The Portland daily press., 1899-08-21
While Births and Marriages Show
Falling Off.
Report of Registrar Of
Vital Statistics.
Some Interesting Figures Com
piled BY DIR. Young.

Augusta. Augsut 40 The report OF DR..
A. g. Young, registrar of vital statistics
for the state, lhas just been issued.
This report is for the year 1897. The
number Of births registered for that year
is 2s7 smaller than In the preceding year.
The number of births recorded In each of
the registration years thus far, 1s9s-97, is.
respectively, I4,oss, 14,eo4, 14.6o7, 1880
10, 429 and 1919.
The number OF marriages (number Of
couples married) In 1897, was 1881, a
number PAS smaller than In the preceding
year. The number of marriages registered
In the state in each of the years, is92-s7.
is, respectively, b,726. 3, 794, 8, 729. &, $40
and 5,53l, The number of marriages In
1896 was $50 less than in the preceding
year, and slightly less than in any preyi-
Gus registration year, and in 1897 there
were 24s fewer marriages than in 1896.
In 1897 the number OF deaths recorded
In the state was 1885. number 6l0
larger than that of the deaths registered
In the preceding year. The number Of
deaths In each year thus far recorded, is:
In 1892, 12,147; in 1898, ii.1s4: in 1894,
HOE; In 1895, 10. 464; In 1896, 10. GEO; in
1897, 1896.
Compared with 1896, among the infec-
tious diseases there was an increase In the
number Of deaths from scarlet fever of 8;
from influenza III; and from diphtheria
and Group l02. On the other hand the
number of deaths in 1897 from measles
was 10 smaller than In the preceding
year, from WHO'D ping-cough, 65; from ty-
phoid, 35; and from tuberculosis, 81
smaller than In 1896. Ths increased NOR
tally from diphtheria was mostly in the
counties Of Androscoggin, Aroostook and
Cumberland.
Insthe cities. 41.45 per cent of the births
were OF American parentage, while in
the rural parts of thesstate the percentage
of American-born children, was 72.6S.
The largest percentage of foreign born
parents was in Biddeford, 1918, and in
Lewiston, 66.G0.
The lowest percentage of foreign born
parents was in Belfast and Ellsworth
where no birth was reported in which
both parents were foreign, and in Rock
land only 5.4S per cent of the births had
both parents foreign born. The percentage
in Portland was 34.o5. In Westbrook 1t
was 1851, in Deering 1913. In Bangor
2L.9a. in Bath 20. 80, In Saoo 2s IS.
In 1897. $50 twin-births occurred.
The marriage rate was higher in Frank
lin county than elsewhere in the state. it
Eeing for that county 1870 per LOCO.
The lowest marriage rate, that of 1l.2s
per 1000, was in Lincoln county.
In Cumberland the marriage rate was
1894 and In York 14.l0.
1890 men and 1870 women were mar
ried the first time; Sal men and 694 wo-
men were married the second time; l0a
mem and IS WON en- were united In the
third marriage; 10 men. and women
contracted marriage fourth time. while
Oldest groom was Sc years of age. and the
oldest bride was 76. In one marriage the
bride was only ID, and in IL only IA years
old; and in one marriage the groom was
sc and the bride II years old.
Seven hundred and twenty-five divorces
were decreed in the year 1897 (55s in
1892, 627 In 1898, GA in 1894, 6s1 in lss s.
and 66S In 1890. In 1897 there was
dscreedsin Maine one divorce for every IA
marriages solemnized.
The wife was the libsllant In 536 di.
yorces and the husband In 1856.
The number of deaths for this year was
6l0 more than that for the year 1895,
772 more than for 1893. ssi more than for
1894, lO2 more than for 1898, and Gil less
than for 1892. The death rate for the
state for the year 1897 was 500 for every
l,o0o Of population as returned by the
census Of 1890 (1s.87 In 1899, 1854 In 1898,
1896 In 1894, l5. So in 1895, and 1907 in
1861 Based on the estimated population
of 1897, the death rate would be slightly
lower. 1877.
The death rate OF Washington coun ty
was lower than that of any other county,
being only 1857. The counties Aroostook,
Franklin. Hancock, Knox, Lincoln,
Oxford, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Sagada-
hoo, Somerset. Waldo and Washington
had lower death rates than that of the
whole state; while the counties andre
scoggin, Cumberland, Kennebec. and
York. containing large manufacturing
centres, have death rates larger than that
of the state. The highest county death
rate was that of Androscoggin. 20.ss.
The rate in Cumberland county was
10 II and in York 1916.
The causes Of death were; Brain
disease, 1886; consumption. LIES; heart
diseases, i.o6s; pneumonia. 936; old age.
7o0i infantile diarrhea, 5ss; cancer, 46si
kidney disease, ASH; diphthsria and
Group, 276; bronchitis, 287.
Centenarians-Among the persons
whose decease occurred In 1907. six had
reached or exceeded the ags Of 100 years
Four Of these persons were women. Ona
Of those was Nancy shannon who died at
Portland March 60, 1897, At the age Of 100
years. She was barn in Ireland, which