States who had joined the army of pioneers, then forcing their way westward, seeking new lands in which to build their homes away from the congestion on the eastern coast. In the following year this settlement was enlarged by a number of English, French, and French Canadian immigrants who built permanent homes. A small group of Scotch immigrants joined the settlement in the latter part of 1836. Canadians, Germans, and Irish entered the community in 1840, followed in 1842 by a group of Welsh. All of these races devoted their efforts to building homes for themselves, as the people who had preceded them were doing. The Germans took up such work as butchering, draying, baking, and farming; the Irish entered the general laboring occupations; while the Welsh, English, Canadians, and French assumed the work of conducting the varied business undertakings common to the early frontier settlements. About 1850 a few Negroes, who had escaped from the Southern States, settled in the locality. After the civil war the number or Negroes was increased and in 1909, contained about 450 persons.

It was not until the year 1852 that the immigration to the community from Europe really began noticeably to affect the population. In that year the first group of Swedes settled in Rockford and formed a colony which now includes 40 per cent of the total population of the city. During the period from 1850 to 1860 the German colony was greatly increased, and a number of Hebrews, Dutch (Hollanders), Danes, and Norwegians added to the population. The Dutch, Danes, and Norwegians settling in the city during this period entered the shops of the journeymen cabinetworkers, and later took an active part in the development of the furniture industry. Swiss immigrants entered the community in 1885 and furnished the labor for the establishment of a small watch factory. Poles seeking employment in the machine and foundry shops came to the city in 1888. In 1890 a small number of North Italians and Lithuanians settled in Rockford and entered the laboring occupations in the different industrial plants. The year 1900 marks the beginning of the recent immigrant movement in which Belgians, Bohemians, Greeks, Russians, Russian Hebrews, Magyars, and Slovaks were included in the largest numbers. The South Italians first entered in 1902. The Finns made their appearance a year later. These latter immigrants have not been as adaptable as were the early foreign settlers in the locality, and the difficulties encountered in Americanizing them are found to be more numerous. The Belgians and Bohemians have entered the shops in the lowest occupations, together with the Russians and Finns. The Magyars, Slovaks, and South Italians are chiefly found in the general laboring forces. There are also a few South Italians, both men and women, in the industrial plants. Present immigration is chiefly of Swedes. A few South Italians, Poles, Lithuanians, and Belgians are also entering the community. In addition to these races, there is a large annual migration of native Americans from other sections of the United States, who are making permanent homes in Rockford.

The estimated population of Rockford in 1909 was 45,000. Using 45,000 as the basis, the native Americans (white and negro) constitute only 46.7 per cent of the total population, while the Swedes alone comprise 40 per cent. The Swedes, with a population of 18,000 or

more, compose over 75 per cent of the total foreign population in the city. The relative proportions of the various elements in the total and the immigrant population may be briefly stated as follows:

The statement presented below sets forth the estimated population in 1909, by races and number of individuals, and gives the date of the first arrival of each group of immigrants:

RACIAL COMPOSITION OF WORKING FORCE IN 1900.

There are no statistics available which show the races employed in the furniture industry prior to 1890. Consequently, it is impossible to trace the history of racial movements to the industry as a whole except during the past ten years. In this connection, the following table shows the racial make-up of the force employed in the furniture manufacturing industry in 1900:

Table 10.—Number of furniture workers in the United States and in selected States, by general nativity and country of birth of parents, 1900.

[Compiled from Census Report on Occupations, 1900.]

a Data unobtainable from census figures except for grand total.

In the above table employees of the furniture manufacturing industry in 1900 are classified according to country of birth of parents and general nativity. Data are presented for the principal furniture manufacturing States of the country-Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and New York. For the country as a whole the only figures available are those showing the total number of employees. There were, in 1900, 1,306 furniture workers in Illinois, 1,835 in Indiana, 2,862 in Michigan, 2,650 in New York, and 23,078 in the United States as a whole. It will be noted that the proportion of foreign-born white employees was largest in Illinois, second largest in Michigan, and smallest in Indiana, and that the proportion of native-born white employees of native parents was largest in Indiana. Among employees having one or both parents born abroad those of German, Scandinavian, and Polish parentage had, in the order mentioned, the largest representation in Illinois; those of German parentage had by far the largest representation in Indiana; those of German, Polish, Canadian, British, and Scandinavian parentage had, in the order mentioned, the largest representation in Michigan; and those of German, Irish, Scandinavian, and British parentage had, in the order mentioned, the largest representation in New York. In Michigan there were 951 employees whose parents were born in foreign

countries not specified in the table. It will be noted from the foregoing table that in most of the States for which the figures are given the foreign-born employees greatly outnumbered the native-born employees, and that persons of German parentage were most numerous among the foreign-born. It further appears that there were a considerable number of persons of Polish parentage and a smaller number of persons of Italian parentage among the employees. It is probable that the races of recent immigration had additional representation among the employees classified under "other countries.'

PERIOD OF RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES OF FOREIGN-BORN EMPLOYEES AND MEMBERS OF THEIR HOUSEHOLDS.

A general insight into the racial movements to the furniture industry in the country as a whole may be had in the following series of tables, which show the period of residence in the United States of foreign-born employees and members of their households. Length of residence in this country and period of employment in the industry are not necessarily identical, but they closely approximate each other. The first tables, which follow, show, by race, the number and percentage of foreign-born male employees who had been in the United States each specified number of years, engaged in furniture manufacturing in Grand Rapids, Mich.

TABLE 11.-Number of foreign-born male employees in the United States each specified number of years, by race-Grand Rapids, Mich.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. No deduction is made for time spent abroad.]

TABLE 12.-Per cent of foreign-born male employees in the United States each specified number of years, by race-Grand Rapids, Mich.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. No deduction is made for time spent abroad. This table includes only races with 40 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

Of the foreign-born male employees in this locality for whom information is presented in the foregoing tables 22.3 per cent have been in the United States under five years; 16.8 per cent from five to nine years; 4.5 per cent from ten to fourteen years; 13.9 per cent from fifteen to nineteen years; and 42.5 per cent twenty years or over. The proportion of individuals who have been in the United States under five years is largest for the Lithuanians and Poles, in the order mentioned, and smallest for the Canadians, other than French, and Swedes; of those who have been here from five to nine years the proportion is largest for the Lithuanians and Poles and smallest for the Germans and Dutch. The Swedes and Lithuanians show the largest proportion having been here from ten to fourteen years; the Dutch and Canadians, other than French, show the largest proportion who have been here from fifteen to nineteen years; and the Germans, Swedes, and Canadians, other than French, in the order mentioned, show the largest, and the Lithuanians and Poles the smallest proportion of individuals who have been here twenty years or over.

The racial movements to the entire industry may also be seen in the following tables, which show, by race, the percentage of male employees who had been in the United States each specified number of years.

TABLE 13.-Per cent of foreign-born male employees in the United States under 1 year, 1 year, 2 years, etc., by race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. No deduction is made for time spent abroad. This table includes only races with 40 or more males reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]