The Vanishing Asturians or Reverse Migration:

[Manuell Alvarez]

Hola Amigos,

The study of the U.S. Census Spanish totals for the years 1870 to 1940, has yielded some intersting information. I am currently struggling with the fact that between the years of 1930 and 1940, there was a loss of 17,499 persons of Spanish heritage from the United States. This total obviuosly does not include the children born to the Spanish immigrants during those ten years since the Census terminology used is persons born in Spain.

They simply vanished without any historical reference as to why. The most obvious answer is the Great Depression and the loss of employment. The label of persons born in Spain leads to a problem in identifying them as Asturian which I believe most of them were quite likely from that region of Spain. In my own family, there were two Uncles, one Aunt, and three first Cousins who evidently returned to Spain.

In using the terminology vanishing is maybe not quite proper, for they did not disappear into thin air. The number of 17,499. causes one to ponder on where did they go and where are the stories of their plights. I have written down my thoughts about this time period and I would appreciate learning from the other members of the forum about their family anecdotes concerning this reverse migration back to Asturians.

Manny

[Art]

Heh, don't get carried away by pride!

In some areas (especially those with zinc factories) there may have been more Asturians, but in other areas Asturians were in the minority.
See these two links for a few bits of data:
http://www.asturianus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=151
http://www.asturianus.org/forum/viewtop ... =6278#6278

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¡Ja, no te dejes llevar por el orgullo!

En algunas zonas (especialmente aquellas con fábricas de zinc) tal vez habían más asturianos, pero en otras los asturianos estaban en minoría.
Vea a estos dos enlaces para unos pocos datos:
http://www.asturianus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=151
http://www.asturianus.org/forum/viewtop ... =6278#6278

[Manuell Alvarez]

Art,

You are right, I need to be more objective with my research, especially, when I do not have any original research material such as travel documents, employment records, family anecdotes and interviews.

I feel certain that some were Asturian like my family. I can; however, probably conclude that the loss of 386 from West Virginia have a large probability of being mostly Asturians.

Manny

[Manuell Alvarez]

The internet is referring to the loss of immigrants during the 1930's as the Repatriation Removal when immigrants to this country were suspected as taking jobs from Americans. Many had to leave and go back to Spain. I often wonder how my father, his sister and brother were able to hang on in this country when public sentiment was against them. They were not helped by the Labor Laws that were passed during the Depression due to their immigrant status.

My father said that they had to pass through and fight a gauntlet of the unemployed trying to disable them so that they could take their jobs.

Manny

[Art]

I had not heard about the "repatriation removal," Manny! Thanks for sharing that, along with the personal experience of your dad.