A lot of folks in that time frame herded and tended animals. They tended to be migratory as a result. One of my GrGrandfathers, for example, was a drover/cattle agent in the early to late 19th century. He spent a great deal of time out west, often staying in Drovers cottages. He worked until he got too old to sit a saddle for 8 to 12 hours a day, and moved to Baltimore, near the stockyards with his wife and family.

"We don't have any law here. Just a graveyard." LL from TREASURE MOUNTAIN