The 1910 Norway Census and Return Migration: the Case of Nedstrand
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The 1910 Norway Census and Return Migration: the Case of Nedstrand Hans Storhaug Return migration was the conference theme at the annual AEMI meeting in Stavanger in 2002. This article is a follow up and a result of a preliminary research on return migration that started early in 2003 in Nedstrand in Tysvær commune. The Tysvær area is known as the birth place of Cleng Peerson – who by reporting favourable from America started the exodus from Norway in 1825. In the following decades, many people from this area on the south-western coast of Norway followed their trail. Most of them settled permanently in the new world, but some returned. Their role in the local society has never been investigated, and that is we will try to find out through this research. Readers of this article should bear in mind that the research is still in its initial phase, so the results are accordingly inadequate. Studying return migration is a description of the situation in Norway complicated task. Those who have could prove useful. been investigating the phenomenon in Personal information on people Norway in recent years have mainly been leaving the country are found in the focusing on the cultural implications of emigrant lists starting in 1867, and the phenomenon, e.g. new building and usually kept at the local police station. furnishing traditions, new equipment These are now digitalized and available for use in the farming and fishing on the Internet. Statistics on immigrants industries, introduction of new words to Norway, including the returning of and habits, and so on. Norwegian – Americans are, on the This is of course one important aspect contrary, very sparse. However, the of return migration that also will be implementation of the Immigrant Law part of our project. But for an historical of 24 June, 1915 which replaced the approach, it is essential to get as accurate law of 1901, made it mandatory for information of the phenomenon as all immigrants to report to the police possible: that means both quantification upon arrival – including Norwegian and identification of the returnees. emigrants who had not aquired This could, however, prove to be an American citizenship. The new law put impossible task, because of the lack of strict demands on residence permit, statistical material. Before turning to and made it easier to expel aliens and the local society of Nedstrand, a brief particularly those defined as vagabonds. 2 AEMI JOURNAL 2004 The need for a more strict immigrant 1910 Census, Norway law reflects the public feeling that I mention this only to explain that return immigration was about to become a migration in the first decades of the threat to the Norwegian society. The twentieth century, was hardly an issue Norwegian Minister of Justice from in Norway. However, there had been a the political Left (Venstre), argued that: growing concern or interest of America ”We cannot accept, at a time when also among the intelligentsia, particularly the rest of Europe have implemented after 1905 when the Norwegian people strict immigration laws to prevent had decided to seperate from Sweden the scum from crossing their borders, and invited Prince Carl of Denmark to that we should become the sewage of become King Haakon IV of Norway. Europe, and that thieves, robbers and In 1906 the Norwegian America was murderers should enter this country represented at the coronation ceremony unpreventedly.”1 of King Haakon and Queen Maud, and What he was referring to was not in the aftermath of the founding of the emigrants returning from America, Norsemen Federation in 1907 a more nor people from the third world, but official recognition of the Norwegian - Swedish guestworkers. In all walks America followed. of life, the Swedish guestworkers was In the 1910 census therefore, people considered an essential part of the were, for the very first time, asked to ”vagabond” problem. Today, people answer questions regarding year of would hardly identify a Swede as an emigration and of resettling in Norway, immigrant, but in the 1910s and 20s address (place of settlement) at the time immigration from Sweden was relatively of emigration and in America as well as high – in 1910 counting more than occupation in America. 30,000 and in 1920 over 42,000 - Table 1 below shows that a total representing the largest immigrant of 17688 considered themselves as group and thus regarded as a threat. 2 returned Norwegian – Americans at the Table 1: Returned Emigrants in Norway 1871 - 1910. Before 1871 18 1871 – 1875 133 0.29 45142 1876 – 1880 123 0.30 40244 1881 – 1885 417 0.39 105704 1886 – 1890 834 1.03 80984 1891 – 1895 2002 3.28 61017 1896 – 1900 2285 6.75 33837 1901 – 1905 2616 2.53 103195 1906 – 1910 9208 10.50 87663 All years 17688 3.17 557786 HANS StorHauG 3 Table 2: Annual Return Rate 1906 - 1909 Year Returnees Percentage Emigrants 1906 1163 5.29 21967 1907 1627 7.35 22135 1908 2230 26.24 8497 1909 1973 12.21 16152 Source: Census 1 December 1910 (N.O.S. V 182) time of counting, 1 December 1910. It relatively prosperous times in Norway is important to note that these figures at the time. A look at the return rate does not include those who returned the for each year verifies this theory: The same year as they emigrated, nor those year after US. had experienced the who emigrated in the period 1908 – economic crisis, the emigration flood 1910 and came back before 1 December. from Norway was cut by nearly a third - Nor does this number include 1653 from 22135 (1907) to ”only” 8,497. At children born in the U.S. Thus the the same time return migration reached number of Norwegians who had been a peak with 2230 people, more that 26 to America and returned is higher than percent of the total emigration of that the statistics show. year. The political situation in Norway The table also reveals a very high might also have been a reason for increase of returnees in the last five year return. In 1905 the Norwegian people period – 1906 – 1910, with a return rate had decided to separate from Sweden of 10.5 percent in contrast to the average and invited Prince Carl of Denmark to 3.17. Many factors might explain this: become King Haakon VII of Norway. first of all it is reasonable that the number of returnees are the highest closest to Time spent in America the counting point because those who Most of the returnees had spent relatively returned shortly before the census are few years in America. They were young more likely to identify themselves as people who had not had time to settle Norwegian – Americans, most of them in the strange country, and they had are still alive and relatively few have left not been away for so long that they had again. forgotten about the conditions at home. But even these explanations might 3 Table 3 on the next page shows that seem insufficient in explaining the high more than 2/ 5 of the returnees came return rate, particularly when the figures back after less than 5 years. show that there also was a dramatic The 1910 census also reveals decrease in emigration in this period. It information about place of birth and is very likely that the high return rate present address. The results show that reflected the economic crisis that hit most Norwegian - Americans - between the U.S. in 1907, also known as the 70 – 90 percent returned to their place Knickerbocker Trust Panic, and the of birth. Which for most of them meant 4 AEMI JOURNAL 2004 Table 3 Time spent in America a distinctive change, see table 4. below. Percentage While most emigrants were between 15 and 39, most of the returned emigrants Years Men. Women were between 20 – 49. 0 – 2 16. 29 14. 78 2 – 4 25. 68 27. 09 In this group, however, we do not 5 – 9 32. 61 34. 52 find those 1635 persons born in the 10 – 19 17. 26 16. 24 U.S.A. Among these there were 584 20 and more 7. 66 5. 11 boys and 580 girls below the age of 15 and 161 men and 179 women between the countryside – 81.9 percent. 2281 of 15 and 25. These figures are of course the them lived in the county of Rogaland not complete, but they truly demonstra- according to the Census, making up tes that return migration must have had 11.8 percent of the total group of 19323 a larger impact on the increase of popu- returnees– including the children born lation than the age distribution among in America, but only 1.6 percent of the returned Norwegian – Americans indi- total county population of 136523. cates. Only Vest – Agder had a higher number - 2358 Norwegian – Americans. From a Occupation national point of view, the Norwegian Finally let us turn to occupation. As – Americans as registered in 1910 said already, the 1910 census also gives census made up less than one percent information about the occupation and - 0.8 percent of the whole Norwegian life situation in America and after their population of 2,383,677. return to Norway. However, it does not say anything about their occupation or Age and gender life situation before departure. By comparing the age of the emi- Table 5 on the following page shows grants to that of the returnees, we find that close to forty percent of all the Table 4 Age and Gender. Emigrants and Returnees Age Age at departure Age at returning.