‘Tales from Pioneers & Soldiers Cemetery’ Archives
Location, Location tells many “Tales”
Amos Pierce is the only person of those in the 35 graves in Block 3 Row 1 to have a headstone. His marker serves as a touchstone for finding everyone else in Row 1. The three-link chain on his marker tells us that he was a member of IOOF the International Order of Odd Fellows lodge””the links stand for their motto friendship, love and truth. But there is something wrong with his marker. It gives his death year as 1900 but he died on May 19, 1901. The reason why his stone was never corrected will likely never be known. By Sue Hunter Weir There are 35 graves in Block 3 Row 1. Eleven of them are empty. There are two people buried in each of two graves for a total of 25 burials in all. All but one of the burials took place between late 1899 and 1901. The graves, which are located in the northwest corner of the cemetery, near the intersection of Cedar Avenue and 29th Street, cost $10 a piece, sometimes a little less if the grave was for a child. These are 25 people connected by the [...]
Albert Emmanuel Nelson: Quarter Century Steward of the Sacred-Grounds, Stones, and Stories
Albert E. Nelson, caretaker of Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery, from 1928 until 1953, standing at the graves of Philander and Mary Prescott. Members of the Hennepin History Society had the Prescotts”' marker enclosed in stones from the first Central High School in 1926. Hennepin County History Museum Special Collections By Sue Hunter Weir It”'s a safe bet that Albert Emanuel Nelson loved Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery more than anyone else ever has. From 1928 until 1953 he was responsible for overseeing the care and maintenance of the cemetery grounds, for conserving and protecting the cemetery”'s records, and for serving as the cemetery”'s one-man public relations firm. That”'s what he was paid to do, but it does not begin to capture the reverence with which he approached his work. His interest in the cemetery and the lives of the people buried there””“the builders of Minneapolis,” as he called [...]
“Death of Another Old Citizen,” James Jones, 58
By Sue Hunter Weir James Jones James Jones was an American success story. An Irish immigrant, he worked as a common laborer for many years. After he moved to Minneapolis, he started a boarding house which, through his hard work and effort, grew into the Minneapolis House, one of the city”'s most respectable hotels. His hotel was located at the “corner 1st and Utah,” or, or as we know it, First Street and First Avenue North. Mr. Jones died in Minneapolis on July 11, 1872, from cancer of the liver at the age of 58 years. He is buried in Lot 96, Block C near four children who, judging from their ages and when they died, were his children and grandchildren. Mary Jones died on February 4, 1863, from measles at the age of six years, four months and 20 days. Emma Jones died on February 28, 1863, from diphtheria at the age of four years, three months and 19 days. According to cemetery records, she was born in the United States. Charlie [...]
