Location of Children from Eastern European, German, and English Immigrant Families who Died in the Fire

While German immigrants, the only group comparable in size to Eastern Europeans, had spread throughout North Collinwood by 1908, Eastern Europeans, primarily Slovenes, clustered much more densely. Native speakers of English, including English immigrants, seldom settled in the neighborhood. Such ethnic enclaves typically formed because immigrant groups sought to live near those who shared their language and experiences but also because towns, cities, banks, employers, real estate agents, and others often worked to create ghettos. We have no specific evidence, though, of how and whether banks, landlords, and others in Collinwood steered Eastern Europeans toward the pattern of separation made visible above.

Sources: US Census Data, Cleveland City Directories, Death Records of Children, Beneficiary Lists, Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, Death Certificates, The Complete History of the Collinwood School Fire, Edward Kern, In Loving Memory, Newspaper Accounts