Infant Mortality Among German Settlers in the Nineteenth-Century Russian Empire
Currently, very little is known about regional patterns of infant mortality rates [IMR] – or mortality more generally – in the Russian Empire during, and before, the mid-nineteenth century. In particular, what studies have been performed generally rely on the reproduction of aggregate statistics, rather than being based on individual-level data. The objective of this study is to (a) identify the extent to which registration is complete in a part of the historical Russian region of Bessarabia for the period 1833-1885 and, then, (b) identify trends of IMR in a part of the historical Russian region of Bessarabia for the period 1833-1885. The study utilises church records of births (N=21,984) and deaths (N=7,194) from the German colony of Glückstal, a village near modern-day Grigoriopol in Transnistria (Moldova). Three methods of calculating IMR are performed. While there appears to be a significant degree of under-reporting of births which is inconsistent over time as well as gaps in the data more generally, it is possible to account for much of this through adjustment post linkage. After accounting for this, a linked net IMR can be generated. The range over the period is around 100- 190, with some periods of crisis mortality. These figures are lower than has been reported for the region. The comparison of different methods of calculating IMRs suggest that birth registration may be incomplete, however. This means that nominative linkage is required to derive accurate rates and other statistics. The findings challenge the widely held view of very high IMRs across the Russian Empire in the nineteenth century. By utilising appropriate methods, this analysis suggests that such colony church records may represent a valuable source for further analysis of this neglected period in Russian demographic history.