‘Tales from Pioneers & Soldiers Cemetery’ Archives
Hester Patterson: Freedom Seeker
from the series Tales from Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery... By SUE HUNTER WEIR 230th in a Series Hester Patterson was a remarkable woman with a remarkable story. 150 years after she died, her story, and those of a handful of others, earned the Minneapolis Pioneers & Soldiers Memorial Cemetery a place on the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. The cemetery is one of two listings in the State of Minnesota. There are many gaps in her story, but in some ways, it’s amazing that we know as much about her as we do. There is little formal documentation about her—no birth certificate or census information, the types of documentation that are commonly used in genealogical research. But there is something even better: a memoir written by Dr. William E. Leonard, who was eight years old when Hester joined his household.Hester was born in Mississippi in the early 1800s and was enslaved on a cotton plantation until she was about 60 [...]
We Are So Honored
Number 229 from Tales from Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery... By SUE HUNTER WEIR Where to begin? October 2024 was one of the most exciting months in the Cemetery’s recent history. People, some born almost 200 years ago, finally received the recognition that they deserve for their bravery and resilience. There were three major events, each worthy of its own Cemetery Tale and those will appear in future issues of the alley. In the meantime… Northern Bedrock staff resetting and stabilizing the marker of Solomon Hare, African-American Civil War veteran and Buffalo Soldier. SOURCE: Sarah Musgrave Cemetery as ClassroomOn October 12, 2024, the Cemetery served as a classroom. Rethos and Northern Bedrock offered a class on marker restoration and repair. There were two sections of the class. The first was reserved for the Minneapolis Chapter of Wounded Warriors and the second for members of the general public who are interested in learning how to make sure that some of [...]
Beulah Corneal: A Remarkable Young Woman
from the series Tales from Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery 228th in a Series By SUE HUNTER WEIR Phannie Corneal was willing to try anything to save her daughter’s life. On January 18, 1911, she and her daughter, Beulah Corneal, set out for Denver, Colorado hoping that the change in climate would restore Beulah’s health. The headstone for Beulah Corneal and her half-brother Harvey Botts. PHOTO: Tim McCall Three months earlier, Beulah had been diagnosed with what doctors initially thought was typhoid. A brief mention in the November 4th, 1910, issue of the Appeal newspaper announced that she seemed to be recovering, and a few weeks later offered an update indicating that Beulah was “able to get up, but still unable to go out.” The following month, she was admitted to the hospital to be treated for tuberculosis of the skin. Phannie and Beulah spent two months in Denver and returned to Minneapolis on March 18, 1911. Beulah died from tuberculosis on March [...]
