Our Neighbors 1880-1950

Like Trenton today, Trenton in the late 19th century through the first half of the 20th was a destination for newcomers seeking jobs and a better life. During those decades, the Trent House was surrounded by factories and the homes of working-class Trentonians. 

Hannah Lee, graduate student in public history at Rutgers University-Camden, used multiple sources to trace a section of the Trent House neighborhood’s changing population and highlight some of the fascinating personal histories of residents from each era.  This section draws from Hannah's research. 

The Area and Properties Studied

Hannah selected the area directly east of the Trent House in order to contrast demographic changes between major streets (Warren and Union) and inner streets (Decatur). There were 84 residential properties in this area. Between 1880 and 1950, the average population was about 330 people, ranging from 276 residents in 1880 to 409 in 1910 during the peak of Russian immigration. The neighborhood would see another spike in its population in 1950 with 389 residents when the neighborhood was becoming increasingly Black during the height of the Great Migration.

This section of the 1908 fire insurance maps prepared by the Sanborn Map Company shows the residential properties in the area that Hannah selected for study. 

The Changing Population 

At the end of the 19th century into the early 20th century, the Trent House neighborhood changed from a population comprised largely of New Jersey and Pennsylvania natives and Western European immigrants to one of Russian and some other Eastern European, mostly Polish,  Jews. The year 1880 marks the beginning of the Great Immigration, which is also known as the third wave of Jewish immigration to the United States during which thousands of Russian and Eastern European Jews settled in Trenton. In census records, Russian-Jewish immigrants first appear in Trenton in 1900 and their population peaks in 1910 and 1920. In 1880, 34% of the inhabitants in the area immediately across from the Trent House property were immigrants, but by 1910 the percentage of immigrants had risen to 80%, most of whom were Russian Jews.
 
Soon after, between about 1920 and 1950, hundreds of Black southerners migrated to the Trenton during the Great Migration. By 1930, the neighborhood was incredibly diverse with white and Black Americans and Russian immigrants living among one another, although, some streets were more diverse than others. Between 1930 and 1950,  Warren Street's residents were both Black and white, but Union’s Black population never exceeded 25% while all Decatur residents were Black by 1950.

To request access to the database and other files,
contact [email protected]. 

Report and Data 

In May 2023 Hannah gave this presentation on her research at the Trent House. The slides and her talking points can be viewed or downloaded here.

Hannah also prepared a set of posters that are being made into a booklet that will be available here shortly.

The data Hannah collected are organized into a database by street, census year, and residential address. There are also files containing maps and aerial photos; property histories; tax records; property photographs; occupational data; and census records.