A  view  of  the  former  Bang  Church  on  a  special  monument  erected  on  its  site.

A very active Scandinavian community began forming in the late 1800's in the area of Viborg South Dakota, including Swan Lake and Spring Valley.  By 1890 there were Scandinavian Baptist and Lutheran churches throughout these community areas, and families from Denmark and Norway were arriving to take residency in this area.  Most of these folks stayed close together and their lives focused around their churches and related activities.  Each church had a cemetery that was an important part of their heritage.

The Bang church had its beginnings in 1887 with meetings in local homes.  In 1892 land was donated by Daniel B Hill for a church building with an adjacent cemetery.  The church and cemetery were dedicated in 1894.  Eight years later in 1902 a storm destroyed the building and it was replaced but in 1915 lightning caused that building to burn so a third building was built that endured until taken down in 1971.  The Bang Norwegian Lutheran Church joined with the Elim and Bethlehem churches to form Our Redeemer Luitheran Church a few miles southwest in Yankton County.  The cemetery was  incorporated in 1970 with a board of trustees and continues to serve current and former members of the community.

The Bang Cemetery information database consists of 3 parts.

This information was prepared by Ken Tiahrt  (tiahrt@montana.edu)  with the generous assistance of the photographer, Duane Tieszen and may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use.  Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires written approval.

1.  A Cemetery Map

An aerial view of the cemetery showing the cemetery in relationship to the adjacent Turner County Roadway, 443 Avenue, gives the user a physical setting.   Very specific locations for a given burial plot can not be found using this information source.

2.  A List of Burials

A listing of the burials at Bang Cemetery – Section 21 – Salem Township – Turner County, gives the individual names in alphabetic order.  This listing also gives the date of birth and date of death when available. 

3.  Photos of Grave Monuments

Each photo is matched to the individual listed on a given line entry.  The accuracy available with the records in this document is acceptable for most genealogical purposes.  Use your browser return icon to exit from a photo and go back to this page.