N. Tzukerman

 

DURING SECOND HALF OF XIX CENTURY

(according to an official report)

 

In Wilna’s National Archives a report was preserved that was registered under the file number 1840-1988. The materials of the years 1873-1880 were sent by the official KRILOV to the Wilna General Governor.

 

As we deduce from the text, the reported statistical data are for the year 1868, that is to say some years before than was reflected in archive number. This report offers a clear view the situation of the city-district of Pruzhany, its institutions, its tasks, the population and its occupations. The following is the complete translation of the Russian text.

 

News on the city of Pruzhany

 

1. The City - District Pruzhany of Grodno is located where the two rivers converge: Mucha and Wietz.  

2. Rights of the city were granted by the Queen Anna Iagelonka and confirmed by the Polish King Sigmund III May 6 1589. The documents were preserved by the Urban Commission and they contained the writings of the following: a) Anna Iagelonka or Sigmund III, very old; b) King Ian Casimir of the year 1664; c) King Michael of year 1669; d) King Ian III of the year 1683; e) King August III of the year 1748; and f) King Stanislav August of the year 1776.  

3. Inhabitants in the city of Pruzhany: men 1819 and women 2176,in groups by religion as per the following table. 

                                                      

Population

 

Religion

Men

Women

Orthodox Russian

518

494

Catholic 

179

225

Jews 

1119

1456

Mohammedans

3

1

Total

1819

2176

Total Population: 3995

 

 

 

Nobility

 

Hereditary nobility

17

29

Personal nobility

8

12

 


 

Priests and nuns

 

White Orthodox Russian

12

15

Roman Catholic

1

--

Jews

2

--

 

 

Occupation

 

Merchants

15

12

Middle class

1540

2001

Peasants

14

61

Military

201

--

Military wives and children

7

45

Other

2

1

 

 

  1. Markets of the whole area: occurred four times a year; amount traded is 10.000 rubles. Local market occurred every Sunday. Sheep, pigs, groceries, cereals, cloths and wooden objects were sold there. Up to 2000 rubles.  
  2. In the city of Pruzhany 294 houses belonged to Christian peasants and 300 belonged to Jewish families. Business: 60. There were no industries.
  3. Surface  -includes houses and orchards - is of 167 desatins with 1892 klapter. Lands to be plowed: 970 desatins with 1132 klapter. Prairies: 267 desatins with 2018 klapter. Shepherding fields 109 desatins with 1860 klapter. Cemeteries, roads, and rivers occupy 55 desatins with 1372 klapter.  (Note a desatin = 2.07 Acres and a Klapter = 1 cord of wood) (NOTE: 1 desatin = 2.07 Acres, Klaptor is defined as a measure of wood possibly referring to the number of trees on the surface, i.e., land area)
  4. The inhabitants of the city of Pruzhany do not have commitments with landowners and for that reason they did not have to pay them any tax. In the year 1868 there were the following taxes that Pruzhany inhabitants had to pay to the national government: Taxes for budget of fiscal revenues: Jews 723 rubles with 49 kopeks and Christian peasants 509 rubles with 22 kopeks. All inhabitants of the city: Maintenance of police: 687 rubles with 40 kopeks, House properties 760 rubles.     
  5. In the city of Pruzhany there were the following administrative, judicial and social institutions whose maintenance is a charge of the government with following annual cost:  

A)     Police commission circle: maintenance of personnel, 7190 rubles; Chancellery: 1200 rubles; Commissaries (5) and Inspector (1): 1650 rubles.

B)     Judicial circle: maintenance of tribunal 2547 rubles; investigations judge 988 rubles; procurator's official 476 rubles with 92 kopeks,

C)     Protectorate for the Nobility: maintenance of the society: 620 rubles.

D)     City Duma: maintenance 716 rubles  

E)     Orphans Tribunal: the tribunal was next to Urban Commission and was directed by members and a Secretary; for that reason they should not receive a fixed amount.

