foreign origin. In Barnstable County the proportion is about one
in thirty-two ; in Franklin, it is one in twenty, while in Suffolk,
nearly one half (45.58 per cent.) are foreigners. The city of
Boston presents a little higher per cent. (46.37) as will be discov-
ered in the following statement* from Dr. J. Chickering : —
TABLE K
POPULATION IN i860.
Whole
number.
NUMBtB.
Pbopoetioh.
Amertean.
Fcnvign.
Ain«r*n.
Foraign.
City of BoBton,
Contiguous towns, . « .
Other towns within ten miles, -
Towns over ten miles, and not exceed-
ing fifleen miles, - . .
Towns over fifteen miles, and hot ex-
ceeding twenty miles,
Towns over twenty miles, and not ex-
ceeding twenty-five miles, -
Total of towns within twenty-five miles
of the city of Boston,
Other towns in the Commonwealth,
136,884
74,820
62,750
68,728
52,894
90,545
73,418
61,204
50,934
56,935
45,950
73,288
63,466
23,616
11,816
11,793
6,944
17,257
53.63
68.30
81.17
82.84
86.87
80.94
46.37
31.70
18.83
17.16
13.13
19.06
486,62]
508,044
351,729
442,040
134,892
66,004
72.28
87.01
27.72
12.99
Total, . . . -
994,665
793,769
200,896
79.80
20iW
* For oar abntracts of the census, which difttingui»h the namber and proportion of American
and foreign popolaiion, we are indebted to an elaborate letter from Dr. Jesse Chickering, of
Ooston, to the City CoonciK— City Doeummt, No. Aft, I860.
Digitized by VjOOQIC
94
EIGHTH RBOISTRATION REPO&T.
It k a Temarkable hci and well worthy of consideratioii that
within the fire yean laat past, according to the City census of
1846, and the State census of May 1, 1860, the foreign portion
of the population of Boston have increased 70.20 per cent, while
the American portion during the same period have decreased
2.27 per cent I It is very probable that a like change has been
produced in no other place of importance, in the Commonwealth.
Of the 63,466 foreigners in Boston, 52,923 are from Ireland,
2666 from Germany, and 7877 are from various other countries.
In ward 8 (old division) we find the largest number of Irish,
(7964) the smallest number of German, (36) and the smallest
number of colored population, (only 2.) This section of the city
contains the least number of inhabited houses, and at the same
time, the greatest number of persons to a house, there being an
average of 21.18 individuals to each house ! Two houses in this
ward contain 19 families each: five houses were occupied by
10 families each ; fourteen houses by 9 families each ; thirty-two
by 8, and fifty-six by 7 families each !— ^.
In the whole city, there are, between the ages of 5 and 16^
12,143 children of natives, and 12,132 children of foreign parent*-
age. Of the whole population, 66,072 are males, and 72,716 are
females.
The following abstract from the fifth, sixth and seventh na^
tional censuses will show the number and proportion of native
and foreign population in Massachusetts, at different periods : —
TABLE a
fepokkkm.
1830.
1840.
1850.
Nombar.
FttOnt.
Numlwr.
WrOent
Kmnber.
PmOwU
American,
Foreign,
600,788
9,620
96.42
1.58
702,882
34,818
95i28
4.72
798,769
200,896
79.80
UOSO
Total, - -
610,408
loa
737,700
100.
994,665
100.
Digitized by VjOOQIC
ANALYTICAL OBSBRYATIONS.
96
BIRTHS.
Of the 38,313 recorded births^ during^ the twenty months em-
braced in this Report, 26,773 were in the year 1849. This is
equal to one birth in 38.6 of the whole population. Owiug to
greater accuracy in the returns from some places than from
others, or from some other cause which cannot be determined as
yet for the want of saffieient faets, we observe a di£[erenee of
more than one hundred per cent in the ratio between the births
and the peculation in different counties, as is shown in the sub-
joined abstra^ct i-^
TAKUB D.
COUtlQp.
Whf.
tooiMBirtli.
ODimda«.
Biitiis.
tOOMBhtll.
BvDstable, -.
Berkshire, -
Bristol, . .
Dukes,
Essex,
Fraoklin,
Hampden, -
Hainpshire, -
689
1157
2121
no
3060
659
1359
786
51J)0
42.87
35.93
41.27
42.91
4a84
37.74
45.44
Middlesex,. -
Nantucket, -
Norfolk, .- -
Plymouth, .
Suffolk, - -
Worcester) *.
Total, - .
