142 



The Journal of Heredity 



Year Total Pop. N. E. Stock P. C. 



1790 4,000,000 1,125,000 28 



1818 9,000,000 2,250,000 25 



1845 20,000,000 4,500,000 22 J^ 



1885 55,000,000 9,000,000 16 



1919 106.000,000 11,000,000 10^ 



Immigration to the United States 



1790-1818 (estimated) 250, 000^ 



1818-1845 1,000,000 



1845-1885 11,000,000 



1885-1919 21,000,000 



From 1650 to 1845 when the New 

 England stock doubled by reproduction 

 about every twenty-eight years, the 

 vital records of over 10,000 separate 

 families taken from 100 genealogies of 

 New England families show an average 

 of nearly eight children per marriage, of 

 whom an average of nearly two died 

 in infancy or unmarried, the infant 

 mortality being rather high. 



An examination of 9,000 completed 

 families in twenty genealogies of New 

 England stock where the parents mar- 

 ried between 1880 and 1910 shows an 

 average of 2.92 children per family. 

 About 6,000 of these marriages between 

 1880 and 1900 had an average 3.15 

 children; and about 3,000 marriages 

 between 1900 and 1910 had an average 

 of 2.71 children. The.^e 9,000 families 

 were not picked or selected, but em- 

 braced all degrees, wealthy and poor, 

 cultured and uncultured, of m.any kinds 

 of occupations or professions, and with 

 residences on farms, in small towns and 

 in great cities located all over the United 

 vStates. This wider scope of data results 

 in much higher figures of fertility than 

 Messrs. Holmes and Doud secured from 

 their note of only seventy-three mar- 

 riages since 1880 which gave but 2.04 

 children per marriage; and their data 

 of only 1.5 children per marriage from 

 their twenty marriages since 1900, is 

 certainly far too low for a general 

 average of the whole stock throughout 

 the country, which doubtless still con- 

 tinues at over 2.5 children per marriage. 



According to my observation and 

 compilations, the United States is not as 



ready a melting-pot of races as popularly 

 supposed. The old New England stock, 

 now spread all over the country, still 

 continues remarkably pure, as its mem- 

 bers still marry principally among them- 

 selves, and if not, then generally with 

 British stock of English, Scotch, Scotch- 

 Irish, or Welsh descent, or with the 

 descendants of the old New York 

 Dutch; marriages with persons of Irish, 

 German, Slavic, or Latin descent are 

 infrequent . 



The "Mayflower Descendants" have 

 naturally experienced increase, diffusion 

 and recent decline in fertility similar to 

 that of the rest of the New England 

 stock. By exceptional temporary fer- 

 tility, the 101 passengers of the "May- 

 flower," although fifty died within a 

 few months, increased from 1620 to 

 1650 to at least 270 souls living in the 

 latter year who can be named. Using 

 the previously quoted proportions of 

 increase, the following results appear: 



Living Mayflower 

 Year descendants 



1650 270 



1678 540 



1706 1,080 



1734 2,160 



1762 4,320 



1790 8,640 



1818 17,280 



1845 34,560 



1885 69,120 



1919 85,000 



An average birth rate as low as 2.50 

 children per famih^ can doubtless sus- 

 tain the Mayflower stock to its present 

 strength of 85,000; so the apparent 

 present rate of about 2.71 is encouraging 

 against its "extinction." The same 

 birth rate of 2.50 will also maintain at 

 its present numbers the 11,000,000 of 

 the rest of the old New England stock, 

 now spread all over the country although 

 its percentage in the total population 

 will decrease below the present 10.5 

 per cent, owing to past and future im- 

 migration of foreigners of higher fecun- 

 dity. 



1 The 80,000 population acquired by the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 is included in this 

 estimate. 



