Why would someone leave Scotland between 1640 and 1700?

[Darsy Sparrow]

I am writing from the US. Regrettably we are not taught anything about Scottish history in school. I have inherited my grandmother's geneology books and have become fascinated with my family roots. I have many Scottish ancestors, the oldest being Robert Rutherford who was born in 1640 in Roxburgh and died in Virginia in 1728. I don't know anything about the circumstances of those times that would cause a man to leave his family and culture and set off to a new land. The Rutherfords did well once reaching Virginia and were land owners within one generation.

Can anyone point me to some good basic history of the times, or provide some common reasons a man might leave at that time in history?

Thank you

[Ruskie]

Welcome to rootschat Darsy.

I can think of a couple of reasons, but there will be others. I'm sure someone will be able to provide you with some reading matter.

Adventure, promise of more opportunities and a new life , employment in the new lands, lack of employment at home .... Just the usual things. 
Unsure if it was the case this early but I know that later some of the colonies were in need of people to populate and work on specific projects - schemes such as free passage, accommodation and employment were offered to entice (often) good protestant stock. Often these were advertised in the newspapers. I think the fact that you mention that they did well and became land owners may be the clue with your family, as land may have been promised to them. It must have been an offer too good to refuse for some (possibly) poor tenant farmers. There may have been a 'deal' whereby they were given land on the condition that it be cleared and farmed in order to feed the growing population. Pure speculation on my part of course though I know that this kind of thing did happen in some colonies at certain times. 

PS. Often family members went together or sometimes one went ahead and called for the others once settled, so immigrants were not always alone without family.

[whiteout7]

Here is a bit of history, your man seems to have become an adult at a good time in Scottish history rather than a really bad one:

Chronology of Scottish History
- Part Two (1600 - 1899)
http://www.rampantscotland.com/timeline/1899.htm

[Ruskie]

Good link Whiteout - I was approaching this fairly simplistically. There may be, of course, political and religious reasons for leaving one's homeland. 

[goldie61]

This article makes interesting reading, and gives some reasons for Scottish settlement in the Americas.
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/articles/david_dobson.htm
Also a huge list of what look like interesting articles and publications - I shall have to have a look at some of those myself! I had not seen this page before - I was actually looking for some background on The Covenanters, as I know some of them left Scotland and became 'fugitives', (mostly to Ireland I think), around 1683, rather than sign the "Test Oath', which was designed to identify militant Presbyterians and Covenanters, who were resisting the Stuart kings at that time.

But this article gives better reasons for going all the way to The Americas. 

[Ruskie]

Very interesting article Goldie.

[Darsy Sparrow]

Thank you so much for the information and interesting links!

I have to admit, when I was reading through the second link, I was thinking Diana Gabaldan must have used it for research when she was writing her book Drums of Autumn. The characters follow it almost exactly.