We All Belong to Another Large Family – of Immigrants

Published July 2, 1987. Tonight’s column is about families. Families of the past. Families of which you and I are descendants. Something perhaps we should think about during this Independence Day celebration.

During the past two weeks I have been reading “A Nation of Immigrants” by the late John F. Kennedy. In it he notes, “Every American who ever lived, with the exception of one group, was either an immigrant, or the descent of immigrants. The exception? Will Rogers, part Cherokee Indian, said that his ancestors were at the dock to meet the Mayflower.”

When Columbus discovered America in 1492 an estimated 1 million Native Americans were living in what now constitutes the United States. But even the American Indians came from somewhere, so they, too, would be included among the original immigrants to this country.

In his book Kennedy notes that since 1607, some 40 million people have immigrated to this country. Today, the number would be closer to 50 million. “This,” he says, “is the greatest migration of people in all recorded history.” If we are, as Kennedy suggests, a nation of immigrants, from which country did you and your ancestors immigrate?

And here’s a Fourth of July trivia question. Which country sent the most immigrants to what has become the United States of America?

I’ve been in the BYU library the past few days and found some interesting things about immigrant families. For instance immigration records were not kept until 1820, so any statistics prior to that time are estimates. In 1790, when the first census was taken, the population was just over 3 million. Of this number, approximately 757,181 were blacks, most of whom were slaves. Of the remaining 2.4 million, an estimated 60.9 percent were from England, 9.7 percent from Ireland, 8 percent from Scotland, 8.7 percent from Germany, 3.4 percent from Holland, 1.7 percent from France, 7 percent from Sweden and about 7 percent were unknown or unassigned.

Between 1790 and 1820, the population in the U.S. increased from three to almost 10 million and relatively little is known about immigration patterns during that time. Then, beginning in 1820, immigration records were kept each year. And for the net 123 years, from 1820 to 1943, when immigration slacked off considerably because of World War II, nearly 40 million immigrants arrived in this country.

But something else, not all of the immigrants stayed. Some found this country inhospitable and were not assimilated into the culture. Estimates are that as many as one fourth to one third of some immigrant groups returned to their native countries.

By adding up the immigrants (those who came) and subtracting the emigrants (those who returned) we derive the following approximate net immigration between 1820 and 1943:

Germany, 5,902,290, Ireland, 4,535,643; Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales), 4,048,624; Austria/Hungary, 3,548,255; Italy, 3,473,061; Russia, 3,063,909;

Canada, 2,655,652; Sweden, 1,170,838, Norway, 757,879; Mexico, 560,093; France, 532,752; West Indies, 350,612; Turkey, 313,852; Denmark, 318,948; Poland, 287,842, China, 287,457; Switzerland, 281,953; Netherlands, 239,328; Greece, 235,511,

Japan, 218,286; Portugal, 195,163; Belgium, 141,877, Romania, 106,312, Spain, 98,646, South America, 80,162; Czechoslovakia, 64,233, and all other countries, 330,194.

In 1860, 4,441,830 blacks were in the U.S., most of whom were of Spanish, Portuguese and African descent.

The answer to our July Fourth trivia question of which country sent the most immigrants? Apparently it was Germany, Ireland was second.

During this holiday weekend, think about President Kennedy’s observation. From which country did your ancestors immigrate? Where are your “roots”? It might be something to talk over with your children between the parades, barbecues, and fireworks.

For my own part, I go back nine generations to James Barlow, who lived in Massachusetts. (Between James and myself are Alvin, Altheron, Inanthius, Israel, Johnathan, Nathanial, and James, his son). James, the father, was married to Sarah Huxley on Jan, 10, 1688. We are quite certain he came from England. But we are still searching our roots. Are you looking for yours?