New-York tribune., 1889-10-13

The Nantucket man Is rich in his pride OF ancestry
even II he subsiss quOhaugs, and clans, ana her
ring and pollock and picks up hundred doIiare OF 30
by doing odd jobs to purchase groceries and cloths
TO carry him through the year. From The pedc''al
of his high lineage he pities Us oilsander'' but
he tolerates our visits because Of our shekes which
he graciously accepts, seemingly more as favor 10
MS than to himself And II is real comfort 10 khO"
that there IL an influence that VIII tolerate our pres
epce and save us the humiliation We must otherwise
feel that in our veins the blood OF the ancestral
islanders does not course This was when the comers
from Cane Cod were known in dersion as coofs, ana
every effort was made to bring them 10 a realizing
sense OF their ignoble lineage This continued until
he blood of the island patrcan and that OF the Cape
ulebeian mingled In the offspring of matrimonial
alliances between the two, which came about thus
II was the pride OF the young men OF Nantucket 10 hunt
and kill whales in the hope that they might become
sea kings in time themselves and they were at sea
t,ree fourths of their lives I'm early manhood The
other fourth was hardly sufficient a general thing,
to naugurate and carry on cOurshp to its frlion In
marriage. And when marriage did occur IL was a
urotracted experience of husband absenteeism and
enforced cebacy for the wife. with the "cOOfS"
there was no sentimental aspiration for the glory of
barpoonlng whales trying out blubber and receiving
AZ tbe end Of the voyage their lay' Of OIL On the
contrary, they were eninently practical They saw
tbcir opportunity and made the best Of It by Offering
themselves as available timber, ready hewn into shape
fora act
rather than take their chances with returning Nan
,ucket bovs accepted the coofso for better or for
worse But the supply of matrimonial timber from
Cane Cod IS exhausted and husbands for Nantucket
women are more difficult 10 obtain than ever The
last enumeration Of the inhabitants shows nearly
500 females TO less than 200 males on the island.
Probably no such dsproportion between the sexes
exists in auy old settled community In this country.
II WAS caused By the decadence OF the principal
Industry of the island, for, about ls45, the whale
fishery declined aud many OF The sailors sought en-
uloyment in mo merchant marine Some, with those
engaged IN other industries connected with the whale
fishery started IN ls40 TO the number OF near OO0
for the gold fields Ct California and they the
hrIahtest young men Of the island. st others went
IN the mainland 10 seek their fortunes and Nantucket
names can be found n every State in the Union on
the Pacific coast from Alaska to Patagonia In the
Sandwich Islands and on the seas OF Eastern Asia
Fmm near 10 900 in 1910, the number OF inhabitants
has dwindled 10 about 1900 at the present time
The immigration has been nearly all OF the stronger
sex though Nantucket schoolma'ams-th graduates
OF the excellent educational institutions of the island
| are scattered over the Union.
The great bulk Of islanders are the defendants Of
ahou dozen original families, and to-day the Collins
and Folgers and Svains and Husscys, and Starbucks
and Nacys. and Coemans, and Bamars, and Chases
and pltmans and PaddoclN, and Bunkers
and Pinkhams and worths, and Mitches, aud Gibbs
urobaby constitute than half Of the population
Then too. the Christian were for a long time
unique When tho island was settled, over two
centuries ago the settlers camo from land where
Scripture names given 10 children as they were
born In their isolation their descendants were long
in learning that IN names fashions change in all
else aud that the Old Testament was less drawn upon
than In generations gone by. Thus their use con.
tnued on the island for half century after they had
ceased 20 be heard the continent. There shu-
beals and Hezekahs and Ehus and Seths and Jethros
and Jobs and Abshas and Caebs and Pelegs Obeds
and Tristams and Baranabaes and Zaohcuses and Lewis
and Isaahs and Harnesses and Micajahs and Ichabods
| without number
The descendants of these old families married and
ntsImarried and remarked Cousinship 50 extended