Ulster American Treasures - The Migration Story
Date published:
The connections between the province of Ulster and the United States of America run deep. The documents selected for this publication have been assembled from the archives at PRONI and illustrate the wide range of subjects associated with the migration story covering the past 250 years.
As early as 9 September 1636, when 140 Presbyterians attempted - unsuccessfully - to emigrate to America on board the Eagle Wing, which sailed from Groomsport, the lure of a life across the Atlantic remained compelling. Although early migrations from the nine counties of Ulster to the Americas are traditionally associated with members of the presbyterian community, some of the earliest successful transatlantic crossings were made by those from the Quaker faith. The earliest surviving recorded instance being the “Antelope”, which sailed from Belfast to Pennsylvania, arriving in December 1682.