‘Tales from Pioneers & Soldiers Cemetery’ Archives
The Forgotten Residents of Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery
Tales from Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery By SUE HUNTER WEIR 1st in a Series(reprint) Editor”™s Note: Tales from the Cemetery is on hiatus this month, so this month is a reprint of the very first Tale. Reprinted from the alley July/August 2003; from alley Archives 186 Tales of Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery Every day tens of thousands of commuters pass through the intersection of Cedar Avenue and Lake Street. Most of them are unaware of the fact that they are within several feet of a major historic site. In June 2002, Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Although Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery is the oldest existing cemetery in Minneapolis, that was not sufficient reason for its inclusion on the Register. In fact, federal historic designation is an honor that is rarely awarded to cemeteries since any cemetery is, by definition, [...]
Tales from Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetary
By Sue Hunter Weir 186th in a Series Annie Erwin: She Loved Not Wisely Annie Erwin is one of the more intriguing stories in the cemetery although it”™s hard to judge how much of it is true. The source of much of the information about her was an unnamed man who claimed to have been told about Annie by her former lover. This unnamed man, in turn, shared that story with the press. His third-hand account was picked up by the Chicago Tribune on October 21, 1866, two weeks after Annie died. Pollinator alert! Spring is just around the corner. Watch for the cemetery”™sannual opening (weather permitting) around April 15th. Themarker in the forefront of the photo belongs to Magnus Norquist (1822-1901) and his wife Kiasa (1822-1910).PHOTO BY: TIM MCCALL According to Annie”™s lover she was born in England where her family had become members of the Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Annie appeared to be losing faith in her religion so her [...]
Betsy Putnam (1777-1860): I Am Not Afraid to Go Into the Woods
Tales from Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery By SUE HUNTER WEIR185th in a Series Joshua Putnam is buried in Holton, Maine. His wife, twosons, two grandsons and two great-grandchildren are buriedin Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery. Betsyand Sterne Putnam”™s graves were marked at one time butthe tablets have disappeared and all that remains are thebases. Elizabeth “Betsy” Putnam lived to the ripe old age of 83 years and ten months. This might not seem unusually old by 21 st -century standards but Betsy was born in 1777. Bearing in mind that averages are simply that””averages””the average life expectancy for someone born around the time of the American Revolution was 36 years old.In 1796, when she was 19 years old, Betsy married Joshua Putnam, a man who could trace his family”™s beginnings in what was to become the United States back to the arrival of John Putnam in 1634. Two of John”™s sons played [...]
