‘Tales from Pioneers & Soldiers Cemetery’ Archives
Descendants of Mayflower’s John and Priscilla Alden Illness and poverty plagued Anna and Fred Clark centuries later
Bob Clark, Anna and Fred Clark's great grandson, became a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants and Founders of Patriots of America. He and his cousin Wally purchased grave markers for Anna and Fred eight decades later. By Sue Hunter Weir On January 8, 2017, Friends of the Cemetery lost one of its earliest friends when Bob Clark passed away. Bob was the great-grandson of Fred and Anna Clark who are buried in Lot 101, Block A. I met Bob in the cemetery many years ago when he and his cousin were visiting Fred and Anna's graves. Anna was one of the first people buried in the cemetery whose story caught my attention. It wasn't hard. Anna committed suicide in the cemetery on September 15, 1909, at the age of 53. She shot herself on Fred's grave. Three suicide notes were found in her purse. Parts of two notes and the circumstances of Anna's life were printed in the Minneapolis Tribune the day after Anna died. The first note, [...]
Ornate tree trunk tombstone: Recalls All Saints Day death and symbolism
A six-foot tree of sandstone with ferns and ivy has concentric rings etched at sawn-off branches. There is a cross near the top and a scroll carved with the birth and death dates. By Sue Hunter Weir Nels H. Nelson Russell died on November 2, 1898. His marker, a six-foot tall tree carved from sandstone, is one of the most distinctive in the cemetery. Stone ferns grow at the base of the tree and ivy is twined around its trunk.  Concentric rings are etched at the ends of the tree”'s sawn-off branches. There is a cross made of interlocking branches near the top of the tree, and beneath it, suspended by a stone rope, is a scroll that is carved with the birth and death dates of Mr. Russell and his wife Christina. Mr. Russell died on All Saints Day, a fact that is inscribed on his marker. It is a holy day that is observed in many forms by a variety of religious denominations throughout the world. Regardless of where or when the observation takes place the [...]
Case remains cold 104 years
More than 300 people came and helped close out our fourth season in the cemetery with the “Horrors of Dracula.” Other than the mosquitoes, it was a perfect night--beautiful weather and a big, bright Harvest Moon. Look for our season opener next Memorial Day weekend. Thanks to all of you who have supported the cemetery in so many ways.By Tim McCall BY SUE HUNTER WEIR At 5:50 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, 1912, a man checked his suitcase at the Milwaukee Road Depot. The following morning Carl Soder was on his way to work when he found that same man lying dead behind a billboard in an empty lot on 23rd Street and Lyndale Avenue South. He had been shot through the heart. An old-fashioned revolver, a Marlin 32, was at his feet. The coroner ruled his death a suicide. The “mystery man,” as the local papers dubbed him, was wearing a tailor-made suit and had a gold watch and chain, a penknife, a stickpin, his luggage claim check and $106.27 in his pockets. All of the [...]
