Merced County CA Archives History - Books .....Population 1925 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 1, 2006, 7:32 pm Book Title: History Of Merced County California CHAPTER XVII POPULATION Since Merced County was created and organized in 1855, the first federal census we have on it is that of 1860. We have already seen, in the chapter on the assessment roll of 1857, where the probable population of the county at the time of organization is discussed, that the county's population by this census of 1860 was 1141. In the chapter mentioned we saw that the 1857 assessment roll gave 277 assessments, and on this basis, counting 5 population for every 2 assessments, we arrived at an estimated population of 692, or approximately 700 for the spring of 1857, just three years before the census of 1860 was taken. Further, estimating approximately the same rate of increase for the two preceding years, from the spring of 1855 to that of 1857, we estimated somewhere around 400 or 500 people in the county when it was organized. This is frankly little more than a guess. At any rate, we had 1141 people in 1860. In 1870 this had grown to 2807, an increase of 146 per cent. In 1880; it had grown to 5656, or just over a 100-per-cent gain over the 1870 figures. In 1890 the county's population had grown 2429 more, to a total of 8085, representing a 43-per-cent gain over the 1880 census. In 1900 it was 9215, being 1140, or about 14 per cent of growth since 1890. By the 1910 census we had 15,148 people, a gain of 5923, about 64 per cent, for the decade. The 1920 population was 24,579, with a gain of 9431 people, or about 62 per cent, for the decade then ending. While the county made some growth during every decade for which we have the census figures, this growth, we see, slacked up to rather near a standstill during the ten years from 1890 to 1900, when the gain was only 1140, or about 14 per cent. It will be remembered that the nineties were a period of hard times generally, a condition reflected by Merced County's small growth. This was also the period when the grain-raising industry in the county had reached its peak and begun to decline. Merced City for this ten years shows an actual decrease of forty inhabitants; the town had 2009 people in 1890, and 1969 in 1900. Other towns in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys show similar conditions. Modesto decreased from 2402 to to 2024 during the ten years; Tulare from 2697 to 2216; Woodland from 3069 to 2886. Fresno shows a small growth, from 10,818 to 12,470; Visalia a smaller one, from 2885 to 3085. An analysis of Merced County's population by judicial townships shows an actual decrease for the East Side of the county during these ten years, which was somewhat more than made up by the growth of the West Side. Township Number One (Snelling country) had 1834 population in 1890. Between 1890 and 1900 Township Number 5 was carved out of Number One; and in 1900 Number One had 842 people and Number Five had 779, a total of 1621 in 1900 against 1834 in 1890. Township Number Two, including Merced City, had 4363 people in 1890 and 3705 in 1900; but Number Four appears in 1900 with 656 people, showing just about a standstill for the territory of the two. Township Number Three, centering at Los Banos, had 1888 people in 1890, and 3233 in 1900, a growth of 1345. We have run ahead of the chronological order in the above. There was less detailed information in the earlier censuses; the Merced County townships, for example, were not separately returned in 1880. This census of 1880 is of course the first one which shows Merced City, or rather town, for it was not incorporated until the eighties. Merced, the town, in 1880 had 1446 people. This fact standing by itself means less than it does when we give the population of some of most striking comparison is with Fresno, which in 1880 had only 1112, or 334 less population than Merced. Bakersfield was also the other towns in this and some of the other counties. Perhaps the smaller than Merced; it had 801. Madera, not yet with a separate county of its own, had only 217 people and was overshadowed by such metropolises as Mariposa, 342; Columbia, 650; Coulterville, 224; Hornitos, 350; Lockeford, 322; Mokelumne Hill, 515; and Woodbridge, 245. Modesto, with 1693, was the largest town in the San Joaquin Valley south of the old valley metropolis, Stockton, which had 10,282; and was nearly even with Los Angeles, which had 11,183. South of Stockton in the Valley, in order of population after Modesto and Merced, came Visalia, older than the railroad with 1412 people. Sonora was larger than Visalia or Merced; it had 1492 people. Bear Valley had 150 people; Centerville, 108; Chinese Camp, 184; Groveland, 59; Hills Ferry, 161; Grayson, 113; Jamestown, 212; Knight's Ferry, 191; La Grange, 145; Merced Falls, 150; Snelling, 187. Lodi had 606; Lemoore, 463 ; Tulare, 447; Hanford, 269; Porterville, 202. Plainsburg had 143; Cressey and Waterford, 63 each; Kingsburg, 88. In those days San Francisco was easily "The City"; it had 233,959 population, more