The first wave of mass migration from the 1840s to 1930s was a global phenomenon, embedded in a globalizing industrial economy. Except for the transatlantic migrations, however, much of that mobility has been forgotten. More attention to the global scope of mobility can help to understand the many forms of labor migration and diverse effects of industrial globalization. We can also better understand the genealogy of concepts that continue to erase certain forms of labor mobility and legitimize others.