sentences:  Thus, the 1837 population figure of 316 inhabitants had grown to 425 by 1871, to 631 by 1905, to 607 by 1939, to 659 by 1961, to 687 by 1964, to 739 by 1969 and to 687 by 1977.Thereafter, the population figures began to shrink steadily, reaching their lowest in many years in 1988, when there were only 570 inhabitants in Erdesbach.The opening of land to new development drew newcomers to the village and the population once again began a steady rise in 1984, reaching 640 by 1996.