than ten times as many as Sacramento, with 21,420. These comparisons enable us to reconstruct in some measure the California of 1880. It was a California which did not yet know anything of intensive farming. It was long before the days of automobiles and the good roads which automobiles have brought. The percentage of the population living in towns was much smaller than it is now. It will be noted that the towns in the Mother Lode country— Mariposa, Sonora, and their neighbors—were of a good deal more importance than they are now; and so also were the towns along the San Joaquin River. Hill's Ferry had 161 people; the railroad had not yet come to the West Side, and this town had not moved to Newman. Hill's Ferry is now just about as completely gone as its neighbor, Columbia, up near Sonora—once, in the early gold days, a good deal larger than the 650 which it had in 1880, and one of the first incorporated cities in the State. The earlier censuses did not give as much detail as the more recent ones, but that of 1860 does show that Merced County's population of 1141 was made up of 1114 whites, 23 colored, and 4 Indians —nearly 100 per cent white. The few negroes are easily accounted for when we remember that the whites came largely from the South. Why there are only four Indians shown we are left to conjecture: quite possibly the Indians who were left had about all gone into the foothill country. We find 37 Indians shown in the 1870 census— probably they were finding it seemingly safe to come out and settle as individuals amongst the whites, and likely their tribal relations were breaking up. There were 36 colored people in 1870, and 186 Chinese—none of the latter appeared in 1860. The white people in 1870 numbered 2548. The non-white population in 1860 was between 2 and 3 per cent; in 1870 it was over 9 per cent. In 1880, out of the 5656 total population of the county, there were 5015 whites, 59 colored, 7 Indians, and 575 Chinese—over 11 per cent of non-whites. This is the largest Chinese population shown by any of the federal censuses, apparently. The Chinese population had decreased to 357 in 1900, 278 in 1910, and 135 in 1920. But statements of oldtimers indicate that 575 does not represent the height reached by Chinese population; Ah See, a Chinese resident of the Plainsburg and Le Grand section for many years, and still a resident there, says there were once 400 Chinese in Plainsburg. There was once a considerable Chinatown in Snelling. Probably almost all of the 135 Chinese remaining in 1920 are in Merced. Thirty Indians are shown in 1890, 4 in 1900, none in 1910, and 7 in 1920. In 1870 the total of 2807 consisted of 2196 native-born and 611 foreign-born. In 1880 the total of 5656 consisted of 3956 native-born and 1700 foreign-born. This was less than 22 per cent foreign-born in 1870 and just over 30 per cent in 1880. Of the 3956 native-born in 1880, there were 2010 born in California, 221 in New York, 287 in Missouri, 103 in Massachusetts, 131 in Ohio, 139 in Illinois, 98 in Pennsylvania, 88 in Maine, 106 in Iowa, and 60 in Indiana. Of the 1700 foreign-born in 1880, 121 were born in British America, 93 in England and Wales, 265 in Ireland, 38 in Scotland, 177 in Germany, 59 in France, 27 in Sweden and Norway, 577 (given elsewhere as 575) in China, and 110 in Mexico. The Chinese were the most numerous foreigners, with Irish second and Germans third, and then British Americans and Mexicans. Of native-born, after California-born the largest number came from Missouri and the second largest from New York; and then in order came Illinois, Ohio, Iowa, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. The marked pioneer conditions which still prevailed in the county as late as 1880 are indicated by the fact that out of the S6S6 total population 3790 were males and only 1866 females—a proportion of more than two males to one female. There were 649 males and 582 females between 5 and 17 years of age (school age), 2131 males from 18 to 44 inclusive (military age), and 2595.males 21 and over (voting age). Data are not available for analysis of the foreign population of 1870, in full. Out of the 611 foreign-born in that census, the 186 Chinese were no doubt almost 100 per cent foreign-born. It is probable that the Irish, who had begun to come in the late sixties, equalled or exceeded the Chinese, and probably Mexicans were another of the three largest constituents of the 611. It would be interesting if we had the figures for the proportions of males to females in the census of 1870 and the earlier one of 1860. They do not seem to be available, but it seems certain that the males in those pioneer days would be found to outnumber the females in an even greater ratio than in 1880. Probably by 1880 the shortage of women was a good deal more marked among the foreign-born than among the native-born part of the population; many of the foreigners were quite new arrivals, and young single men seeking their fortunes doubtless largely predominated. By 1890 some modern trends had begun to show themselves in the population of