% of out-of-wedlock births ca. 1880?

October 16, 2012 9:06 PM

I'm looking for the percentage of out-of-wedlock births per capita in the United States in 1880 (or, failing that, 1890). So far I'm coming up empty-handed. Specific stats for the District of Columbia will be even better, but I'm fairly certain that they're not available online.
posted by ryanshepard to society & culture (2 answers total)

Have you spoken with the research librarians at the Martin Luther King Library's Washingtoniana Collection? The Library of Congress also has a collection of materials from and about D.C., but the MLK branch is usually our go-to spot for specific research like that.
posted by jetlagaddict at 5:07 AM on October 17, 2012

I hope this helps a little. I hope you are able to locate the information, even though it appears that it may be largely an estimate.

"Trends in the illegitimacy rate for the United States are available for a relatively short period of time, because all States were not included in the birth-registration area until 1933 and estimates for the States not reporting illegitimacy were not made until 1938."

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_21/sr21_015.pdf
posted by Leenie at 10:50 AM on October 17, 2012