4150
101
2231
1202
5153
2995
38.89
83.68
35.41
46.34
28.04
43.68
26,773
38.60
Nearly tbree fifths {5»A^ per een«.} of tb» Vu^iha of 1849 were
stated to be of American purentage^tbat is, h»A Amenoajx fathers,
and not fa]? from one fourth (25 J6 per ce»nt.) w^re of foreign
parentage. One sixth (1<».43 per cent.) had not tbeir parentage
defined in the returns. The returns for the last eight months of
1848, leave more than one half| instead of one sixth, of the
births, without stating wythipg about their parentage. This
shows w improvement ifk the epmploteness of returns, which is
exhibiting itself in almost every particulac. Thus we have the
sex stated in all but 171 casea out of 26,773 births of 1849, and
in all but 196 cases out of 20,423 deaths during the same year.
Each annual return shows that a majority of those bom in the
State are males, while a majority of those who die are females.
In 1849, the proportion between the sexes, among the births, was
52.06 per cent, males and 47.94 percent, females. Of the deaths
for the same year, 49.63 per cent, were males and 60.47 per cent,
females. A greater difference obtains between the sexes among
Digitized by VjOOQIC
96
EIGHTH REGISTRATION REPORT.
the births than among the deaths. We here present the number
and proportion of births in the State, of each sex, during each
month in the year, for the last five years, viz., intervening Janu-
ary 1, 1846, and January 1, 1860 : —
TABLE
E.
Sex.
PKOPOlTtOH.
Females in
IffAntlui
Whoto
,
each 10,000
Males.
Females.
Unkn.
Males.
Females.
males.
January,
7478
3833
3572
73
51.76
48.24
9319
February, -
7533
3817
3640
76
51.18
48.82
9558
March,
8a52
4283
3977
92
51.85
48.15
9286
^: : :
7920
4030
3771
119
51.66
48.34
9357
6804
3552
3194
58
52.66
47.34
8989
June,
6934
3565
3306
63
51.81
48.19
9301
July, - -
7804
3918
3833
53
50.22
49.78
9910
August,
8267
4225
3992
50
51.44
48.56
9440
September, -
8251
4136
4053
62
52.18
47.82
9164
October, -
7974
4115
3791
68
52.06
47.94
9208
November, -
7446
3899
3499
48
52.70
47.30
8975
December, -
7509
3855
3586
68
51.81
48.19
9301
Total, -
92,272 47,228
44,214
830
51.65
48.35
9362
We here also append a like statement for the same period, dis-
tinguished by counties instead of months. A slight difference is
found to exist in the aggregate of the statement above and the
one below, which arises from the fact, that in the latter, Suffolk
County has been omitted, except for the year 1849. Some also
had not the month, when the birth occurred, defined in the re-
turns, which makes the difference less than it otherwise would be.
Below will also be found a division of the State into easterly^
embracing nine counties, and westerly, comprising five counties ;
also a division designated as " city," embracing the nine cities and
three towns having over 10,000 inhabitants, together with Chico-
pee, which has less than that number, and " country," consisting
of the rest of the Commonwealth : —
Digitized by VjOOQIC
ANALYTICAL OBSERVATIONS.
97
TABLE F.
i
1 Sbx.
Whole I
Proportiox.
Females !n
each 10,000
Males. 1 Females.
Unk.
Males.
Females.
males.
Barnstable,
3,196 1 1,635 1 1,524
37
51.76
48.24
9322
Berkshire,
4,254 2,173 1 2,072
9
51.19
48.81
9535
Bristol, - - -
9,631 4,951 1 4,639
41
51.63
48.37
9380
Dukes,
464 248 ' 209
7
54.27
45.73
8427
Essex, - - -
13,174 6,717 6,345
112
51.42
48.58
9446
Franklin, . - -
2,695 1,385 1,255
55
52.46
47.54
9061
Hampden, - - -
4,9:33 2,534 ! 2,363
36
51.75
48.25
9335
Hampshire,
3,402, 1,750 1,622
30
51.90
48.10
9269
Middlesex,
17,126
8,701
8,294
131
51.20
48.80
9532
Nantucket,
952
499
451
2
52.53
47.47
9038
Norfolk, -
9,147
4,684
4,410
53
51.51
48.49
9415
Plymouth,
4,948
2,457 2,344
147
51.18
48.82
9540
Suffolk, in 1849,
5,153
2,630 2,514
9
51.13
48.87
95.59
Worcester,
13,106
6,813 1 6,140
153
52.60
47.40
9012
Total,
92,181
47,177 44,182
822
51.67
48.33
9354
Nine Eastern Counties,
63,791
32,522 30,730
539
51.42
48.58
9449
Five Western Counties,
28,390
14,655 13,452
283
52.14
47.86
9179
City, 1849,
10,466
5,:J44 ' 5,106
16
51.14
48.86
9555
Country, 1849, -
15,307
7,985 7,167
155
52.70
47.30
8976
MARRIAGES.