the Valley. Fresno County, which in 1880 had only 9478 population, had grown to 32,026, passing San Joaquin, which had grown from 24,349 to 28,629; Fresno City, with 10,818, had distanced its rivals south of Stockton, and was approaching the latter city's 14,424. Los Angeles had jumped from 11,183 to 50,395 and become the second city in the State. Merced County had 8085 population, and Merced City, now incorporated, had 2009. There were 5413 males and 2657 females in the county, still a full two to one, and 5658 native-born and 2427 foreign-born—just about 30 per cent foreign-born, maintaining the same percentage as that shown ten years earlier. Whites numbered 7262; negroes, 47; Indians, 30. This accounts for 7339 out of the 8085. Query: Were the remaining 746 Chinese? In 1900 the county had 9215 total population, an increase, as has already been pointed out, of only about 14 per cent over 1890.. Of this total 5644 were males and 3571 females. There were 7020 native-born and 2195 foreign-born. There were 8780 whites, 31 negroes, 4 Indians, 357 Chinese and 43 Japanese. Of the native-born there were 3941 males and 3079 females; and of the foreign-born, 1703 males and 492 females, indicating the continuance of a condition which has already been suggested about 1890—namely, that most of the pioneering condition of a great preponderance of males over females applied to the foreign-born part of the population. Of the 2185 foreign-born included in the 1900 census, Italy furnished 385; China, 335; Portugal, 287; Germany, 223; Ireland, 196; England, 108; Denmark, 102; Mexico, 93; Canada, 91 (81 English and 10 French); France, 81; Switzerland, 56; Japan, 43; Atlantic Islands, 38; Sweden, 32; Spain, 18; Holland, 15; Scotland, 13; Norway, 15; Austria, 8; South America, 7; Wales, 7; Australia, 6; Russia, 5; Hungary, 4; Pacific Islands, 3; and other countries, 24. The most significant features of this analysis, in the light of later growth, are the considerable numbers of Italians and Portuguese, and the beginning of the coming of the Japanese. The 1910 census shows 15,148 people in the county, an increase of 5933, or 64 per cent, over 1900, as compared with a growth of only 1130, or 14 per cent, for the decade from 1890 to 1900. Of this total, 3102 are given as urban and 12,046 as rural, the urban being the population of the City of Merced. The census returns give the area of the county as 1995 square miles, probably a previous figure, and somewhat in excess of the present area, and on this basis gives the density of population as 7.6 per square mile for the county as a whole and 6 per square mile for the rural part. The City of Merced, as stated, had 3102. Of its neighboring cities in the Valley, Fresno was now the largest, with 24,892; then Stockton, 23,253; Bakersfield, 12,727; Hanford, 4,829; Visalia, 4,550; Modesto, 4,034; Madera, 2,404; Los Banos, 745. By judicial townships, there were 568 people in Township Number One, 5503 in Number Two (including Merced City's 3102), 1869 in Number Three (including Los Banos's 745), 669 in Number Four, 2838 in Number Five; 2366 in Number Six, 1335 in Number Seven, these last four townships consisting of the country in and around Le Grand, Livingston, Gustine, and Dos Palos, respectively. Of the total, 14,697 were whites; 75, negroes; and 376, Indians, Chinese, Japanese and all others; and of the negroes, 50 were black and 25 were mulattoes. Of the foreign-born whites, Italy contributed the largest number of any one country, with 1101; Portugal, 593; and the Atlantic Islands, 301; Mexico, 355; Sweden, 311; Germany, 258; Denmark, 176;. Switzerland, 167; Ireland, 165; England, 153; Canada, 127, of whom 8 were French; France, 94; Greece, 82; Spain 38; Norway, 33; Scotland, 31; Austria, 12; Russia, 11; Finland, 4; Turkey, 4; Australia, 2; Hungary, 1; other foreign countries, 45. This gives a total of 4054 foreign-born besides the 376 Indians, Chinese, and Japanese (mostly foreign-born of course). Including these 376, however, the percentage is a little below the 30 per cent which we found earlier. By the 1920 census the county had a total population of 24,579. Of these, 14,298 were males and 10,281 females, considerably lessening the preponderance of males over females previously observed. There were 17,515 native-born whites, of whom 9510 were males and 8005 females; 6441 foreign-born whites, of whom 4366 were males and 2075 females; and 48 negroes, 34 males and 14 females. There were 7 Indians, 135 Chinese, and 420 Japanese. The Chinese had decreased from 357 in 1900 and 278 in 1910, and the Japanese had increased from 43 in 1900 and 98 in 1910. The total population consisted of 71.3 per cent native-born whites, 26.2 per cent foreign-born whites, and 0.2 per cent negroes. These percentages agree very closely with 10,633 native whites and 4064 foreign-born whites in 1910, giving 70.2 per cent native whites and 26.8 per cent foreign-born white. The percentage of negroes in 1910 was 0.5 per cent. Of the foreign-born included in the population of 1920, the Portuguese led with 2010; Italians were