(Tracing) Scottish Migration through the Presbyterian Church: Minnesota, 1870-1930; Using Historic Archival Data

Mark Rhodes Kent State University - Department of Geography

Project Description
The influence of Scottish religion on the Minnesotan landscape as indicated in the quantity and distribution of Presbyterian churches suggests the predominance of religion as a principal factor in the formation of Scottish immigrant communities. This study traces the transfer of Scottish religion to Minnesota. It is one aspect of a larger study looking at the transfer of religion, culture, and society from the areas of origin to the areas of settlement and examining the economic and religious values of those emigrating. Using spatial analysis as this study demonstates when added to archival and secondary sources reveals the extent that religion played in these communities. Before beginning the research it was expected that the Presbyterian Church was a major representation of the people of Scotland because the Church originated from the Church of Scotland. From this relationship the acquisition of census and historical data on immigration and Presbyterian churches in Minnesota began.

Sean Flick St. Cloud State University - Department of Geography and Planning
Methods
Once the data was acquired the Pearson r statistical correlation analysis was utilized in the comparison of the incidence of Presbyterian churches in Minnesota to the number of Scottish immigrants by county. Resulting in a number ranging from -1 to 1 the analysis is able to show how uncorrelated (-1), random (0), or correlated (1) two sets of data are. Using ArcGIS software a highly detailed project with choropleth and proportional symbol maps and a bivariate proportional symbol map was created. While there had been Scottish people in Minnesota long before 1870, there hadnt been a state long before 1870, and with the formation of the state of Minnesota in 1858 came some of the first census records. By using Pearson r correlation models* one determines that while there is a positive correlation between Scottish immigration and Presbyterian Churches it is not a perfect positive correlation and further work has and must be done to determine the influence of outside factors..

St. Louis 580 Immigrants

Number of Scottish Immigrants per County

Unfounded Counties 0 - 34 35 - 68
13 11

Results
Hennepin 1011 15 13 Ramsey 898
The 1870 map shows that both church construction and Scottish immigration are focused on the Southeast and dissipate Northwest from there reinforcing the Pearson r of .80. Causing the non-perfect relationship are three counties in the Southeast corner with a Scottish immigrant population between 137 and 170 and low levels of churchconstruction. Also, Meeker county (South Central), had between 0 and 34 Scottish immigrants (24) and yet had 4 churches built. In the 1871 to 1890 data, there seems to be much less of a pattern in the results, however the Pearson r is at its highest from all the tests. At .84 the Pearson r indicates a very positive correlation that is evident from the many 69 102 immigrant counties and their consistency in having regularly 3 or more new churches started. The role of 18th century Scottish Red River communities in southern Manitoba began to have an influence upon the Scottish immigrant and Presbyterian Church makeup of Minnesota. By 1910 the correlation between Scottish immigration and Presbyterian Churches was less pronounced. While Hennepin and St. Louis counties continued to have both high immigration and church construction much of the rest of the state remained ambiguous with only the Red River area and St. Louis County showing clear patterns. The Scottish immigration is mostly in southern Minnesota, yet the Presbyterian Church construction is random throughout the state. This may be due to the spreading popularity of Presbyterianism or the influence of other Presbyterian immigrants. Obviously by 1930 the Scottish immigration into Minnesota had become much less widespread and the founding of new Presbyterian churches minimized. The Pearson r increased from .59 to .62 mostly because the inactivity throughout the state and the concentration of churches and immigration.

69 - 102 103 - 136 137 - 170 Outlying Values

Duluth

1870 Pearson r = .80

Number of Presbyterian Churches per County

1 3 5 10

1890 Pearson r = .84

Brainerd

Minneapolis 33 St. Paul 21 Marshall Prior Lake Lake City

St. Louis 694 Immigrants

Date Range of Church Foundation

1843-1870 1871-1890 1891-1910 1911-1930

St. Louis 471 Immigrants

Conclusions and Stipulations

These results show that it may be possible to trace Scottish immigration through the Presbyterian Church, specifically into Minnesota in the late 20th century. However, there are other factors involved and complications in the gathering, presentation, and content of the data. As mentioned, not all Presbyterians were Scottish. Many were Welsh, Irish, and domestic born, thus skewing the data. Also, not all Scottish were Presbyterian. The majority of the Scottish at the turn of the century were actually non-religious, and Roman Catholicism and other religions could also be found throughout the nation. Identifying Scottish individuals within the census is also a challenge and potential source of error due to the confusions between Scottish, British, English, and Irish. As in any historic migration study, GIS can be a very useful source of information. This information however must acknowledge its potential errors and must be supplemented through primary and secondary research.

Hennepin 1121 16

Ramsey 684

Hennepin 1165

Ramsey 623

Date of Initial Church Building and Corresponding Number of Churches by City, 1843-1930

11

1910 Pearson r = .59

Pearson r = .62
Sources: ESRI, NHGIS, Presbyterian Historical Society, and the MN DNR Data Deli

1930