• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

EMIGRATION FROM ÖREBRO LÄN HANS NORMAN The emigration from Örebro län during the second half of the nineteenth century ran almost parallel to the average for all of Sweden. During the 1850's it was quite small, but in connection with the hunger years toward the end of the 1860's emigration speeded up and reached is maximum during the 1880's. Even during the 1890's and during the first few years of the present century there was at times a rather brisk emigration to America. Since a large group of people left Karlskoga Parish in the western part of the län as early as the 1850's, emigration during the first years re• mained concentrated in Karlskoga Bergslag, one of the parts of the län which contained the iron working industry, while emigration from the other parishes within the län was con• siderably smaller. In studying the pattern of emigration from Örebro län it is evident that it is possible to analyze this phenomenon along certain lines. First of all one can place the län in a larger context by comparing it with the emigration intensity for all of Sweden within certain regions.1 We shall then see that Örebro län contains several of the areas in Sweden which show a high variability of emigration intensity. Thus the plains of Närke (Närkesslätten) and principally the regions along the northern shores of Lake Hjälmaren have had a rather small emigration. These parts can therefore be classified with areas of eastern Svealand and the Lake Mälaren valley, which also have shown a small index of emigration. The northwestern part of the län, containing within it the area of the Kil Mountains (Kilbergen), as well as the regions west and north of these, in other words those parts lying 1 Atlas for Sweden. Nr. 57-58. Emigration 1861-1930 (Stockholm, 1953). 83 within the Bergslag area, have had a considerably greater movement to America. These areas, therefore, comprise with eastern Värmland a rather homogeneous area with heavy emigration — although not as great as that of western Värmland and Dalsland. Another section of the län, where emigration has been heavy, is the southeastern part, con• taining the parishes in a forested area known as Tylö Forest (Tylöskogen). This particular area can be assessed from the point of view of emigration to be a continuation of the heavy emigration districts of Småland and western Östergötland. Contrasting to a high degree with this is the western shore of the northern Lake Vättern region which had an unusually small emigration. One can also attempt an analysis of the distribution of emigration within the borders of the län, keeping in mind the region's geography as well as its economic and industrial development. The intensity of emigration within the various parishes of Örebro län can be seen on charts 1 and 2. The amount of emigration is expressed in numbers per thousand per year in relation to the average population, partly during the years 1861-1905 and partly during the 1880's when migration to America was at its peak. It is clear that the län has had a quite variable pattern of emigration. Based upon the figures gleaned from the Summary Report on Population (Summarisk folkmängdsredogörelse), it has been possible to construct an analysis of the emigration in• tensity for the parishes, with respect to the degree of land cultivation and industrialization as well as geography. In order to assist in the evaluation of the material, the parishes have been ranked according to their emigration intensity (the same figures are used as for the charts). The importance of the following four factors has then been studied: 1. The size of the cultivated portions in relation to the total area of the parishes.2 2 The estimates for the percentile size of the land cultivated is based upon Agricultural Estimates (1027), Sweden's Official Statistics, Agriculture (Stockholm, 1930). 84 2. The degree of industrialization within the parishes, based upon the amount of taxation on non-farm property, in percentage of entire taxation value.3 3. The interaction of the so called "urban fields of influence" ("urbana influensfält"); i.e. what influence has the spreading large city, with its trade and dominance, had on the neighboring rural communities in limiting emigration. For this study all parishes are included which lie within a radius of 20 kilometers (approximately 12.5 miles) of Örebro, the capital and chief center of the län (the area within the circle on chart 1) .4 4. Parishes lying within the area of the Bergslag in the northwest corner of the län. An effort has thus been made to segregate the iron producing regions of this part of the län. These parishes also lie distant from the central city of Örebro (this area is marked on chart 1) ? The study shows that the parishes which have the greatest areas of cultivated soil have not had particularly heavy emi• gration. Of the twenty most heavily tilled parishes in the län,6 it is found that 14 of these lie within that half of the län which has had the smallest emigration, according to the 3 Figures for taxation values are taken from The Emigration Inquiry. The year used for taxation values is 1906 (Emigrations• utredningen, Appendix V, Table 76, [Stockholm, 1910]). 4 The fact that geographical location and transportation possibilities with nearby communities influence mobility has been shown in a study from West Sweden, where the emigration intensity because of these factors has shifted considerably between the areas which lay near each other (Erik De Geer, "Emigration in West Sweden at the End of the 19th Century," Ymer, 1959, pp. 194 ff). 5 The division of areas, limited by Helge Nelson, groups counties and parts of counties to different areas according to geographic and economic classification. From the population point of view it has seemed worthwhile to treat demographic aspects, particularly in dealing with accounts of mobility. The areas chosen representing this part of the län are the Karlskoga area, Nora Forest area (Noraskog) and the Linde area. (Sweden's Official Statistics, the Census, Decem• ber 31, 1930, II, 1-3, 6 [Stockholm 1930]). 6 The parishes in the län number 61. 85 The charts of Örebro län show emigration from the parishes during the years 1861-1905 (Chart No. 1), and during the 1880's when emigration was largest (Chart No. 2). They are based on the rate of 86 emigration per thousand of the average population for each year. As is shown, emigration was strongest from the Bergslag area in the northwest, while the plains around Örebro were least affected. 87 rank list, and only one reaches the highest quartile. Among the 20 parishes with the lowest degree of tillage there is a distinct tendency the other way. Most of these parishes are to be found in that half of the län which has had heavy emigration, and only three of them are to be found in the lower half. A connection can also be traced in emigration in• tensity compared with the degree of industrialization. Most obvious is this in the areas which have had little industry. These lie largely within that half of the län which has had the lowest intensity of emigration. Only five of the twenty parishes are to be found in the upper half, and none reaches the highest quartile. On the other hand there is a distinct tendency toward high emigration among the parishes where the economy is industrialized. When studying the two regional types it is evident that the parishes which lie near the capital of the län, Örebro, have had a markedly low emigration. Here lie nineteen of the 24 parishes on the lower half of the scale, and none of them reaches the highest quartile. We see also clearly that those parishes lying within the earlier described area called Bergslagen have had a very heavy emigration. All of these, in all twelve parishes, He within the half which shows heavy emigration. If we now combine the emigration values for the parishes in each category, and calculate the average of the annual emigration intensity, the tendencies noted above become obvious. In these calculations, those twenty parishes with the highest areas of cultivation show an average of 2.68 per thousand, while the parishes with the lowest areas of culti• vation reach an intensity of 4.05 per thousand. For the twenty parishes with the lowest degree of industrialization the emigration figure is 2.52 per thousand, versus 3.70 per thousand for the parishes with high industrialization. If we then calculate the values in relationship to the distance from Örebro, the tendency is even more distinct. Those parishes lying within 12.5 miles of the city show a figure of 2.40 per thousand, whereas the figure for the northwest Bergslag 88 shows a high emigration index of 4.38 per thousand. It is therefore clear that, by means of an analysis of this type, one can trace certain main lines of difference in emi• gration intensity between the parishes in Örebro län, depend• ing upon their cultivated area, their degree of industrializa• tion and their geographical position. The question then is whether or not the tendencies have been at work throughout the whole period of analysis. An evaluation has therefore been made of the parishes, where those which were grouped according to size of emi• gration this time have been grouped in ten-year periods (five years for the last period, 1901-1905). A study of this type will reveal that the trends observed earlier are not especially noticeable during the first two decades of the study, and particularly not during the 1860's.

Load more

  12

Copy Link