Changes in fertility relative to starting, stopping, and spacing behaviors in a migrating Mennonite community, 1775–1889

Abstract

Fertility change over time in a migrating Mennonite church congregation is reconstructed through genealogies developed from church registries of vital events during 1725–1924. The congregation was located in Prussia from 1725–1821, in Russia from 1822–1874, and in Kansas, U.S.A., from 1875–1924. Age‐specific marital fertility rates were relatively low and usually peaked for women aged 25–29. Total fertility rates ranged from 1.19 to 5.29. These relatively low figures for a natural fertility population may partly reflect underreporting of births and deaths of infants, but it also reflects the heterogeneity in fertility evident for this population. Some women had many children while others were having either few or none. This pattern changed twice. Fertility was lowest during residence late in Prussia and early in Russia, peaked during residence late in Russia, and has decreased slightly for women born in the United States.