Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/308

 248 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI ther back and were, consequently, more difB- cult of access, as was the case in Carter, Rip- ley, Butler and Dunklin counties, grew in population much more slowly. They were separated too far from river transportation, and they were unprovided with either rail- roads or ordinary roads over which traveling could be easily made and were, therefore, al- most cut oft' from any easy or reg:ular com- munication with the different parts of the country. It is true that even in these coun- ties settlements were made during this period and that by the close of it there were consid- erable numbers of people to be found in their limits, but their growth was nothing like the rapid growth of the counties along the river. The same causes which operated to increase rapidly the population of the section after the purchase of Louisiana operated with even more force to increase the population after the admission of the state into the Union. IIore and more people were attracted by the richness of the soil, the advantages of the cli- mate and the possibility of earning a living and a competence which was offered to rich and poor alike. Most of the settlers who came were farmers who scattered themselves over the territory, opening up new farms and clearing away the wilderness. The section was distinctly agricultural in its life, with the exception of the mining region, and even there, as we have noted, most of the people depended in part at least upon farmuig for a living. A table is here inserted showing the population of each of the counties in the southeast at each of the census periods from 1820 to 1860, and also the total popuhition at each date : Comparative Census Table, 18201860 Counties. Population 1820 1830 1840 1850 1860 Bollinger. . .... .... 7,371 Butler .... 1.616 2,891 Cape Girar- deau ....5,968 7,445 9,359 13,912 15,547 Carter .... 1,235 Dunklin 1,229 5,026 Iron .... 5,842 Jeft'erson. . . 1,835 2,592 4,296 6,928 10,344 Madison. . . 2,047 2,371 3,395 6,003 5,664 Mississippi .... 3,123 4,859 New Madrid 2,296 2,350 4,554 5,541 5,654 Pemiscot 2,962 Perry 3,349 5,760 7,215 9,128 Reynolds 1,849 3,173 Ripley 2,856 2,830 3,747 St. Francois .... 2,366 3,211 4,964 7,249 Ste. G en e - vieve ....4,962 2,186 3,148 5,313 8,029 Scott 2,136 5,974 3,182 5,247 Stoddard 3,153 4,277 7,877 Washington.2,769 6,784 7,213 8,811 9,023 Wayne ....1,443 3,264 3,403 4,518 5,629 Total. . .21,320 34,843 56,322 81,311 130,497 French and German Elements. These figures show that increase in popula- tion had been both steady and rapid. The greater numbers of those who came to the ter- ritory came from other states, so that the pop- ulation of Southeast Missouri, outside of the older settlements, was largely American. In a few coimties there was a considerable sprinkling of other settlers. The greater number of French were to be found in Ste. Genevieve county, though there were consid-