How did a late-19th-century farm family actually move across the Midwest? In this post, I use historical records and modern research tools to reconstruct how A. J. Copeland moved his wife and three children from Illinois to rural Missouri in the 1890s, and why they later returned. By analyzing period rail routes, travel costs, and economic conditions, this case study shows how combining traditional genealogy with careful contextual analysis can turn dates and locations into a realistic, human story of movement, risk, and decision-making.