| Dispersal is a costly, often risky, yet pervasive---if highly variable---behavior with important repercussions for the life histories of all involved. Nevertheless, processes of dispersal and the complex relations between dispersal and access to resources and/or mates have received little attention. Through a combination of theoretical and empirical approaches, this dissertation examines how multiple forces concurrently shape variability in dispersal likelihood, timing, and destination, and shows how these forces may impact individuals differentially according to their life history traits.;First, I develop a dynamic state variable model of human dispersal in a land-based economy. This method enables me to incorporate multiple individual states (e.g., wealth, marital, and inheritance status) and environmental constraints on dispersal in modeling dispersal decisions. Over a series of time steps, the model determines whether dispersing or staying results in higher fitness (a function of wealth and years married). The model shows that dispersal is favorable under a wide range of conditions, but that it also varies predictably according to individual states. The model also fosters an examination of the interaction of life events and their directions of causation.;Second, I use life history data from the small farming town of Oakham, Massachusetts to examine the link between dispersal and marriage. I find that women, married individuals, and individuals with non-Oakham spouses were more likely to disperse. Dispersal more often coincided with marriage for women than for men, and women were more likely to disperse to their spouses' place of origin. While these results suggest a clear link between dispersal and marriage, a large proportion of dispersers did not disperse until after marriage.;Third, I combine the life history data with wills and land deeds to examine the link between dispersal and resources. I find that father's status, father's wealth, and birth cohort were all associated with dispersal. Sons who acquired land from their fathers were less likely to disperse than others. Some did disperse, however, which confirms predictions from the model that even individuals with resources might disperse under certain conditions. |
