1859-09-01—New York Observer—Statistics of Mormon Population
Statistics of Mormon Population
- New York Observer, September 1, 1859, p. 7
Statistics of Mormon Population
The Valley Tan contains the following statistics of Mormon population. The population of Mormons of the United States and British dominions, in 1855, was not less than 68.700, of which 38,000 were resident in Utah, 5,000 in New York State, 4,000 in California, 5,000 in Nova Scotia and the Canadas, and 9,000 in South America. In Europe there were 86,.000, of which 32,000 were in Great Britain and Ireland, 5,000 in Scandinavia, 2,000 in Germany and Switzerland, and in France and the rest of Europe 1,000; in Australia and Polynesia, 2,400; in Africa 100, and on travel 2,800. To these, if we add the different branches, including Strangeites, Rigdonites, and Whiteites, the whole sect was not less than 126,000. In 1857 there appears to have been a decrease in the population of Utah, the number being only 31,022, of which 9,000 were children, about 11,000 women, and 11,000 men capable of bearing arms. There are 2,388 men with eight or more wives; of these, thirteen have more than nineteen wives; 730 men with five wives; 1,100 with four wives, and 2,400 with more than one wife. Recapitulation, 4,617 men with about 16,500 wives!
Rev. Mr. Vox, Episcopal Chaplain to the army at Fort Laramie, recently preached in the famous Mormon Tabernacle, and Bishop Kimball and Brigham Young delivered addresses at the close of the discourse. Everything was pleasant and harmonious. It was currently reported that not a few of the Mormons were recovering from their delusion and were likely openly to express their awakened disbelief in the tenants, and their disapproval of the practices of Mormonism.
