Date of Award

12-1-1995

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Geography & Geographic Information Science

Abstract

This thesis is a necrogeographical account of the effort to ascertain, through studies of historical geography, settlement patterns, government census records, and church and cemetery records, the ethnicity of the population of Queen Township in Polk County, Minnesota. The total census population was compared to the total cemetery population to determine the percentages of Norwegians, Swedish, and other ethnic groups for the years 1900-1940. The problem was to find numerical affirmation that the percentage of ethnicity of the deceased should reflect the living population of this period.

The literature review focuses on the ethnicity, cultural landscapes, social values, visual symbolism, regionality, folklore and other readings concerning cemeteries and their locations, burial practices and beliefs, grave markers, and histories.

The methodology focuses on the collecting of data from libraries, government sources, cemetery sites, and genealogical and historical archives.

These findings show the large percentage of ethnic Norwegians both living and buried in Queen township far outnumber the numbers of Swedish or other ethnic groups. Tha addition of these findings to the literature on the geneaology and necrogeography of Queen Township and Polk County, Minnesota may help other researchers understand the historical geography and the contribution of our forefathers to this area.

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