century. The majority of these emigrants were skilled, educated workers from urban industrial backgrounds whose expertise was in great demand in the rapidly industrializing cities of North America. For this book, the first of five in the series (see also Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, and Part Five), David Dobson, who has previously published the most extensive lists of Scottish immigrants to America during the colonial and early Federal periods in print, extends his coverage of Scottish immigration to the period 1825-1875. For the most part, his findings come from Scottish newspapers like the Aberdeen Journal, Fife Advertiser, Scottish Guardian, etc. as well as from a handful of documents in the Scottish Record Office and other archives. The Scottish expatriates identified by the compiler are arranged alphabetically and invariably give, besides the individual's full name, place of residence (country, state/province, or city), an identifying date, and the source of the information. In addition, many of the entries indicate the individual's date of birth, father's name and occupation or place of residence, spouse, or the name of the vessel upon which he arrived. In all Mr. Dobson has culled information on upwards of 2,000 Scotsmen who were residing in North America during the early Victorian era.