Maryland, VA, & the East Coast: Ancestry Maps

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by Bert_from_back_East

I do not believe the English "skipped over" the Midlands. However, the English had a less prominent presence in the Midlands relative to Tidewater and Yankeedom because, throughout much of the 17th century, the Midlands were initially colonized by non-British Europeans, most notably the Dutch, Finns and Swedes. Therefore, the settlement framework of the Midlands was initially laid by non-English ethnic groups. Even though the power and influence of these minority groups were greatly diminished following English conquest and settlement of the Midlands in the late 17th century, the initial footprints were not necessarily overlaid. For example, after the English captured New Amsterdam in 1664 and, subsequently, began culturally encroaching on the city from nearby New England and from "across the pond," many New Amsterdam settlers of Dutch extraction fanned out across northern New Jersey. Through their settlement of northern New Jersey, the Dutch settlers built communities around the Dutch Reformed Church. And surprisingly, that Dutch influence lingered for hundreds of years. There is an active poster on the New Jersey forums who once shared that, 50-60 years ago, her Dutch Protestant grandfather bemoaned the construction of a Roman Catholic church in his northern New Jersey town.

The below-referenced map illustrates settlement by ethnic group in the Thirteen Colonies around 1755. Although the source of the map is questionable, the map depicts Germans as being the dominant ethnic group throughout much of central and western Maryland. This map also illustrates the Scotch-Irish as the dominant ethnic group in far western Maryland (i.e., Cumberland County). Therefore, it is safe to say that, by the mid-18th century, Maryland was already quite ethnically diverse, although the ethnic composition of Maryland did not change much for the next 235-250 years. However, since German and Scotch-Irish settlers did not begin settling America in large numbers until the mid-18th century (approximately 100 years after the English had already initially colonized Maryland), the settlement framework of Maryland was decidedly English for almost a century before competing ethnic groups arrived in the colony.

Link: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/223139356514355705/

Good post. A few points to make.

There is no Cumberland County in Maryland. Cumberland, MD is in Allegany County. Garrett County is to the west of us.

In 1755 there would have been virtually nothing west of the Allegheny Front, west of Fort Cumberland, and only the most generous would call the lands between Fort Frederick and Fort Cumberland "settled." There were a few people around, mostly clustering around the Fort, or agents of the Ohio Company or other traders. In so far as people were around, most were Scots-Irish with English and Germans coming in largely after the French and Indian War. Many of these English settlers were Catholics from the Tidewater.

This ethnic make-up was reinforced by Scottish, Irish, English, Welsh and more Germans moving into the area during the industrial revolution and the expansion of the mining industry. It really took until the early 20th century, and the large Italian immigration to Cumberland, for the ethnic make-up out my way to change.

[BostonBornMassMade]

MD: Maryland gained a few African American countieS for sure. Every urbanized County in Maryland except Anne Arundel is now plurality African American.

DE: Newark County went from Irish to African American

NJ: New Jersey gained 3 African American counties

NY: New York has a very diverse white population that had gotten even more diverse.

CT: Irish seems to be a Declining in CT. There are no Irish counties left there.

MA: Suffolk County MA(Boston) became the first "African American" county in New England. African Americans supplanted Irish there.

Overall Irish seem to be declining in urban northeast and African Americans are at least staying put in terms of overall influence. African Americans overtook several Irish counties. I don't think African Americans are really growing outside of counties bordering major cities as everywhere diversified and populations shares shrink.