According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Asylum Township has a total area of 26.4 square miles (68.4 km2), of which 25.3 square miles (65.6 km2) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2), or 4.12%, is water.[3]
History
After the Haitian Revolution in 1791, French aristocrats moved from Haiti to the town, and stayed there until Napoleon let them back in France in the early 1800s.[4]
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 1,097 people, 417 households, and 319 families residing in the township. The population density was 42.8 inhabitants per square mile (16.5/km2). There were 501 housing units at an average density of 19.6/sq mi (7.6/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 98.09% White, 0.18% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.55% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.55% of the population.
There were 417 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.3% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the township the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $35,714, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $30,658 versus $25,455 for females. The per capita income for the township was $17,102. About 7.1% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
Ada Matilda (Cole) Bittenbender, born 1848 in Asylum, and by 1888 she was the first woman admitted to practice before the Supreme Court and the third woman admitted to the bar in Nebraska. She authored a chapter on 'Women in Law' in the book, 'Woman's Work in America' and was devoted to women's rights and protections.[8]
^Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
^Logan, Mrs. John A. (1912). The Part Taken by Women in American History. Women in America: Part of the American History and Genealogy Project: The Perry-Nalle Publishing Company.
