If your ancestor was born in Scotland and relocated to another country they are said to have emigrated. These moves were not always permanent, with many people choosing to move back to their homeland. Whether the move was permanent or temporary there are likely to be records left behind of their journey and new life abroad. The reasons a person or family had to move abroad are much the same as today. These reasons include finding better work prospects overseas, relocating to join family who had already settled in another country and to evade criminal justice in their home country. Many Scottish people travelled south to England to emigrate, such as from the port of Liverpool. Many emigration records are the same as elsewhere in the United Kingdom, such as England and Wales. However, there are many unique sources to Scotland, such as the records of the Highland and Island Emigration Society and Scots Abroad databases .
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Research your ancestors on MyHeritageResearch your ancestors on MyHeritage
Reasons for EmigrationReasons for Emigration
There are many reasons why a person or family may have decided to emigrate from Scotland. A majority of the time it was the person's choice and the move was voluntary. On some occasions however the move was forced upon them, most commonly through the criminal punishment of transportation. The below are some of the most common reasons why a person may have emigrated from Scotland:
Voluntary Emigration
- To find better work prospects, including being attracted to the gold rushes such as that in California in the mid 1800's
- To escape religious persecution
- To train or study for a new career abroad
- To move closer to family who had already moved abroad
- Due to working as an indentured servant, following their employer abroad
- To escape criminal justice or an unhappy marriage at a time when divorce was not an option for most people
- Some adults and families were supported by societies to relocate abroad, such as the Highland and Island Emigration Society who assisted nearly 5,000 people to move to Australia
Involuntary Emigration
- Transportation to the United States (1615-1776) and Australia (until 1868) was a common punishment. This was usually for 7 years, 14 years or life. Many people chose to stay in their new country after they had served their time
- Many children were relocated abroad in an attempt by the British government to expand the population of their empire. These children were often assisted by charities, such as Barnardos, and are known as 'home children'
Passenger ListsPassenger Lists
A majority of Scottish passenger lists survive from 1890 onwards. These are lists compiled by the captain of each ship naming every passenger. The details supplied about each person varies depending on what the law required at the time. There are many other passenger lists from before this date but they have not all survived. Almost all of the historic passenger lists that survive relate to long-distance journeys outside of Europe, such as those to Australia and the United States. The date that each country was required to keep passenger lists for varies, so if your ancestor travelled prior to 1890 and their outbound UK passenger list does not survive, you may find their incoming passenger list survives in their new destination country.
The National Archives holds the records for outbound passengers travelling from the UK between 1890 and 1960 in Series BT 27. Details about passengers may include:
- The passenger's name (may be in full or with their first name abbreviated)
- The passenger’s age
- Their occupation
- Their place of birth (town or country)
- The name of their employer
- The name of their next of kin or relative they were going to live with abroad
- Their intended final destination- many passengers were due to travel on a separate connecting ship
Many passenger lists have been digitised and are available to view online, and there are further transcripts which are also available. The Passenger Lists collection details which records are available at MyHeritage. This includes the British & Irish Passenger Lists 1890 record set holding thousands of departures from Glasgow.
The records for the Highland and Island Emigration Society Records for 1852-1857 which give passenger list details for people who emigrated from Scotland to Australia are available at ScotlandsPeople. The names of the emigrants who were assisted with the state-aided move from Harris and Lewis to settle in Manitoba, Canada are listed with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (NRS reference AF51).
Newspaper ArticlesNewspaper Articles
There are two main ways that you may find out about your Scottish ancestors journey overseas using newspapers. The first is if they are mentioned by name in a published passenger list. These often feature in newspapers local to their port of travel, however usually only the more notable passengers are named, such as aristocracy and the celebrities of the day, such as opera singers. There are many examples where those of a lower class are also named. Sometimes other details are given, such as ages and occupations. Relationships are only stated on rare occasions.
In a majority of cases, your ancestor will not be named in this way. You may therefore wish to search newspapers for details of your ancestor's journey by searching for the name of their ship. This is not always straightforward as many ships shared the same name, however you can filter results by location and date to find the relevant ship. You may find notices in the shipping column of the boat's departure and arrival, as well as information about any notable events such as accidents, damage to the vessel and deaths on-board. Weather events are also detailed, meaning you can find out if your ancestor travelled on calm seas or through a storm.
Overseas SourcesOverseas Sources
Your ancestor is likely to have left records behind in their new country. The longer that they stayed there, the more records there are likely to be. If your ancestors move was temporary, make sure you trace their journey back home to Scotland. The records found abroad depend on their new country of residence but are likely to be similar to Scottish records, such as census returns, newspaper articles and electoral rolls. Search the Collection Catalog on MyHeritage and refine the results by country and time period to see relevant results for your ancestor.
If your ancestor chose to permanently reside in their new country, there may be evidence of their naturalisation. Some of these records have been digitised and can be viewed online whilst many more are available as transcriptions. Others are available in national archives in the person's new country of residence. Examples of such online records include the West Virginia Naturalization Records, 1814-1991 and US Naturalization Record Index, Northern Illinois collections on MyHeritage. These can all be found within their Citizenship, Passport and Naturalization record set.
Other Records of EmigrationOther Records of Emigration
Other documentation relating to a person's travel overseas is often passed down within the family or handed in to museums and archives. Examples include photographs taken just before, during, or just after their journey abroad, letters and postcards mentioning their voyage overseas, travel tickets and passports. The latter are not always found as they were not legally required for travel outside of the UK until 1915.
If your Scottish ancestor was transported as a criminal punishment, records are held at The National Archives, as prisoner's were sent overseas from England. Microfilm copies of transportation registers featuring Scottish criminals can be seen at Scotland's People. The Scots Abroad databases published by the National Library of Scotland provide information about Scottish people who emigrated to the United States, Australia and New Zealand. This includes publications that were given to new emigrants.
See alsoSee also
Explore more about Scottish EmigrationExplore more about Scottish Emigration
- Immigration & Travel record collection at MyHeritage
- Scottish Emigration to North America: Before, During and After the Rebellions at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Finding Your Scottish Ancestors in Canada at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Foundations of Scottish Genealogy 12 of 12: Emigration from Scotland at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Examining Migration & Researching Migrants in the British Isles at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- The Scots-Irish in America at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Emigration and Immigration at Scotland's People
References