F)      Salaries for Officials and Scribes of Chancellery: 4684 rubles with 77 kopeks;

G)    Pruzhany Circle Gendarmerie Commission:  Town's Gendarmerie Head earned 1611 rubles annually and had two horses for transport; Lower officials were paid annually: first guard 240 rubles, 20 under officials 3600 rubles plus uniform

H)    Barracks Commission: scribe salary 120 rubles

I)       Town head (nachalnik) had an annual salary of 312 rubles and 180 rubles for general purposes

J)      Circle Inspector: 1478 rubles, mayor's three assistants 1184 rubles, young officials 988 rubles, considering that provisions for transportation of each one was 400 annual rubles; scribe received 490 rubles; to maintain inspectors 1900; for the chancellery 600 rubles.

K)     Post Office: salary for officials, inspectors and postmen 660 rubles with 6 kopecks  

L)     School Circle: annual maintenance 2539 rubles with 50 kopecks  

M)   Primary School: maintenance annual 821 rubles  

N)    Jewish Popular School: the government does not budget an amount for maintenance; Jewish society contributes with 200 rubles.  

 

                         Signed: KRILOV and another illegible signature.

 

 

Table IX

Pruzhany's population during second half of XIX century

 

Religion

Men

Women

Total

%

Russian Orthodox

518

494

1012

25.3

Catholic

179

225

404.

16.1

Jews

1119

1456

2575

64.5

Mohammedans

3

1

4

0.1

Total

1819

2176

3995

100.0

 

As we see in the above Table, Pruzhany had 3995 souls at that time. The number of Jews was 2575 souls, or 64.5% of the population. The Russian Orthodox was next with 25.3% and then came the Catholics with 16.1%.  Jews constituted an absolute majority in our city compared with other groups.

 

The numbers shown in table, especially with regard to the Jewish population, are not as certain as to consider them absolutely correct. Jews were afraid of being registered in Revision Lists. A phenomenon existed: a greater number of women were registered than were men; the same thing happens among Catholics; but among Jews the difference is still greater. One of the causes could be that Jewish men avoided registration to escape the military. Therefore more women were registered. As we will see in the table below, women were categorized in following way

 

Religion

Women %

Men %

Jews

56,5

43.5

Catholic

55.2

44.8

Russian Orthodox

48.5

51.2

 

 

It will be interesting to compare the population's growth in Pruzhany with the census report of Brisker Ekonomie for the year 1786.  

 

As we already mentioned in a previous note (see Table IV), the Jewish population at the end of the XVIII century was 571 souls out of a total population of 1348 souls.  In percentage Jews at that time constituted the majority group, but they were not an absolute majority. Since the date the Brisker Ekonomie census was taken until second half of the XIX century, there was a considerable change in proportions among the Jewish and non-Jewish population.


 

Table X

 

Jewish and non-Jewish population growth between the end of the XVIII century

and the second half of XIX century

 

Religion

End of XVIII century

Second half of

XIX century

Growth

(times)

Jews

571

2575

4.5

Non Jews

777

1420

1.8

Total

1348

3995

2.9

 

The average total population growth according to this Table was 2.9 times. If we look at the number of Jews and non-Jews the following is noted: The Jewish population according to Brisker Ekonomie increases from 571 souls to 2575, which means a growth of 4.5 times. At the same time we see that non-Jewish population increases from 777 to 1420 for an increase of 1.8 times. Therefore we see that the Jewish population growth rate is 2.5 times the growth rate of the non-Jewish population.

 

The reason for the Jewish population's outstanding increase is not an increase in births in Pruzhany compared with non-Jews, because as is demonstrated in Table VIII the number of Jewish families in the population was almost at the same level that in the non-Jewish population. It is therefore accepted that growth was due to the decrease in the mortality. It was an outstanding phenomenon in the Jewish population. As it appears in Table II the mortality among Jewish population was barely 1.67%.

 

This phenomenon is not an exception among Jews of Pruzhany. In general the growth of the Jewish people in last 100 years is due to the decrease in mortality and not due to an increased birth rate.

