FRONTIER PATTERNS OF MARRIAGE, FAMILY, AND ETHNICITY - CENTRAL WISCONSIN IN THE 1880S

This essay examines ethnicity, nuptuality, and fertility in four centr al Wisconsin counties which typi ed newly opened areas in the North Ce ntral Region during the late nineteenth century. Frontier settlement w as largely a family affair involving far more immigrants than native-b orn migrants. Central Wisconsin settlers had higher child-woman ratios than their national counterparts because they were more likely to be married, and their children were more apt to survive infancy. Interrel ated factors involving marriage patterns, religious beliefs, residence , and husband's occupation were responsible for the fertility differen tials among the ethnic groups within the region.