There are 6936 marriages recorded as having been solemnized
in the Commonwealth during the year 1849, and 4015 during
the eight months of 1848, forming an aggregate of 10,951 within
the period covered by this Report. The marriages in 1849 were
equal to one in every 143 inhabitants. In the county of Hamp-
den, the returns show one marriage to every 105 of the popula-
tion, and in Berkshire only one in 335. This latter county is
probably more defective in marriage returns than any other dis-
trict. There is not to be found on the records from Berkshire
County a single instance where a bachelor married a widow.
The number and proportion of marriages to the population in the
different counties, during the year 1S49, was as follows: —
13
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98
EIGHTH REGISTRATION REPORT.
TABLE G.
Counties.
Coonties.
Mamuaoks.
Number.
Beiogonein!
Namber.
Being one in
Barnstable, -
Berkshire, -
Bristol,
Dukes,
Fssex,
Franklin,
Hampden, -
Hampshire, -
271
148
417
21
1082
165
489
236
130 !
335 1
183 ,
216
121 1
187 '
105
151
Middlesex, - -
Nantucket^ -
Norfolk, - -
Plymouth, -
Suffolk, - -
Worcester, -
Total,
1132
43
510
367
1218
837
143
196
155
152
119
156
6936
143
Statements like the above become reliable in proportion to the
completeness of return. The returns of. 1849 show a larger
number of marriages than those of former years, even aside from
the addition which were contributed by the city of Boston, which
is now for the first time represented in these abstracts.
The number of marriages in each month and their proportion
to the whole number in the year, will be seen in the subjoined
statement. As the occurrences of a single year will not furnish
a general result as correctly as those of a longer period, we here
annex also a statement which exhibits the number and propor-
tion of marriages in each month, as indicated by an analysis and
combination of the 32,572, which have been returned to this
office within the last six years, viz., since January 1, 1844. Be-
sides these, there were 257 recorded in the six years, without
stating in what month the marriage took place ; 86 of these were
among the records of 1849.
TABLE H.
1849
6yrs
G03
2639
424
1863
391
1867
601
288Q
571 j 495
29512462
1
452
1875
455
1991
6O5! 637
2797 3449
969, 647' 6850
4680309632572
1 1
Months—
Jan.,
Feb.,
1
<
|i|
if
'3
•-•
<
Sept.,
Oct,
i
Dec,
Total,
n
1849
Gyrs
8.87
8.09
6.19 5.70
5.72 5.73
8.76
8.83
1
8.33' 7.22
9.05 7.75
6.59
5.75
6.64
6.10
8.83 9.29
8.58 10.58
14.14 9.44 100.
14.36,9.46100.
1 1
A remarkable uniformity will be noticed to exist generally in
the above table, between the proportions which the several
Digitized by VjOOQIC
ANALYTICAL OBSERVATIONS. 99
months furnish in the one year and the six years. The months,
however, diflfer widely from each other. November indicates
that more than twice as many marriages have been solemnized in
that month as have taken place in either of several other months.
February, March, July and August do not differ much in their
proportion, and they are found to furnish less than any other
months of the year.
Age presents also quite an interesting topic for consideration.
During the twenty months we find marriages among persons of
all ages intervening 13 and 91. The youngest individual mar-
ried was a female of 13 years, several instances of which oc-
curred. Tlie youngest male was 16, who married a female of
19 ; the youngest couple was a male of 17 and a female of 14 ; a
male of 20 and another of 25 married each a female of 13 ; a
male of 19, one of 21, and another of 27, married each a female
of 14 ; two males of 25 each, two of 28 each, one of 30, one of
35, and another of 47, married each a female of 15 ; and a bach-
elor of 50 married a girl of 19.
Although the male was usually the eldest of the allied couple,
yet many instances happened where the reverse obtained ; thus
we find a male under 20 married a female over 40 ; a bachelor of
24 married a widow of 42 ; a bachelor under 35 married a widow
over 60 ; and another bachelor under 40 married a widow over
75. A female of 18 married the second time, and one of 59 mar-
ried Xhe fifth time. A male of 30 married the third time. One
of 36 and another of 45 married the fourth time each. Among
those at later ages in life we find a male of 81 married a female
of 69 ; but the oldest couple married were Mr. Calvin Kilborn,
of Princeton, and Mrs. Susan Saunders, at the respective and re-
spectable ages of 91 and 70. He is a farmer in good health, of
sprightly habits and good mental faculties, still remembering the
scenes and " incidents of travel" which he experienced in 1777,
when he went as a fifer at the Bennington Alarm. It seems wor-
thy of notice that in this office, and almost side by side, are the
official records of Mr. Kilborn's enlistment in Capt. John White's
company which marched to Bennington in July, 1777, and also
of his marriage in November, 1848, more than three score and
ten years having intervened the interesting events. He has always
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100
EIGHTH REGISTRATION REPORT.
been able to do the work on his farm to the present time, with
but little assistance.
