‘Tales from Pioneers & Soldiers Cemetery’ Archives
Unknown, Perhaps Unwanted
Twenty of the 78 unknowns are buried beneath a marker provided by the University of Minnesota. The marker was dedicated on September 9, 2012. Photo: Tim McCall Tales From Pioneers & Soldiers Cemetery 206th in a Series By SUE HUNTER WEIR There are 78 people buried in the cemetery whose last names were recorded simply as “unknown.” They might more accurately have been called “unidentified,” since it’s likely that someone, somewhere must have known them. But no one stepped forward to claim them and most, though not all, were buried at the expense of the county in the cemetery’s paupers’ section, known as Section H. Newspaper coverage of their deaths was spotty: some deaths appeared to be newsworthy, others not. In a few cases the papers printed a description of the person who had died. An unknown man who died in April 1876 was described as being “about five feet six inches in height, with a strong frame and dark complexion.” It was general enough that [...]
Tales from Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery: Public Health Policy Saves the Lives of Mothers and Babies
Julia Abram died from complications of childbirth on June 1, 1874. She was 22 years old. Her husband remarried and Isabell, his daughter with his second wife, died on August 22, 1877 from inanition. Photo: Tim McCall By SUE HUNTER WEIR Julia Abrams was just 22 years old when she died after giving birth in 1874. Julia is only one of 110 women buried in Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery who either died during childbirth or shortly afterward from complications caused by their pregnancies. There are undoubtedly more but since doctors used a variety of words to describe the cause of death, it is hard, if not impossible, to say how many. “Peritonitis” might refer to an infection but it might also refer to something like appendicitis.The women’s ages ranged from 16 to 53. Anna Griffin was the youngest of the women; she was barely 16 years old when she died; her baby died from malnutrition 15 days later. Mary Zustiak was 53 when she died in 1915. The majority of [...]
Tales from the Cemetery: Tragedy Travels by Trolleycar
Mike Misura's marker is located next to the fence on the cemetery's east side (21st Avenue). He was killed in a work-related accident on May 5, 1911. Photo: Tim McCall By SUE HUNTER WEIR It can be hazardous moving around the city during road-repair and construction season. It is even more dangerous for the men and women who do that work. That is nothing new. On May 5, 1911, eleven workmen were repairing a streetcar track on Washington Avenue when they were struck by a streetcar. One of the men died, two others were seriously injured but survived, and the rest were not seriously injured. The accident occurred late in the evening but word of what had happened spread quickly and within a short time, “nearly 100 infuriated Slavonians ” arrived on the scene. They surrounded the car and dragged the driver, Julius Risan, out and beat him. It took four policemen to disperse the mob. They took Risan, who was described as heartbroken, to the South Side Police Station pending an [...]
