Popular literature and frontier studies stress that Americans moved west to farm or to seek a new beginning. Scott Rohrer argues that Protestant migrants in early America relocated in search of salvation, Christian community, reform, or all three. He examines the migration patterns of eight religious groups and finds that Protestant migrations consisted of two basic types: migrations motivated by religion, economics, and family (including Puritans, Methodists, Moravians, and others)and groups wanting to escape persecution or harassment (Mormons and Inspirationists). He concludes that the two m.