The following statement will be found to possess interest by
showing the number and proportion of marriages at the different
ages of the sexes during the last five years and eight months, viz.,
since May 1, 1844. 7299 males and 7453 females, whose ages
were not stated, have been omitted in the calculations.
TABLE I.
i^ 'Males,
^*^ |Fcmales,
401
5871
10,115
11,313
7911 ^'K)
3751 1 1329
1203' 74S
723 450
1
486 322
2G0J 174
1 i '
218 172, 95 67
99| 47j 38; 14
291 5 24.232
4' 1 24.078
Ages, -
8
1
o
25 to 30,
30 to 35,
2
45 to 50,
50 to 55,
S
-1 -' -
; !
^i 'Males,
e, « j Females,
1.66
24.40
41.74 '32.77 10.04
'W.98 15.58 5.52
1
4.97
3.00
3.08
1.86
2.01 i 1.33
1.01, .72
1
.9C
69i .39 .28
.19 .16 .06
1
.12 .02 100.
The above abstract indicates, so far as can be illustrated by an
analysis of upwards of 24,000 marriages, the ages of parties to
which were stated, that the probabilities of marriage under the
age of 20 years are nearly fifteen times as great with females as
they are with males, and that between the ages of 20 and 25
they are much nearer equal, though still somewhat in favor of the
female ; but after the age of 25, till death, the probabilities of
marriage are about two to one in favor of the male.
Again we perceive above, that of all females married, the
chances that this interesting event will take place prior to the
age of 20, are about as one to four of all the probabilities that
they will ever marry ; that is, when a female arrives at the age
of 20 years and is unmarried, one quarter of the probabilities of
her ever being married are gone. If she passes to the age of 26
unmarried, nearly three quarters of her probabilities are lost, and
if she is unmarried at the age of 30, she has passed nearly nine
tenths of her chances of ever becoming a wife. The case is
different with males, more than one half of whose marriages
occur subsequent to the age of 25. But the period of life be-
tween 20 and 25 appears the most probable of all the quinquen-
nial periods for matrimonial alliances to both sexes.
Digitized by VjOOQIC
ANALYTICAL OBSERVATIONS. 101
These statements are derived from and appertain to those only
in society, who actually marry; a consideration of all classes,
including those who live and die in celibacy, would of course
eflfect some modifications. Were we to confine our deductions to
first marriages^ (Table VI, A,) the preponderance in favor of the
earlier ages would be much greater. Perhaps some allowance
should be made for the proneness which some persons seem to
have, unawares probably, to state their age, in such a connection,
full as low as the truth will justify.
DEATHS.
During the twenty months of this Report, there have been re-
turned to the secretary's office the record of 30,079 deaths, besides
616 still born. Of these, the unprecedented number of 20,423
took place within the twelve months of the year 1849. We learn
by the last (seventh) report, that from January 1 to April 30,
1848, there were 3278 deaths ; and we find in the returns of the
subsequent eight months of that year, that 9656 deaths occurred
between May 1 and December 31 ; making 12,934 during the
whole twelve months of the year 1848.
In 1849, there were eight towns, viz., Barnstable, Dennis, Chesh-
ire, Conway, Heath, Hull, Dana and Upton, also the district of
Boston Corner, which made no return of deaths according to the
law. These embrace an aggregate population of 16,383. After de-
ducting this from 994,665, the total population of the State, there
remains 979,282. Now if we make no allowance for the increase
of population between 1849 and 1850, the deaths in the former
year amount to one in 47.95, or 2.086 per cent, of the living.
By reference to the general statement of births, marriages and
deaths, which will be found occupying the earlier pages of this
Report, several items of information will be noticed which were
not introduced in former reports ,' these pertain to sex and age
among the deaths. For every city and town represented in the
returns of 1849, the average age at death has, for the first time,
been carefully computed from the records, which state, as far as is
known, the yesurs, months and days, which each person who dies
has lived. The inferences from the average age at death, will be
more particularly alluded to in a subsequent paragraph.
