PRUZHANY'S POPULATION IN THE XVIII CENTURY (1700's)
(T.N.: according to different sources and
calculation methods: 69 or 317 or 571?)
The Jewish community of Pruzhany, from its
establishment until the XVIII century, had an outstanding growth and
development. Official documents were not preserved that would give us facts
about Jewish and gentile populations. Officially, data about the population in
our city does not exist either in the Registers of the Chevra Kadisha (Jewish
Community) or in local archives.
In the inventory published in the book
Economy of Brest in the year 1786 we find a list of Jews and Russian peasants
who were possessors of goods in the city of Pruzhany. Under the title "The
City of Pruzhany" we read, "Description of the situation of the
peasants and Jews, number of population, owners of goods, lands and orchards,
and taxes they should pay." This
list also mentions 264 inhabitants who were possessors of goods. From number 1
to number 195 Russian peasants are described and from 196 to 264 Jews are
described. The information recorded
includes: goods, family situation, and a general evaluation of the economic
situation of each one of the proprietors.
Let's compare the description of this type
of population in 1786, with another we find in the book Kobriner Economie about
Pruzhany in 1563. We notice that there were not big changes in the number
registered. In the list of 1563 there were 11 Jews and 262 gentiles, that is to
say a total of 273 inhabitants. In 1786 they were 69 Jews and 195
gentiles, that is to say a total of 264 inhabitants. The number of holder of
goods hardly changed in more of 200 years, but there was difference in the
distribution of the goods among Jews and gentiles. If, in 1563, the number of
Jewish proprietors was of 4.03% of the total, in year 1786 Jews were of 26.13%,
which means a growth of six times for Jewish good holders. Another percentage
is obtained when we calculate the population according to the number of souls.
The number of Jewish souls was 317 and gentiles were 777; that is to say
Jews were 28.9% of general population.
The numbers declared in Brisker Ekonomie
are not to be considered absolutely accurate, especially with regard to the
numbers of Jews. In the census carried out in 1786 only Jewish families that
had goods were included and therefore should pay taxes, but they did not
include poor Jewish families who had no goods.
The number of souls is not exact as it is
only one part of the Jewish population. This may be deduced due to the rate of
mortality in population in those days. In the book Sefer Ha'chaim (Life Book)
that is in the Registers of the Chevra Kadisha (Jewish Community), we find the
number of deaths in the population of Jewish people in the XVIII century. The
average number of deaths in the period in which the census was carried out was
16 per year (see Table 1). If we consider that the population numbers of Jews
of the time, according to Brisker Ekonomie, was 317, the rate of mortality
obtained would be the incredible figure of 5 percent; which confirms that the
registered figures are not completely realistic in my opinion.
(Pruzhany's mortality in Jewish population
between years 1789/99)
Year
|
Men
|
Women
|
Total
|
Annual mortality
average |
|
1789 |
10 |
14 |
24 |
|
|
1790 |
4 |
5 |
9 |
|
|
1791 |
5 |
7 |
12 |
|
|
1792 |
6 |
8 |
14 |
|
|
1793 |
6 |
9 |
15 |
|
|
1794 |
2 |
9 |
11 |
|
|
1795 |
12 |
7 |
19 |
|
|
1796 |
10 |
13 |
23 |
|
|
1797 |
10 |
11 |
21 |
|
|
1798 |
8 |
6 |
14 |
|
|
1799 |
10 |
3 |
13 |
|
|
Total |
83 |
92 |
175 |
16 |
We will find the real numbers of the Jewish
population, only when we know the percentage of deaths of Pruzhany Jews to the
end of XVIII century. Knowing the two following facts - the number of deaths
during the year and during that period would help us to produce a situational
table of Pruzhany Jews at the end of XVIII century. We obtain from the Sefer
Ha'chaim (Life Book) the number deceased during the period 1789 /99, the period
that the census was carried out according to Brisker Ekonomie.
.
A long time ago, it was demonstrated
scientifically (Demography Pages, Statistic, Berlin, No. 3-4, 1923, note d, I.
Leschinsky Problems Because of Jewish Population's Natural Movement) that the
largest percentage of mortality depends on socio-economic and cultural factors.
The percentage of mortality is different among towns of Europe and among us
Jews. It is also different among urban population, towns and villages. Still
more, the percentage can be different in those towns where the same conditions
of life exist; for that reason we can't compare the percentage of mortality in
other towns with that of Jews in Pruzhany.