 

The population's increase also resulted in an increase in the number of Jewish and non-Jewish houses. In the year 1786 there were 264 houses (it is probable that this figure is not exact because ten years later, 1796/97 the report indicates that the figure was 349 wooden houses, but it does not reflect the number belonging to Jews and the number belonging to non-Jews). Of the number of 264 houses, 69 belonged to Jews and 195 to non-Jews. This view (of number of Jewish and non-Jewish houses) is different a hundred years later.  According to a report, of a total of 594 houses, Jews owned 300 and non-Jews 294. It is important to highlight the proportional increase of number of houses in comparison with population's growth.

 

Table XI

Increase of Jewish and non-Jewish houses in Pruzhany

 

Householders

Houses end

XVIII century

Houses end

XIX century

Increase (times)

Jews

69

300

4.3

Non Jews

195

294

1.5

Total

264

594

2.3

 

We see the increase in the number of Jewish houses is 4.3 times as much as the population growth while the growth in the number of non-Jewish houses is 1.5 times as much as its population growth. We should stress that the Jewish population's growth percentage in relation to the general population is greater than the percentage of increase in the number of Jewish houses compared to the general number of houses. Jewish population in Pruzhany was 64.5% while the percentage of houses reached only 50.5%. >From this we deduce that the Jewish population's residence density grew more than the non-Jewish population. In general, residence density increased to such an extent that the population number is absorbed in a fewer number of housings.

 

Density of population in Pruzhany then was not too high. The city’s general area comprised 1691,77 hectares. This means there were 4234 square meters per person occupied by the population (which numbered 3995) people.  As there were 4234 square meters per person; each inhabitant therefore had an average per area greater in size than 65 x 65 meters. 

 

In general the areas of the city was not very built up or inhabited. Of the general area that the city occupied, only 10.7% was developed with houses, orchards and fruit-bearing plants. Occupancy by fields for cultivation was 61.9%; therefore the city was occupied to a great extent by prairies and shepherding fields.

 

Table XII

 

Pruzhany City's Surface Distribution

in the second half of the XIX century

 

Surface Distribution

Hectares

%

Houses, orchards, fruit-bearing plantations

181.21

10.7

Cultivation fields

1048.11

61.9

Prairies 

283.87

16.8

Shepherds' fields

118.56

7.0

Others 

60.20

3.6

Total

1691.77

100

 

Until this period Pruzhany had same number of housings as that of other nearby towns, but later other towns grew at a higher rate. For example, in documents of Vilna National Archives it is shown that in the same period that we had 349 wooden houses, Kobrin had 354, only 5 more that in Pruzhany. Volkovysk had 2 material constructions and 215 wooden housings. The city of Lida had only one building that was constructed with material and 241 wooden housings. 

 

At the end of XIX century when communication means were an important factor in the development of towns, Pruzhany was behind other towns. At the end of XVIII Century, the report of Brisker Ekonomie pointed out that Pruzhany would not have future due to the lack of forests and low level of rivers.

 

It is important to report on the origin of population of that time. A greater percentage of inhabitants, 88.7% were metshanes (middle class); it was also true in most other towns and cities (Table V). In addition it included the military that, together with their wives and children, resulted in the population's percentage of 6.4%. In the report each one with the class to which they belonged is registered. There were few merchants (15 men and 12 women), 0.07% of the general population. 

 

According to the document, the city should pay taxes by the amount of 3802.61 rubles. Of this amount, Jews contributed 2779,06 rubles and non Jews 1023.55, that is to say the percentage of Jewish contribution was 2.7 times as much as that of non Jews. The specific annual tax Jews should pay was 1122 rubles. This included the expenses of illumination, articles of first need and the maintenance of the Popular Jewish School.

 

The Duma was maintained with urban contribution. This demonstrated there were a number of officials who were maintained by National Funds. 

 

Table XIII

 

Occupations in Pruzhany

During the second half of the XIX century

 

Activity

Men

Women

Total

%

Nobility[1][3]

25

41

66

1.6

Pries and nuns[2][4]

15

15

30

0.8

Merchants

15

12

27

0.7

Metshanes

1540

2001

3541

88.6

Peasants

14

61

75

1.9

Military

208

45

253

6.3

Various

2

1

3

0.1

Total

1819

2175

3995

100.0

 

 

 

 

 



[1][3] In this item is personal and hereditary nobility

[2][4] Of three religions