Today’s post is about mapping 1890 German ancestry in the U.S.
The 1890 census is long lost. But maps and statistics compiled by the Census Bureau using 1890 data survive. The results are contained 
in The Statistical Atlas of the United States, Based upon the Results of the Eleventh Census. Browse and download pages here.
Mapping 1890 German Ancestry
Inside that dry-sounding volume lies the map shown above. It illustrates the relative population density of “natives of Germanic nations” across the U.S. Twenty German-Americans or more per square mile are the darkest areas. The lightest color shows fewer than one-half per square mile.
At least seven million German natives emigrated to the United States between 1800 and the present. Consequently, more Americans of German extraction live in the U.S. today than any other ethnicity.
German-American immigrants arrived from colonial times to about 1914. Many German-Americans settled in the Midwest, large cities in the East, Washington State, parts of Texas and California, and along the Mississippi.
German-American Communities
Cities and areas with sizable Germanic populations established German-language schools, churches, clubs and fraternal organizations. Theaters, cemeteries, newspapers, and publishing houses supporting German-Americans also thrived.
The Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies has a PDF available. Entitled “How German Is American? Building Communities,” This download is free.
Mapping 1890 German ancestry can help you with your research by indicating if your ancestors settled in an area with a large fellow-immigrant population where resources such as these may still exist.
Want to Know More?
Advance your German genealogy research with these links:
Leave a Reply