It will be better if we consider the
mortality rate among the Jewish population in Pruzhany a hundred years later,
from 1873 up to 1880, which is the period at the end of the century, when we
first began to evaluate to the true numbers of the Jewish and the gentile
populations. The method of finding the
largest number in mortality due to social, economic and cultural causes is
easier. This allows us to obtain the change in the percentage of mortality in
the same town for a one hundred year period, instead of looking for the
differences due to the conditions of life.
In a report to the Wilna General Governor
that included the years 1873-1880, it was stated that the Jewish population of
Pruzhany had at that time 2575 souls. At the same time we find in the Life Book
the number of deceased in the years 1873-1879 was 301 as is shows Table II
Table II
in the years 1873-1879
|
Year |
Men |
Women |
Total |
Annual average |
|
1873 |
19 |
33 |
52 |
|
|
1874 |
23 |
19 |
42 |
|
|
1875 |
23. |
27 |
50 |
|
|
1875 |
25 |
19 |
44 |
|
|
1877 |
16 |
20 |
36 |
|
|
1878 |
19 |
22 |
41 |
|
|
1879 |
10 |
26 |
36 |
|
|
Totales |
135 |
166 |
301 |
43 |
If the deceases in Jewish population in the
course of these years average 43 and the population during that period of time
is 2575 the mortality rate among Jews in that period was 1.67% (43/2575). A
mortality rate that small is an interesting phenomenon. This is a very isolated
case, not only in Jewish towns where social and cultural situation was in a low
level. Even in European centers where the percentage of mortality began to
descend I did not arrive at this low percentage. We did not analyze the causes
that gave this result. Interesting to us is that we can compare the mortality
rate at the end of the XVIII century with the data of mortality rate to the end
of XIX century.
To obtain another view of the descent of
mortality among Jews in Pruzhany, we compared it with the number of deceases in
years 1925-1929. Considering that the period among 1879-1925 (46 years)
includes almost half of the deceases during that period 1786-1876 (87 years),
this demonstrated the descending process of Jewish mortality in Pruzhany.
Table III
Jewish Mortality in Pruzhany
In years 1925-29[1][1]
|
Year |
Men |
Women |
Total |
Annual average |
|
1925 |
22 |
13 |
35 |
|
|
1926 |
21 |
19 |
40 |
|
|
1927 |
22 |
23 |
45 |
|
|
1928 |
28 |
14 |
41 |
|
|
1929 |
22 |
24 |
47 |
|
|
Totales |
114 |
94 |
208 |
41.6 |
As observed in Table Chart III, the average
Jewish mortality per annum is 41.6. In comparison with the mortality rate of
previous years it diminished. The
Jewish population in 1928 was of 4,298 souls.
If we calculate the mortality rate in these
5 years we obtain a rate of 0.96%. If we compare the rate for the years 1925-29
with that of years 1873-1880, we see that mortality rate in last 50 years
diminished more than 1.5 times, from 1.67% to 0.96%. The mortality rate
diminished from the period 1786-90 until years 1873-1880. The social and
cultural situation influenced the decrease in the mortality rate in the last 50
years in comparison to the period 1786/ 1873-1880. If we accept that the
mortality rate in the 100-year period (1786 to 1880) diminished at the same
rate (TN; same curve) as that from 1880 at 1929, we will conclude that mortality
rate until the end of the XVIII century was of 2.8%. If we calculate the
estimated population, we will obtain that it was 571 souls.
Table IV
The Jewish population at the end of the
XVIII, XIX and mid XX centuries
|
Period |
Average annual decease |
Average annual rate |
Jewish Population |
|
1789-1799 |
16 |
2.8 |
571 |
|
1873-1879 |
43 |
1.67 |
2575 |
|
1925-1929 |
41.6 |
0.96 |
4298 |
If we compare the Jewish population,
calculated according to the mortality rate with the number of souls registered
in Brisker Economie, we see a difference of 254 souls. If we apply it to
percentages, the result obtained is that only 63% of Jewish population was
included in the census of 1786 Brisker Ekonomie. The exclusion of Jews in the
census is due to two causes: a) Jews avoided any attempt to be registered and
b) in the census of the Brisker Ekonomie only Jewish families that had goods
were counted because they should pay taxes. The non-Jewish population, as we
previously stated, were entered in the census because most of them had goods
and they should pay taxes to National Treasury.
If we compare the Jewish to the non-Jewish
populations we see that the number of Jewish souls (571) compared with the total
1348 souls was 42%.
