War's Effect on Society July 3, 1917 (1)

The Social Register for the Summer of 1917, just issued, contains some interesting social statistics, the salient feature being an increase of 25 per cent. in the number of marriages, as compared with last year, during the three months from April 1. This is no doubt due to the war, as scores of weddings in New York were hastened and similar conditions existed in the twenty other cities represented by the register.

The effect of war is also shown by the notation of men in training camps, in the United States service, and in the service of the American Ambulance. Of the yachts, twenty-two are registered as having been offered and accepted as auxiliaries for the United States service. More than 200 persons are at the resorts in Canada.

In spite of dire predictions to the contrary, there seems to be no falling off in the number of residents by the seaside. There are 3,830 at the shore, as compared to 6,573 at inland resorts. This comparison is practically the same as last year. The departures for Europe have dwindled to 82, and the arrivals are negligible for well-known reasons. There are more summering on their yachts this year.

The marriages noted in the three months up to the end of June total 956 persons. The mortality rate is higher, the death of 211 men and 182 men and 177 women during the same period last year.

Increase in Matrimony December 7, 1917 (2)

The effect of war on society is shown in the new Social Register for 1918, just out.

Matrimony this year increased by 33 per cent. in New York, as compared to last year, and there has been a notable increase of marriages in all of the cities covered by the Register. The mortality remains practically the same.

Seattle, Wash., leads in the increased marriages by 200 per cent., while Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh show a tie at 60 per cent. Then come San Francisco, Portland, Ore.; Philadelphia, and New York.

It is evident that war times have arrested the upward growth of New York's centre of social population. The test made to determine the centre of population of prominent families, shows it to be still halfway in the Fifth Avenue block, between Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh Streets, just where it was two years ago. Up to that time, the growth averaged a little over a block each year since 1891, when the tests were first undertaken by the association. The falling off in the construction of new residences and the concentration of families in apartments, is probably the explanation of the slacking in the northerly trend.

There has been an increase of nearly one-third in the rural growth, and more families are living abroad, 823 in all, as compared with 713 two years ago. The many military titles indicate the many members of New York society who have given their services to their country.

949 of Society in Service July 2, 1918 (3)

The Summer Social Register for 1918 indicates the rank of 949 in the service of the United States, of which, apparently, 367 are abroad. Since April 1 only 705 people have been married, as against 956 last Spring, the banner season for weddings on record. And in the death list are numbered 245 men, as against 211 last year, and 193 women, while last year's register showed 182 deaths.

There is a falling off of about 10 per cent. in country residences, probably because so many are keeping their city homes open this Summer because of their canteen and Red Cross activities, but this decrease falls 15 per cent. against inland occupancy, as against 3 per cent. on seashore residences. Yet there are only 3,695 families at the seashore, as against 3,830 last year. Inland, 6,081 families are living, as against 7,177 last year. Of the coast resorts the New England and Western coasts show a slight gain over last year. The figures indicate that in spite of submarine activities seashore occupancies have gained over those inland. It may be recalled that at the time of the Spanish-American war while rumors were afloat regarding Cervera's fleet in June of that year seaside cottages almost went begging.

One hundred and ninety families are now living abroad, twenty-five more than last year. This Summer for the first time Detroit is added to the list of cities, as it also appeared for the first time last Winter in the Winter Register, making the twenty-second to be listed.

Decrease in Marriages July 9, 1919 (4)

The Summer Social Register for 1919, just issued presents some interesting social statistics. An increase in the residences by the seashore is indicated, slightly at the expense of the inland residences, doubtless attributable to the number of families who are solving the servant question by closing their houses for the Summer and patronizing the seashore hotels.

While the New England coast leads in hot weather abodes, the north and south shores of Long Island come second in favor, with a large percentage domiciled at Newport and Narragansett Pier. But the Hampton, including Southampton, this season show the same number of families as at the Rhode Island resorts. The north shore of Long Island Sound has 447 families in Summer residences against 438 families on the Jersey coast. There are 138 families of prominence summering at Bar Harbor, and 87 on the western coast.

Canada this Summer has 198 families, and Lenox, which is more of a between-season place, has 63. In the Adirondacks are 159 families, and 142 are noted in the Bernardsville, Morristown, and Short Hills section. About the same number as last Summer are abroad, 189 families, as compared with 190 last year.

A marked decrease in the number of marriages since April 1 is indicated. The mortality is still greater among the men, 239 having died as compared with 191 women.

Men who have been given honorable discharge from the service have a star opposite their name. The names and descriptions of yachts, discontinued last year owing to war reasons: have only been partially restored. There are noted, however, the names of 312 yachts, of which 143 are steamers, 125 sloops, and 44 schooners.

Social Centre Moves Back January 27, 1920 (5)

The centre of residence of the prominent families of New York, which has been moving north for the last thirty years at the average of one block a year, has moved back nearly one block south in the last two years. This fact is brought out in the annual report of the Social Register Association. Owing to the printers' strike. The Social Register for New York for 1920 has made its appearance late this year.

In submitting the usual biennial test to the centre of residence of society it has been found that the centre is now slightly east to a point about fifty feet below Sixty-sixth Street and half way between Fifth and Madison Avenues. Two years ago the movement uptown stopped at Sixty-seventh Street, and the backward trend is attributed to the concentration of families in the hotels and the big apartment houses on Fifth and Madison Avenues. It has been found that many of the young married couples are drifting east as far as Second Avenue, in the sixties and seventies, rather than go above Eightieth Street, in order to be as near as possible to the greatest number of their friends.

The most favored Streets seem to be East Sixty-second Street, with 245 families, and East Sixtieth Street comes next with 189 families. There are twice as many families of prominence between Fifth and Lexington Avenues, from Thirty-fourth to Ninety-sixth Streets, as there are in all of the rest of the city put together.

The marriages in society increased last years 755, as compared with 754 the year previous, and there has been a marked increase in the mortality of the women.