Change in Norwegian-American Identity: Expression, as Seen through the Headstones at Washington Prairie Lutheran Church, 1864–1969

Abstract

Abstract: With all immigrant groups in the United States, there is a trend towards assimilation the longer an individual or family has been in America. However, the rate at which this assimilation occurs differs between immigrant groups, as well as varying within a single immigrant group. Though there are many ways to investigate trends in assimilation, studying changes in naming practices and language is one of the more direct methods of accomplishing this. This paper focuses on changes in identity expression of Norwegian Americans through an analysis of the name choices and language usage on the headstones at Washington Prairie Lutheran Church in Winneshiek County, Iowa. The primary source material for this project came from the headstones from six family plots and church records spanning across several decades, from 1864–1969. Through information from secondary sources, the trends in name choice and language use are considered in conjunction with an examination of factors which may have influenced these changes.