‘Tales from Pioneers & Soldiers Cemetery’ Archives
Cemetery: Flagpole cost $271.55, is still up 90 years later
Tales from Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery By Sue Hunter Weir 166th in a Series The 1920s was the age of flappers and speakeasies, of dance marathons and flagpole-sitting contests.  The national mood was upbeat and there seemed to be enough money to do whatever needed to be done. While members of the recently formed Minneapolis Cemetery Protective Association (MCPA) would never have been mistaken for flappers or bootleggers, they had big plans and in 1928 they began their work in earnest. Their plans included a flagpole. In May 1927 the Minneapolis City Council had voted to issue $50,000 in bonds to be sold to buy out the remaining interests of Layman family members (the third generation of Minneapolis Layman family members) and to make some much-needed improvements. The grounds were a mess.In some places wooden coffins had disintegrated, creating large craters, and in other places dirt was mounded around the emptied graves of the approximately [...]
Month of May: a mix of old and new events
Tales from Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery By Sue Hunter Weir 165th in a Series It seemed like spring would never come, but here we are at last. And that means that there will be a lot of wonderful events happening in the cemetery. One of the most important is the 151st Memorial Day observance on Monday, May 27 at 10 a.m. This year”'s keynote speaker is Lt. Col. Lori Allert, U.S. Army Nurse. Students from the Minnesota Transition Charter School will read General Logan”'s Orders and the Gettysburg Address. American Legion Post 1 will provide the Firing Team, and the Seward Community Concert Band will provide the music. Please join us for this moving tribute to veterans dating back to the War of 1812. At 1 p.m. on the 27th, there will be a seated history talk followed by an optional tour. If you”'ve always meant to stop in and visit the cemetery but never quite made it, this is a perfect chance to do just that. All Memorial [...]
Obituaries from the 1860s: Gone to glory before us
Lorenzo Prescott”'s marker was replaced last year. Obituaries can be a source of valuable information for people wanting to know about family members or other people they”'re interested in, but not all obituaries provide the same information or even close to it.  The style and substance of obituaries has changed over time. During the late 1800s up until about the middle of the 20th century, obituaries functioned as death announcements and mostly offered details about funeral and burial arrangements but little else. More recent obituaries tend to focus on achievements and accomplishments and connections to family and friends, sometimes in the newspaper, but increasingly in social media. In the 1860s, obituaries often told more about someone”'s character or beliefs. Sarah Dickey died in childbirth on Dec. 4, 1868, at the age of 41. She and her husband came to St. Anthony around 1865. He worked as a wheelwright. Her obituary ran on the front page of [...]
