A Scattered People: An American Family Moves West

by Gerald W. McFarland

This remarkable, innovative book portrays one of the great American experiences in microcosm. Gerald McFarland tells the story of U.S. westward expansion through the stories of his own ancestors―from their arrival in Massachusetts in 1630, through successive generations that moved west, at length reaching the West Coast in 1900. " A Scattered People enriches the literature and reminds readers that most early Americans lived as the Hardemans and the Adairs and the Browns lived. This is the real American history."― Choice . "The evocation of historical event through the microcosm of the individual life is moving....In these histories of ordinary men and women, McFarland discovers that 'few [Americans] actually rose from rags to riches.'"― Journal of American History . "Except for John Brown, who was a half brother of Mr. McFarland's great-great-grandmother, the people in this history are not famous, but, through the author's meticulous research, every one of them comes to life."― New Yorker . "Full of fascinating historical detail. It is especially valuable for the insight it provides into the way ordinary Americans of the 19th century experienced and confronted the issues and concerns of their time."― Library Journal.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, The United States Of America

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1991

Reviews

[Susan Buffum · Rating 5 out of 5]

A meticulously researched, well organized, and thoughtfully presented history of the migration of interlinked families to the expanding western areas of our developing country. I enjoy reading historical nonfiction. This book had some connections to my home town and surrounding areas in CT, MA & NY state that made it all the more appealing to me. The detail was amazing- I felt like I was inside the homes of these people, traveling with them as pioneers, and settling into new lands with them. I have an inquisitive mind for small details and was not disappointed in my desire to know as much as possible about these families- how they lived and what they experienced- right down to how much silver plate they owned, or didn't own! I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in the past in Mr. McFarland's book and was reluctant to return to modern life!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating to see family history play out on the stage of the nation's push westward.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though it took me forever to read, this is a great story, with some of the elements paralleling my family story.

[Michael Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

McFarland is a professor of American history at UMass with several volumes on 19th century political history to his credit, but here he turns his attention to a subject much closer to home: The migration of his mother’s family from the east coast just after 1800 to the west coast c.1900. The various lines began in western Connecticut and in Rensselaer, New York, and in western Virginia and North Carolina, and they followed the paths trod by many thousands of frontier families (including most of my own lines), along the lower margin of the Great Lakes and down the Ohio River and across the Midwest. One branch of the family finally moved in the 1870s and ‘80s through Iowa, Nebraska, and Colorado into northern California and then to Oregon, while another headed down through Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona into southern California. From the Atlantic to the Pacific in a century -- that is, in large part, the American story. The author is fortunate in that his ancestors were avid correspondents (and, later, photographers) so he is able to combine primary family source material with the contextual secondary sources available to all historical researchers. He also takes the opportunity to weave into this family narrative what he knows about contemporary events in the wider world, so this book is considerably more than “merely” genealogy. He also possesses a smooth and felicitous writing style and I do not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone interested in grass-roots American history or in a broader approach to family history.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

McFarland has written a fascinating history of his ancestors' move to the west over generations. He managed to unearth an amazing level of detail about many of their lives. The book provides great examples of how the events you learned about in your history classes influenced real people's lives. I would definitely recommend this book to someone who likes history and non-fiction.