The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-05-04

1120,' prepared by w. S. Rossiter,
chief clerk OF the census 1t is sup
elemental to the series of pamphlets
containing the names of the heads of
antilles at the first census. which
have been issued recently by the CEN
~J;s. and the sale of which has demon
~ts:lted how general the demand is for
data dealnS with the early days Of
the republic. No charge is attached
f." the distribution of the present vol
UnEe. This report is unique mons
vrl25uS publications. 1t contains a dis
'+tSsion of the conditions of the reDuh-
lie Mt the period Of the first Federal
census; presents the history of cen
~us taking in the United States in c0I0-
I<tl days (theSe early cnumeratiOns
cling among the first efforts at census
i+h3n2 IN any cOuntry): gives the re
suits in detail of all colonial censuses:
discusses the origin of the first time
the complete results of the census.
WITH much material from the original
schedules Of the first census. which.
under the application of modern cen
SUS methods of research and tabula-
ton reveal many facts not hereto-
fore available. The discussion extends
even TO the names Of the people,, and
a study is made Of the distribution Of
family names in the different Iocali-
ties.
The first population in q decennial
ear (Which may be regarded as CON
tiDuOuSl was that of Virginia in 1910.
consisting OF 200 souls maintaining a
DrecariOuS fOOthold upon an uneN-
pf0red continent; after the lapse of APP
p~rCXlmately two centuries, there was
an aggregate population of $500, 900
occupying more than 500, 900 square
miles of territory. In 1850 more than
half of the inhabitants were in New
England colonies, and most of the
remainder in Virginia: but from that |
lQ4o tho nr0yln1tin9 in Now Eoo19f11 .
steadily declined, and the proportion
in the Southern colonies increased.
Colonial Population of Cities.
Three cities-New York. Philade1-
Dhja and BostOn-have continued to
the present time to be leaders. not
only in the number of their nhabi-
t3uts. bat also in prosperity and influ-
once. From its foundation in 1880
until the middle of the Eighteenth
century. Boston was the most popu-
jous town in the American colonies.
Philadelphia (~including suburbs)
then took the lead, which it retained
until it in turn was passed by New
York. after the establishment of con-
Stitutionai government. Hence each Of
these three cities at some period has
been the leader in population.
All of the great area lying south Of
the Potomac must be regarded as hay
ing been distinctly rural in the colo
NAL period. In North Carolina, one
Of the larger commonwealth, ven
AS late as 1876 no community existed
in which the population exceeded O.
600 inhabitants.
In 1900 aggregate population of the
three leading cities-Boston, New
York and Observation-Disclosures approx
mately $500. Ninety years later the
aggregate population Of these three
cities was $4,000. having increased
SixfOld. In 1900 the population of the
three cities mentioned was 5.291.491
An increase Of so, 900 in the first CEN
fury of existence, is therefore to be
compared with al increase OF 5,2Oo,-
0Q0 in the second.
The population of United States
increased nineteenfold from 1870 to
10 1900 and nearly tenfold in the area
enumerated at the first census. The
Increase of the New England States
has been slightly more than hVefold.
and of the Southern states a little
moro than skiold.
Of 3,171,O0O white persons enumer-
Hted in 1890, approximately two mil
lion survived thirty years later. In
1850 $4,000 survived; in 1880, H.
500. and and in 1900, twenty-three
persons, reporting their ages as 1Io
years and over, still survived. Ic Is
possible. therefore, that at the tWelIth
census there were still living persons
enumerated in the first census, taken
10 years before.
At the first census there We're but
PIP counties in the entire area emu
merated. This number increased
within the same area in 1900 to 7so.
In order to determine what the
changes in population have beer IN
the counties enumerated in 1876 the
area was made comparable by COM
bining those parts Of modern counties {
which We're included in the countleS {
enumerated at the first census. me
results are shown both in maps ana
tables of population. {
In 1890 the number Of cities. towns I