As we remembered, the Brisker Economie
registered the social situation of the families, Jewish and gentile. The
classifications included four levels: rich, almost rich, fair and poor. Table V
shows the comparison of both groups by classification.
Table V
at the end of XVIII century
|
Classification |
Jews (total) |
Jews (percentage) |
Non Jews (total) |
Non
Jews (percentage) |
|
Rich |
11 |
16 |
6 |
3 |
|
Almost rich |
11 |
16 |
14 |
7 |
|
Middle |
19 |
28 |
52 |
27 |
|
Poor |
28 |
40 |
123 |
63 |
|
Total |
69 |
100 |
195 |
100 |
Let's compare the numbers of rich among
Jews and non-Jews. If we calculate the percentages by classification, then, of
the total number rich families in Pruzhany (17), Jews were 64.7%; of the total
numbers of poor families in Pruzhany (151), Jews were 18.5% and non-Jews 81.5%.
Let’s compare the numbers by classification to the total number. In this
calculation, we note that for the rich and almost rich the Jews were 32% of
total, while poor and middle were 68% of the total. For non-Jews the proportion
for rich and almost rich it was 10% of the total while middle and poor was 90%.
The census does not register the numbers
corresponding to each group. An answer will be obtained to this question in the
second item of population, the proprietor’s census.
Inventory of live beings. average by
family, Jews and non-Jews,
Pruzhany, end of XVIII Century
|
Classification |
Average Jews (units) |
Average Non Jews (units) |
|
Rich |
4 |
18 |
|
Almost rich |
3 |
13 |
|
Middle |
1.5 |
7 |
|
Poor |
0.9 |
3 |
(T.N.- meaning of live being and units are
not clear in the original, see below)
Considering Table VI - we should reach the
conclusion that the classification of Jews and non-Jews was different. If the
number of live beings among rich non-Jews was 18, it can help us in certain
form to calculate their wealth, but this cannot be applied with regard to the
population average number for rich Jewish families that were 4. Comparing the
live beings average among rich Jews (that was 4) and the average of poor
non-Jews (that was of 3), we observe that rich Jews families differed very little
from poor non-Jews families. We will have to reach the conclusion that
population's calculations of non-Jews and Jews were not taken according to the
same basis. We should calculate that among non-Jews population most of volume
was in the goods group, while the Jewish population apart from goods had other
occupations like business, taverns, rural and other work. Therefore this caused
the volume to be different.
Table VII
Livestock in Jewish and non-Jewish
populations
Pruzhany at end of the XVIII century
|
Inventory |
Jews (total) |
Jews (percentage) |
Non Jews (total) |
Non Jews (percentage) |
|
Horses |
27 |
18 |
52 |
9 |
|
Bulls |
8 |
6 |
63 |
11 |
|
Cows |
81 |
56 |
61 |
10 |
|
Calves |
10 |
7 |
198 |
33 |
|
Sheep
|
3 |
2 |
94 |
15 |
|
Pigs |
-- |
-- |
133 |
22 |
|
Goats |
16 |
11 |
-- |
-- |
|
Total |
145 |
100 |
600 |
100 |
Let's see the number of bulls in each
group. It stands out clearly that among non-Jews there were a great number of
bulls that were not found among Jews. The number of horses is significant, but
the horses served as communication means and not as work instrument. In other species we find in Jews a great
percentage of cows, and among non-Jews a great percentage of pigs, sheep and
calves. Diverse species of domestic animals are useful for rural work, and cows
in particular offer multiple benefits.
Another important item that is registered
in the census is the number and size of families that are included in Table
VIII.
Size of Jewish and non-Jewish families
at the end of XVIII Century
|
Members per family |
Jews (number of
families) |
Jews (percentage) |
Non-Jews (number of
families) |
Non Jews (percentage) |
|
1 |
-- |
-- |
2 |
1 |
|
2 |
6 |
7 |
18 |
9 |
|
3 |
10 |
15 |
55 |
28 |
|
4 |
22 |
32 |
58 |
30 |
|
5 |
15 |
22 |
32 |
16 |
|
6 |
9 |
13 |
23 |
12 |
|
7 |
5 |
7 |
4 |
2 |
|
8 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
Over 8 |
1 |
2 |
1[2][2] |
1 |
|
Total |
69 |
100 |
195 |
100 |
All these statistics tell about the part of
the Jewish population that was included in the census of Brisker Ekonomie. The
Jewish population's social and family situation that was not included in the
census and their occupations, are issues that are not reflected in the data.