Digitized by VjOOQIC
102 EIGHTH REGISTRATION RExORT.
Causes or Death. — ^In Table IX, pp. 44, et seq. and Table
XII, pp. 64, etseq., will be found an important abstract giving the
number of each sex who have died from various causes in the
several months, and at different ages, during the period embraced
in this Report. It is a matter of great interest to know what
particular agents of death press with the greatest force upon our
community, as well as, also, at what seasons of the year, and upon
what ages, they are most severe. The particular class of facts
bearing upon this point, are given, in the returns, with more and
more completeness and accuracy every succeeding year.
It is the habit of some diseases, particularly those which involve
the bowels, to prevail more in the summer than winter ; hence the
comparison of the deaths in the eight months of 1848 with those
of any. other whole year would be unjust. To the former of
these tables, therefore, we have prefixed the number of deaths
from each disease, during each of the four earlier months of the
year, as stated in the last (seventh) report. Those whose sex was
not stated have been united with the males, in corresponding tables
of former annual reports, and could not be separated from them
in this transcription, as will be noticed.
In Tables XV and XVI, pp. 68 and 74, the causes of death have
been transposed, and in some cases united, from the alphabetical
arrangement, to a classified order, after the manner of those in
the reports of the Registrar General in England. In these ta-
bles, the number which each county has furnished, from each dis-
ease, is kept distinct. This classification has been adopted, and
observed with more or less correctness, in former reports from this
office. From these reports we have united the seven preceding
years, in Table XVII, p. 80, making some transpositions which
seemed necessary for the preservation of uniformity. For in-
stance, in the last (seventh) report there were 75 cases returned
as << canker," classed under mortification, while in the next pre-
ceding report, (sixth) 61 cases of death from the same disease,
'' canker," were classed under scarlet fever. Again, in the fifth,
sixth and seventh reports there were, respectively, 46, 72 and
112 cases of "brain fever," placed under the head of typhus fever
in the classified tables, which have been restored, in Table XVII,
to Cephalitis: also 1117 cases of fever, without having the type
Digitized by CjOOQIC
ANALYTICAL OBSERVATIONS.
103
specified in the returns, have been taken from under the head of
typhus, where they had been classed in former reports, and given
a position by themselves, in this Report, (p. 80,) &c. &c. &c.
The classification for the year 1849, has been also subjected to
a division, (in Table XVI,) under the distinctions of city and
country. The former embraces the cities of Boston, Cambridge,
Charlestown, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford, Roxbury, Salem
and Worcester, and the towns of Chicopee, Fall River, Spring-
field and Taunton. The design at first, was to combine all large
places having over 10,000 inhabitants. This would include all
cities in the State, as above, and the towns of Fall River, Spring-
field and Taunton, which are the only towns having over 10,000.
The new town of Chicopee,*which has a population somewhat less
than that, was afterwards added, for the purpose of embracing in
this division a better proportion of the whole population of the
Commonwealth.
The cities^ in the following table, are given in italics : —
TABLE J,
Population.
BIRTHS.
MAR-
RIAGES.
DEATHS.
1849.
NamMof CiUss.
Whole
No.
Pa&kntaoi.
Whole No.
Whole
No.
Arenge
age.
Am.
JTor.
Unk.
Boston^
136,884
4896
1777
3063
56
1187
5071
20.51
Cambridgty
15,215
446
181
76
189
125
281
20.03
CharUstown, -
17,216
584
167
149
268
110
382
22.29
Chicopee,
8,291
208
130
73 5
153
288
17.91
Fall River, -
11,522
381
115
134 132
99
157
17.08
LoweUy - -
33,385
939
600
305 34
398
903
19.35
J^eto Bedford,
14,257
341
305
28
8
133
288
21.80
16,464
479
355
61
63
93
247
24.61
Roxhwry,
18,373
554
118
253
183
129
404
22.13
Salem,
20,263
468
370
82
16
162
4«
28.08
Springfield, -
11,766
410
235
152
23
156
320
17.04
Taunton,
10,431
310
109
89
112
50
173
28.39
rrOTcester,
17,059
450
32
2
416
130
438
24.53
Total,
331.126
10,466
4,494
4467il505
2925
9,381
21.08
Rest of State,
663,539
15,307
10,564
20132730
4011
11,042
30.61
Grand total.
994,665
25,773
15058|6480!4235
6936
20,423
26.19
These nine cities and four towns possess an aggregate popula-
tion of 331,126, and the rest of the State contains 663,539,
Digitized by VjOOQIC
104 EIGHTH REGISTRATION REPORT.
being a little more than twice as much.* If, therefore, the
mortality of the State has been equally distributed over city
and country, according to the number of inhabitants of each, the
number of deaths in the first column of Table XVI will be a
little less than half as great as the number in the next column.