Archaeologically excavated historic cemeteries are a unique and largely untapped dataset for answering questions about past populations using empirical methods. One such question centers around the assumptions that infant mortality was high in societies without modern fertility control and that infant remains are more likely to be poorly preserved and recovered from archaeological contexts than adult bones. To assess this, excavated osteological populations of European descent from historic cemeteries (1600-1950 AD) were studied for their age composition as compared to historical records and Model life tables. These datasets were then considered in their taphonomic contexts to determine which factors most affect preservation and recovery. The resulting calculation of the mortality and preservation of each population were compared statistically with traditional high mortality estimates, and appliedexperimentally to cemetery populations with an unknown number of infants and children. Osteologically derived infant mortality was found to range most commonly from 10-35%, with a 10-15% loss between burial and recovery. These figures were found to be useful in assessing early life mortality in more ancient populations. The most unexpected result was the finding that loss of data, and the resulting inability to study osteological questions with excavated historic cemeteries in general, correlated with substandard archaeological methods in some historic cemetery excavations rather than natural forces. A revival of basic, traditional archaeological methodology is necessary to maintain professional ethics; the modernization of cultural resource law in America is needed to facilitate this.

Historical accounts of mortuary display during the 19th-century and evidence from archaeological investigations at historic cemeteries can contribute substantially to our understanding of related chronological and social-status issues. An inadequate understanding of mortuary practice in Texas circa 1821 to 1870 frustrates assessment of site chronology and status-related interpretations. While there are numerous studies of individual cemeteries, there is, as of yet, no synthesis of historical and archaeological data pertaining to mortuary practices in early Texas. In response to this deficiency, this thesis provides a synthesis of mortuary practices and the availability of related paraphernalia in Texas circa 1821-1870. Data from numerous cemeteries are compiled to establish a chronology for mortuary practices and to develop a seriation of select burial furnishings as an aid in assessing status-related variation in mortuary display. Results of the study, as gleaned from archival and archaeological data, indicate that mortuary display in mid-19th-century Texas is not so much a proxy of wealth, as it is a measure of popular cultural trends and economic contexts. These findings are used to reassess cemetery chronologies and status indices, including several interments at Matagorda Cemetery (1835-present), which serve as case studies.

Historical accounts of mortuary display during the 19th-century and evidence from archaeological investigations at historic cemeteries can contribute substantially to our understanding of related chronological and social-status issues. An inadequate understanding of mortuary practice in Texas circa 1821 to 1870 frustrates assessment of site chronology and status-related interpretations. While there are numerous studies of individual cemeteries, there is, as of yet, no synthesis of historical and archaeological data pertaining to mortuary practices in early Texas. In response to this deficiency, this thesis provides a synthesis of mortuary practices and the availability of related paraphernalia in Texas circa 1821-1870. Data from numerous cemeteries are compiled to establish a chronology for mortuary practices and to develop a seriation of select burial furnishings as an aid in assessing status-related variation in mortuary display. Results of the study, as gleaned from archival and archaeological data, indicate that mortuary display in mid-19th-century Texas is not so much a proxy of wealth, as it is a measure of popular cultural trends and economic contexts. These findings are used to reassess cemetery chronologies and status indices, including several interments at Matagorda Cemetery (1835-present), which serve as case studies.

This study argues that there are temporally and socially observable trends present in a sample of Protestant cemeteries from St. Croix’s Danish Colonial Period, as evidenced by the analysis of gravestone characteristics including iconography, morphology, and epitaph. Specifically, gravestones within the sample became noticeably more simplistic in the mid-19th century, which directly reflects St. Croix’s economic decline following emancipation. Although the iconographic and morphological characteristics of the gravestones for men and women and children and adults are largely identical, the epitaphic inscriptions for these groups exhibit a great deal of differentiation. Through analysis of these epitaphs, we discover that society on St. Croix was extremely similar to that of Europe and North America, in which men inhabit the public sphere, women the private sphere, and children are recognized for their cultural importance and biological vulnerability. However, I posit that women, while limited in public autonomy, did possess a degree of authority over familial structure.

Headstones manifest an abundance of historic information and embody society's cultural and socioeconomic statuses over time. Cemetery research has been conducted throughout various regions in the United States, but very little has been focused on headstone analysis in the state of Florida. The purpose of this comparative research is to use a typology established by Meyers and Schultz to compare headstone attributes of Orange County, FL and establish a temporal correlation (2012). The analysis of this study has the ability to highlight societal perceptions and ideals surrounding death and mortuary practices while providing a historical context specific to the state of Florida. Data was collected from two cemeteries in Orange County, representing the headstones of 853 individuals. The methodology of this study entailed visiting the cemeteries, photographing headstones, and noting headstone attributes. Following the model set forth in Meyers and Schultz, attributes taken into consideration for this project were stone type, shape, time period, and sex of the individual (2012). In addition to assessing headstone typology for historic cemeteries, the development of best practices for photogrammetry of headstones will be examined. The questions addressed in this research will hopefully illuminate mortuary trends in Central Florida and encourage future research and literature to shift its focus to include southern regions of the United States in terms of historical Cemetery context. Additionally, practices developed in photogrammetry can aid public archaeology conservation and restoration efforts of historic cemeteries that are endangered of being lost due to external circumstances.

While it is true that historic cemeteries are places that contain a wealth of knowledge about the history of a community they are sometimes not well maintained. The information within can be lost as grave-markers are damaged either by natural causes or human interaction. In larger cemeteries preserving these significant places can sometimes be difficult due to a number of different factors. Therefore focusing preservation efforts on specific locations where damage is more likely to occur is crucial to ensure that the monuments that are the most at risk are preserved. One possible way of accomplishing this is through the utilization of a geographic information system (GIS) to determine the shortest distance path an individual may take to reach a specific grave-marker. This can be accomplished by conducting a near analysis between an origin point and every grave-marker. These paths would also show each grave-marker that an individual passes indicating the potential for purposeful or accidental interaction. With this information efforts such as photogrammetry can be applied effectively for digital heritage preservation. Such methods would permit individuals to manipulate three-dimensional representations of grave-markers in order to preserve a large portion of the information it contains.