Howard Co IN USGenWeb Project : Source Materials : Howard County Migration
This chart displays immigration figures for Canada, England (includes Scotland and Wales) and Ireland.
The effects of the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-1849 began to appear in Howard County about a decade later, when the Irish-born population increased from 2 in 1850 to 81 in 1860. In 1920 and 1930, a distinction between Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State is made, reflecting the politics of the day.
Causes of the Irish emigration (OFF SITE LINK)
This chart displays immigration figures for Western Europe - including Scandanavia (Sweden, Norway and Denmark), France, the Netherlands and Belgium, and Switzerland.
Immigration from northern and western Europe followed much the same pattern as immigration from England and Ireland, steadily increasing each census year, then dropping off between 1920 and 1930. A notable exception is the Scandanavian population, whose numbers continued to increase in that decade.
Causes of the Swedish emigration (OFF SITE LINK)
This chart displays immigration figures for Eastern Europe - including Germany, Austria/Hungary, Russia & Lithuania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Rumania.
German residents were among the earliest foreign-born residents noted in Howard County, with their number peaking in 1900. However, Russia and Lithuania anong with other Eastern Europeans did not start appearing in Howard County until the the 20th century.
The 1910 census lists the vast majority of the Hungarian residents as working in a rod mill.The number of married and single men were about equal, but their wives were not listed. From the enumeration list itself, it appears there were several boarding houses all in the same area, as an entire page (plus over lap on the preceding and next pages) is filled with recent immigrants.
It is unclear from the primary records which modern-day countries were considered part of Germany in the earlier enumerations. The [name of book] for 1880 includes Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia and Roumania as part of the "German Empire". Austria and Hungary were listed separately starting in 1900, while Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Roumania are listed starting in 1910.
This chart displays immigration figures for the Mediterranean and Asia - including Italy, Greece, Turkey, India, China and Japan.
Individuals from Mediterranean nations also did not come to Howard County until after the turn of the century; however, they made up for lost time with their strength of numbers.
According to the 1910 census - a large number of the Italian population in Howard County worked at the Plate Glass works. About half were single and half married (few wives were listed)The men were also listed as boarders in the same part of town.
Causes of the Italian mass emigration (OFF SITE LINK)
