Those Big Decisions That My Relatives Made

This week's #52Ancestors prompt, Big Decisions, got me thinking about 

decisions made by relatives that impacted their lives.

My maternal grandmother, Stella Edwards Butzek, made the decision as a young woman to move to Chicago to find work. This turned out to be a good decision as she met and married my grandfather, Anthony Butzek. As a young married couple with a young child, they made the decision to move to southern Illinois, where Anthony farmed and worked the coal mines. After Anthony's untimely death in a mining accident, my grandmother made the decision, yet again, to move to Chicago where she spent the rest of her life.

My paternal grandparents, George Michael Martin and Florence Halliday Martin, made the decision to move from Albia, Iowa, to West Frankfort, Illinois, as newlyweds. It's not clear what prompted this decision, but I suspect the coal mines in Iowa were close to being played out, and they saw a better financial future in southern Illinois. They raised two children and spent the rest of their lives in West Frankfort.

I had several relatives who made the big decision to immigrate to the United States. These included my grandfather, Anthony Butzek, who came over in 1909 with his family. He was just a toddler and obviously had no say in the matter, but his parents made that decision. Perhaps it was for a better life; perhaps there were legal issues in the old country, as the family stories suggest. 

My paternal Halliday great-grandparents moved from County Durham, England, to Iowa, from one coal-mining area to another. And it was a successful move. My paternal Clark great-great-grandparents moved from Lanark County, Scotland, to Iowa, stopping first in Ohio. Despite the challenges, life was reasonably good for them. 

Further back in time, I had relatives who decided to move westward. They moved from North Carolina to Tennessee and Kentucky, finally ending up in southern Illinois, although some ended up in Texas and Oregon. 

What caused all these people to pack up and make these moves? More land, better opportunities, anti-slavery sentiments, or a combination of things that made the decision easier? Did they have so little that packing up and moving wasn't a big deal? I can't answer these questions—I can only speculate. Whatever the reasons, I am grateful for these moves. Because in the end, it gave me a better life!