Population of Ostfriesland

A comparison of the 1719 and 1757 tax censuses with later data shows the population of Ostfriesland was growing rapidly and it  became very densely populated for a largely agricultural-based society.  Over time, the development of a vaccine for smallpox, a better understanding of how to prevent the spread of diseases and better dikes resulted in more children reaching maturity and longer life expectancies for the residents.

Increased life expectancy led to more families and more children in following generations, all having to share the same amount of farmland and crop production for their existence.  This limited people's opportunities and many lived in extreme poverty.  Most could only dream about owning property or for their children to live better lives.  Emigration became an increasingly attractive option to escape their economic conditions while others looked for freedom of religion from the state-run churches.

The following table summarizes the population of Ostfriesland between 1816 - 1852.  Each census reflected approximately a 10% population growth but the rate slowed in the 1850's as immigration increased and many glowing reports were received from emigrant families and friends who left for a "new land". 

An 1875 census of Ostfriesland provides insights into the communities and areas where many of our immigrant ancestors lived.  In addition to determining the population of the communities and hamlets, this census also identified the religious affiliation of the residents.  A total of 322 locations were enumerated with only a few having more than 1,000 residents.  Land holdings were generally very small and most laborer homes only had a small garden and perhaps a small pasture for a few animals.  Overall the population density averaged about 168 people per square mile, very high for an agricultural economy which was starting to use new technologies to reduce the need for farm workers.   

Most communities only had a single church and only the largest communities had two or more churches.  

Communities were organized into districts called Amts and these were organized into a larger districts called a Kreis.  Religious affiliation was an important part of the census and it helps to show similarities and differences between communities.  Additional information at the community level can be found here.