second, with 1301; Mexicans third, with 658; Swedes fourth, with 422. There were 258 from the Atlantic Islands, 254 Germans, 214 Canadians other than French and 9 Canadian French, 185 English, 164 Danes, 152 Irish, 149 Swiss, 115 French, 89 Greeks, 79 from Spain, 69 from Scotland, 59 from Norway, 32 from Russia, 31 from Austria, 26 from Finland, 20 from Syria, 19 from South America, 18 from the Netherlands, 16 from Hungary, 16 from Jugo-Slavia, 12 from Wales, 11 Czecho-Slovakia, 10 from Australia, 8 from Poland, 6 from Belgium, 4 from the Pacific Islands, 2 from Armenia; and 24 from all other countries. By judicial townships the population was as follows: Number One, 885; Number Two, including Merced, 6796; Number Three, including Los Banos, 3487; Number Four, 1065; Number Five, 5804; Number Six, including Gustine, 2769; Number 7, 1639; Number Eight, 2134. The population of Merced was 3974; that of Los Banos, 1276; that of Gustine, 716. These three were the only incorporated cities; Atwater and Livingston have since been incorporated. Only the population of Merced is classed as urban; the rest is classed as rural—under a rule, we believe, which classifies the population of towns of 6500 or over as urban. The population of the county, in its various elements and its changes, offers an interesting study. The names on the latest great register differ a good deal from those on the 1857 assessment roll. There is now a great variety; the names then were almost English, with the exception of a few Mexican or Spanish names. The Indians, never numerous, are practically gone. The Chinese have dwindled to a small remnant of their former numbers. The Japanese, who showed such an increase from 1910 to 1920, are probably less numerous now than they were in 1920, by reason of the increased stringency of the anti-alien land law. At Merced Falls and in Merced there has been an increase of negroes since 1920. Of the larger elements of the population, it remains to be seen whether the restrictions upon immigration recently adopted by the United States will check growth here. Taking the three largest groups, the people of Portuguese, Italian, and Swedish blood, we see that the county had 1101 Italians in 1910 and 1301 in 1920—no very rapid increase. It had 593 Portuguese in 1910 and 2010 in 1920; it is probable that there will be a check in immigration here that the county will feel. There were 311 people of Swedish birth in the county in 1910 and 422 in 1920. These figures fall a good deal short of representing all the people of Swedish blood in the county, mostly in the section around Hilmar and Irwin. It is probably a conservative estimate that there are 2000 people of Swedish blood, wholly or in part, in that section; the great majority of them, however, are native-born Americans, and many of them, in fact, are natives of Merced County. Another large element is the Mexicans, who increased from 355 in 1910 to 658 in 1920. While the Swedish, Portuguese, and Italian elements are very largely farmers, the Mexicans are very largely laborers. The number of foreign-born Germans decreased by 4 during the decade, and the number of foreign-born Irish decreased 13. The foreign-born Danes decreased 12. The foreign-born Swiss decreased, while English, Scotch, French, Russians and Greeks of foreign birth increased. Prophecy is vain; still, now in the spring of 1925, half-way on the road to another census year, it is possible to guess with perhaps some basis, at what the population is likely to be by 1930—not as to its elements, but as to its numbers simply. It seems probably that there are 30,000 people in the county now. Such criteria as the assessor's records, the increase in the number of school children registered, and the like, so indicate. There are two large irrigation districts in process of development—the Merced, with nearly 200,000 acres, and the West Joaquin, with about 550,000, about half of it in this county—nearly half a million acres in all. We have seen how the county, after making a pause with only about 14 per cent of growth between 1890 and 1900, has during each of the succeeding decades grown 60 per cent or upward. It does not seem unreasonable to forecast that it will probably make substantially this percentage of increase during the present decade, and that by 1930 the population will be 40,000. If it does that, the county, while it will still be one of the smaller ones of the State in population, will have well up towards 100 times as many people as it had when it was organized in 1855, seventy years ago this spring. Additional Comments: Extracted from: HISTORY OF MERCED COUNTY CALIFORNIA WITH A Biographical Review OF The Leading Men and Women of the County Who Have Been Identified with Its Growth and Development from the Early Days to the Present HISTORY BY JOHN OUTCALT ILLUSTRATED COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 1925 File at: http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ca/merced/history/1925/historyo/populati333ms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/ File size: 20.6 Kb