The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-02-17
LETTER FROM CHICAGO.
Composite Na.iOnaltIes-Wh0 Make
Up the City.
CHICAGO. Feb. u. 1870.

Composite Nationalities has reminded /.
me that Chicago is perhaps the best
place for such a lecture to be appre-
ciated, for you know we have, per-
haps. more different natioualities res
ident here than almost any other city
in the country. We have beside |
those nationalities that are found in
every large city, viz: Germans, Egg |
llsh and Irish large numbers of Nor |
wegians and SWedes; fair proper |
ton of Danes. and it is said few |
Finlanders; Bohemians enough to |
make two good sized congregations, |
beside large number who never go |
to church; about a dozen families |
Of Poles; several hundred each of Bel
gians and Hollauders; one good
sized congregation of Welsh. several
hundred Italians, and few Manx,
few Servians, Hungarians, and Dali
nations, and one solitary Turk.
The NorWegians, Swedes, and Danes
live mostly in the West Division, and
associate almost as one people, speak
ing nearly the same language-Scan-
dinavian-and what few Finlanders
there are associate with them.
The Scandinagians can generally be
be distinguished from other nationali-
ties Ia such names as Ander Anderson,
Ole Oleson, Matthew, Mathieson,
Kund, Kundson, they, with few ex-
ceptions, adhering to that style of
nomenclature. They are mostly of
the peasant class and their rule for
names in Europe is, | believe, the
same as was followed by the Jews of
Europe before the Napoleonic edict
compelling them to adopt family
names, viz: The Oldest son of Hans
is named after his grandfather; say
Peter, and becomes Peter Hanson or
Hansen, while the fathers name is
Hans Peterson. 1t sometimes hap
pens that a family coming to this
country has some grown up sons who
are kuown by their patriarchal names,
while the younger children take their
fathers name according to our Gus
tom, and thus it has been known that
two sons of the same father were named
r respectively, Oleson & Hanson. This
7 was the case Of a family in Whine
sheik County, to remedy which they
. petitioned the Circuit Court and the
: names of the whole family changed
to Hegg. The Scandinavians are
very industrious and frugal people,
almost all members of either the
Lutheran, Episcopal or Methodist
y Churches, and appear much less
r often in police annals than most other
nationalities, in proportion to their
: numbers, while at the same time
they furnish some Of the most useful
g members of society. In politics they
: are generally Republicans, as might
: have been inferred from their high
moral standing.
The next in point of numbers are
the Bohemians. OF this people, very
@ little is generally known by Ameri
s can readers. Speaking a strange lam
o guage. they, with most other foreign
ers, are put down by the casual OBJ
server as Dutch " while so far from
: it are they, that comparatively few of
d them ever speak German. Bohemia,
p although under Austrian rule, is very
: effeetually separated from the other
y portions of that Empire by high
e mountain ranges, and is but little Wis
: tied by European tourists. The b.
9 hemians are said to be descended
! from the Boil, Celtic tribe, who were
4 driven to the Businesses of their coun-
r try by the Huns. They are of the
Sclavonic race, and their language
4 is claimed to be the most developed of
all the various Sclavonic dialects.
This would hardly seem true
to an unframed ear, for it abounds in
: consonants, and requires great fexi-
\ bility of tongue tie pronounce. The
8 Bohemians, besides having two
churches, have also a large assembly
: hall on 18th Street, west side. where
: they hold their public meetings, balls
| and theatricals. Every Sunday even
6 ing it is occupied, and either German
or Bohemian theatrical exhibitions
given. They are generally very in
q dustrioUs, but many of-them are very
: ignorant, servile and cringing In
, manner. When first arriving they usu-
= ally change and become Independent
and anxious to inform themselves of
4 American politics. They do not take
= to the following of leaders very read
! lily, but are much divided In politics.
La religion they are generally Roman
Catholics, although there are some
o few Protestants among them. As l
e have given you a sample OF ScandI-
; navIan names, will give you few
Bohemian, viz: Volta Napersteck,
who once published a comic paper at
: Milwaukee; the Flugblatter was a
!, Bohemian, Dsworachek, Rehachek,
: Wunderachek, Slawick being the
most prominent The Bohemians
: call themselves Chesky, and not as
d Chambers Encyclopedia has it, Che
: CHI. There are numbers of very fine
s musicians among them, scarcely any
y intelligent person among them being
unable to play on at least one instru
: ment.
e They live very frugally. the women
S of the newest emigrants and the poor
q est generally going about the city
: gathering fuel, old paper, rags, &c.
= which they carry In great sacks on
: their backs, the sack, with its con-
e tents, often exceeding the bearer in
: bulk, and sometimes, l have no
! doubt, equalliDg her in weight.
u They live very cheaply, scattered
c grain from the elevators and grain
: cars, scrap meats from the packing
< houses and broken victuals making
a good share Of the commissariat of
the poor families.
A full description of these various
nationalities and their habits, &c.,
: would be too much for one letter.
. [ will therefore close by remarking
: that our vigilant police continue
I their vigilance, so that outrageous
t assaults, robberies. burglaries and
: petty lareenies are on the increase.
Thieves and piekpoekets throng the
street cars, and not more than q day
y or two since set fire to house in the
: most crowded part of the city while