Who emigrated to East Jersey?
Between 1683 and 1685, over 560 Scots made the journey to East Jersey. They came from varied backgrounds—some as free settlers, others as indentured servants or transported prisoners. This page explores who these emigrants were: their age, gender, occupations, family structures, regions of origin, and religious identities. While some died en route, the majority survived and helped build new communities in colonial America.
Types of emigrant
Of the 562 known emigrants, roughly one-third were free settlers, two-fifths indentured servants, and one-quarter transported prisoners. Their status conditioned the circumstances of their journeys and their social standing and economic prospects once in East Jersey.
Gender and family structures
Roughly 75% of emigrants were male and 25% female, a pattern consistent across all categories. Compared to the family-focused ‘Great Migration’ from England to New England in the 1630s, this was a younger, more male-dominated population and one that was less driven by a desire for a new religious order.
There were at least 88 children amongst the emigrants, infants through to teens. The median age was young: seven years old. There were 38 or more family groups, totaling 139 individuals (a quarter of all emigrants). These included free settlers like the Toscheoch-McGregorie extended family and indentured servant families such that of overseer John Hamton from East Lothian. Sibling pairs, like Daniel and John Mackdaniell and Bessie and John Pollock, were also common.
Some 59 people died during their crossing, almost all aboard the Henry and Francis in 1685, which had been badly hit by disease.
Occupations and skills
We know the occupations of 45% of the adult emigrants (ranging from 72% of the free emigrants to 23% of the indentured servants). Farming backgrounds dominated (30% where known and probably more given that many of the servants were likely to have been indentured to work on establishing new farms and estates). Trades and commerce were also significant: 29% worked in skilled trades like tailoring, carpentry, and masonry and 25% were merchants. Among the free emigrants, most were experienced, in their 30s; leaders like George Scot and Lord Neill Campbell were older.
More than 20 free settlers brought indentured servants to supply needed skills. Still, some were in short supply given requirements: only 13 men had construction occupations, compared to 12 tailors. This shortage likely slowed early settlement building.
Little is recorded for the wives and daughters who brought essential domestic skills and experience working alongside their husbands and fathers.
Where did they come from?
Most emigrants originated in eastern Scotland: Aberdeenshire, Kincardineshire, Angus, Fife, the Lothians, Roxburghshire and Berwickshire – reflecting the location of the leading free emigrants, such as those who brought servants. Aberdeenshire alone accounted for 15 free adult emigrants and the wider north east, another 13. Prisoners came primarily from Lanarkshire, Dumfriesshire, and Kirkcudbrightshire, with others from Ayrshire and Argyll.
The zoomable map below shows known places of origin of emigrants, differentiated according to whether they were free emigrants, indentured servants or prisoners. Thanks to court records we know relatively more about the specific origins of the prisoners, whereas for most of the indentured servants we only know their port of departure which in the cases of three ships was either Leith or Aberdeen.
Known places of origin of Scots emigrants
Faith and belief
Church of Scotland majority, and divisions within
The majority of emigrants were affiliated with the Church of Scotland, though there was a broad spectrum from those who were strongly Episcopalian, upholding the form of church governance imposed by the Crown, others who conformed with little care. Then there were others who wanted a return to Presbyterianism, some of whom quietly bided their time while others were active dissident Covenanters.
The moderates were likely the largest group, followed by Covenanters, both free and transported, then Quakers. Not many stand out as Episcopalian like George Willocks, the son of the minister in Kemnay, Aberdeenshire. Moderates included merchants James and John Johnstone from Edinburgh, Thomas Gordon and his brother Charles and many of the indentured servants.
The Quakers
Quakers constituted at least 10% of the adult emigrants. Their significance far exceeded their numbers, given their role in planning the East Jersey venture. Notables included John and David Barclay, John Laing of Craigforthie, and Doctor William Robertson from Burntisland. Several of those from North East Scotland had endured imprisonments and fines for their faith in the 1670s.
Two Quaker gardeners, John Reid and John Hamton, were appointed overseers of the 1683 voyage. Reid’s deep knowledge was evident in the publication of The Scots Gard’ner shortly after his departure for East jersey showcasing the skills that Quaker settlers brought.
The Covenanters
The largest single faith group among prisoners were the Covenanters, religious dissidents who resisted royal control over worship, some of whom had taken part in the Battle of Bothwell Bridge in 1679. Over 120 were shipped aboard the Henry and Francis in 1685, the majority comprising those who had recently been imprisoned in atrocious conditions in Dunnottar Castle. They were following 12 the previous year before whose numbers included some of the extreme Sweet Singers sect.
The ranks of Covenanters included landowners, craftsmen, and servants, such as laird Robert McClellan of Barmagachan, blacksmith William Niven, minister David Simson, farmer’s daughter Jean Moffat, and farm worker John Corsan. Some emigrated voluntarily, like merchants James Armour and William Ged, and preacher Archibald Riddell who had been imprisoned on the Bass Rock. Riddell was, however, given an incentive of 200 acres of land to leave the country such was his notoriety.
Conclusion
Between 1683 and 1685, the emigrants to East Jersey were drawn from across much of late 17th century Scottish society and were mainly young, three-quarters male, and religiously diverse. They included merchants, artisans, tenants, servants, and dissidents. Many travelled in family groups or with others they knew, especially among the free and indentured. The Quakers and Covenanters brought strong ideological views to the new settlements. The concentration of emigrants from eastern Scotland reflected the mix of kinship, religious affiliations, connections involving trade or the land, and proximity to the main ports.
For a variety of reasons, including the loss of leaders of the East Jersey project in Scotland and the changed politics after the accession of William and Mary as monarchs, few Scots emigrants followed them. It was not until the 1720s that there were new waves of emigrants, Scots from Scotland and Scots-Irish from Ulster, very largely Presbyterian.
Further details can be found in my dissertation, Scots Emigrants to East New Jersey, 1682-1702: Motivations and Outcomes, University of Glasgow, 2025.
You can search the database to identify groups of emigrant, eg, according to their occupation, place of birth or origin, religion, etc.
See the guide to searching the database.
Please note:
1) ‘Religion’ is given for known Covenanters and Quakers, but not for others, given uncertainties as to how to classify them.
2) We cannot be certain of many places of birth but can be surer of the places of origin of their families. Therefore, two searches, for Place of Birth and Place of Origin may be necessary to gain a broader picture.