Jewish household structure in an early modern town: The Worms ghetto census of 1610 |
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Authors: | Christopher R Friedrichs |
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Institution: | 1. Department of History, University of British Columbia , 1297-1873 East Mall, Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z1crf@interchange.ubc.ca |
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Abstract: | In July 1610, municipal officials of the German city of Worms conducted a visitation of the city's Jewish ghetto. The visitation resulted in a remarkably precise census of this Jewish community, which was one of the largest in early modern Germany. In 1610, the Jewish community of Worms had a total of 759 inhabitants living in 95 households plus some additional indigents living in communal institutions. A total of 619 of those living in households (81.6%) belonged to the householders' own families while 140 (18.4%) were students, servants, or other nonrelatives. Households ranged in size from 1 to 21 inhabitants. The median household size was seven persons. One-third of the Jewish households of Worms included more than one conjugal unit, typically the householding couple plus one or more married children. |
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Keywords: | Jewish ghetto Worms Census |
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