Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-04-01
ma Roei.lraiion Ronnrl.


The twenty-ninth report relating to the regis
try Of births, marriages and deaths in Massa-
chusetts for the year 1870, has been presented to
the legislature. 1t is prepared under the direc-
tion OF the secretary of the commonwealth, and
accompanied with remarks and comments Of
much interest and suggestiveness by Or. George
Derby, the secretary of the state board of health
The volume does not present great attractions
10 the general reader, Most persons, no doubt,
would pronounce its pages, covered with long
columns Of figures, repulsiye in the highest de-
gree, and feel quite confident that. whatever
mysterious value statis''~-r o, might find there
they at least eenli discover nothing of interest
70 themselves, This hasty inference, however,
woald be, we believe, in most cases erroneous;
the interesting facts, though hidden, are there,
but some patience and labor is required to get at
them When found they viii be, of course, best
appreciated by persons whose profession or natu-
raj bias of mind incines them to deal with ques-
tons relating to population and the influences
which affect it; growth or decline; but many oil
them are also adapted to crafty the intelligent
curiosity of that respectable and numerous class
of people whom we address collectively as "the
general reader' Some Of these facts we have
selected by the aid of DR.. Derby's notes.
The whole number of births recorded in the
state during the year was IS 259, of deaths p 1920
Compared with the record of the previous year
the births increased by 2l1S, and the deaths By
1875. The natural increase of population, or
excess OF births over deaths, was 1880, or s43
more than in 1869. The daily natural increase
- A ,lI ~ IL.
number Of births and deaths for the past four.
teen years shows some curious fluctuations
caused by the four years OF war. The yearly
number Of births, which had been pretty steadily
Increasing, began 10 fall off in 1861. and reached
the lowest point in 1865, when there were only
S0,249, nearly six thousand less than in 1860
The deaths during the same period increased
from p, 06S in 1860 to 2s,723 in 1864. The death
rate after the war declined, until in 1867 the
number of deaths was less than in 1860. Since
that time it has been increasing yearly with the
increase of population. The excess of births
over deaths, which before the war was about
$4,000 yearly, declined TO 1926 in 1864, so that,
except for immigration, the population was then
nearly stationary.
Some facts from the report of the United
States census, Incorporated in this report, are
worth attention. The population of the state
as a whole has largely increased within ten
years; but the increase has been chiefly in those
parts previously most populous, the centre OF
manufacturing industry aud Of commerce The
counties OF Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket
have declined very sensibly; Franklin and
Plymouth counties have not much more than
held their own; Hampshire, Bristol, Berkshire
and Norfolk have made moderate gain. and
the other counties have gained largely In all
the counties, however, except Middesex. Essex
and Norfolk, the increase Of population has been
confined 10 towns engaged largely in manutac.
lures, while the purely agricultural towns have
pretty uniformly declined.
The number of births in 1870 was greater than
in any preceding year, but the birth rate for
every one hundred persons, 262, is less than it
was before 1861; the decline caused by the war
has not yet been recovered. Tue birth rate is
highest in Suffolk county, where there is one
birth to every 81 A Of the population, and the
counties next in order are Middlesex, Bristol
and Worcester; 10 the latter county there is one
, birth to every 3s.45 Of the population. The rate
q lowest in Dukes and Nantucket, where the
number Of living persons TO one birth is 70 SO.
" the births there are about lO7 males to every
lpo females and this proportion has been quite
UNIFORM maintained for many years. but il is
asnguiar iaet' Of which no satisfactory explain.
alton Is known, that IN the negitima.e births
the proportion is reversed Of these there a,o ss
males 10 100 females. OF all bitbs ohor,
forty-one per cent were Of native parentage
more than forfyeight per cent Of foreign INA
something less than eleven per cent Of mixed
parentage. Three hundred and forty.four pairs
Of twins were born and three triplets.
The record Of marriages shows some curiosi
= tes. One the arst marriage Of both parties