We Go Shopping!

The Mall of America. Touted as the largest retail shopping and entertainment complex in the United States, with over 520 stores, 50 restaurants, seven nightclubs, the largest aquarium in Minnesota and an indoor amusement park.

This I gotta see.

Because one really cannot visit Minneapolis - the home of the Mall of America - without a visit to that venerable institution. It just wouldn't be...well...American. In addition, Art and I had visited the Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada, which is currently the largest shopping mall in North America (it had held the title of World's Largest Mall for 23 years, until it was dethroned in 2004 by a mall in China). So we wanted to compare the two.

Highlights definitely included the amazing amusement park in the middle of the complex. Several roller coasters, a Ferris Wheel, and other rides that made me glad I wasn't on them. There was also an incredible Lego store. Art and I were impressed with not only the number of Lego kits for sale, but also the bins and bins of individual Lego pieces one could buy. There was also an ingenious bit of marketing right in front of the store...there were two tables, one covered with Legos and the other with Duplos (over-sized Legos for young children). Employees of the Lego store were encouraging passing families to come over to the tables and build something. The day we were there, the Lego table was building little cars and then racing them down a ramp. Brilliant marketing strategy...you can bet that the majority of the kids at that table were later going to pull their parents into the nearby store to buy some Legos. Or to buy more Legos. As parents of a boy who grew up on Legos, we know you can never have too many of them.

Erin, this one's for you!

Nick, does this bring back memories?

No thanks!

One last comment about the Mall of America...I read today that even in the middle of Minneapolis' notorious winters, when the temperatures are frequently below zero, only the entrances to the mall are heated. The heat produced by all the lighting fixtures and by all the bodies inside the mall is enough to keep it comfortable. And during peak hours in the winter, they even have to run the air conditioner to maintain a comfortable temperature!

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One last genealogy update and then I promise I'll not subject you to them. For a month or so, anyway.

My genealogy goal while we were in Minneapolis was to find the grave of my paternal great grandparents, James and Jane Upton. They were both originally from Canada (James from New Brunswick and Jane from Quebec), but they met and married in Maine and then moved west, first to Wisconsin (where my grandfather and his brother and sister were born), and then to Iowa, and finally to Minnesota. Although I was able to find Jane's death certificate, I was not successful in finding her grave. But I did locate the surprising final resting place of James, thanks once again to the amazing genealogical resources on the Internet.

Because of ancestry.com, I already knew that my great grandfather had been in the Civil War. I had found his enlistment date and what regiment he had been with. And I had found him in both federal and state census records in Minnesota in the late 1800s. But I had no idea, despite many hours of researching, when and where he died and where he was buried. Enter genealogybank.com, a wondrous website that contains more than 300 years worth of priceless material, including newspapers, books, military records, and government documents. And it's all searchable! I love the Internet.

We were introduced to this incredible resource while visiting the Genealogy Library at the Minnesota History Museum. I merely typed in my great grandfather's name and poof! There appeared an article from the May 31, 1898 issue of the Omaha World Herald. This particular article was reporting on a Memorial Day celebration that had been held the day before in Montana at what was known then as the "Custer Battlefield". We know it today as the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.

As I read the article, I was mighty puzzled. Why would James Upton be mentioned in an article written about a Memorial Day observance at "Custer's Last Stand"? I knew he hadn't been with General George Custer that fateful day in June of 1876 because I had found him in various documents dating up to 1890.

And then I read...



Could this be MY James Upton? I knew he was living in Wisconsin when he volunteered for the Civil War. But why would he be buried there, in Montana? Those familiar flutters of anticipation and potential discovery grew as I quickly headed over to findagrave.com. Previously when using this site in an attempt to find James Upton, I had entered Minnesota or Iowa or Wisconsin as the state of burial. I had never considered Montana because...well, why would he be in Montana?

But son of a gun, there he was, complete with the following corraborating information:

Private James Upton

Birth: unknown
Death: Sep. 23, 1869

Private, Army, Company C, 44th Wisconsin Infantry
Residence: Royalton Wisconsin
Enlisted on 10/27/1864 as a Private.
On 10/27/1864 he mustered into "C" Co. WI 44th Infantry
He was Mustered Out on 8/28/1865 at Paducah, Kentucky

The only thing that stopped me from letting out a whoop of elation was the date of death. Because of the aforementioned documents I had found on ancestry.com that showed him alive and well in 1890, I was certain James Upton had not died in 1869. But all the other information was correct, right down to the enlistment and "mustering out" dates. This HAD to be my James Upton!

But first things first. If this was my great grandfather, what was he doing at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument? Once again, Google came to the rescue. I learned that "Custer's Last Stand" was preserved as a national cemetery in 1879, originally to protect the graves of the 7th Cavalry troopers killed and buried there. Then in 1886, there was a decision to include the burials of veterans of other wars. So as a Civil War veteran, he was eligible to be buried in what is now called Custer National Cemetery, within the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.

It was time for a deep breath. It could be him, it could really be him! The flutters of anticipation began anew. But what about that incorrect date of death?

A visit to the website of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs produced a "Nationwide Gravesite Locator" for all national cemeteries. I typed in my great grandfather's name and selected Custer National Cemetery and was rewarded with the following:

UPTON, JAMES
PVT CO C 44TH WIS INF
DATE OF DEATH: 09/23/1896
BURIED AT: SECTION SE SITE 451

Now it was time to whoop and holler! The VA listed the date of death as 1896, not 1869! That was more like it. This WAS my James Upton!

Did I mention that I love the Internet?

If you have done genealogical research yourself, then you will know the thrill, the immense feeling of satisfaction that comes when you discover that missing piece of the puzzle. I now know where my great grandfather is buried! One question answered. But you may recall my sharing with you in a previous post Genealogical Research Law #1: When you answer one question, at least two more questions appear. So here goes: why was he buried at Custer National Cemetery instead of at a cemetery (military or otherwise) nearer to his home (which at the time was Elk River, Montana)? I could assume that there was no national cemetery closer to Elk River in 1896 than Custer National, but remember Genealogical Research Law #2? Never assume anything! So I'll keep searching for the answer to that one.

Another question I can't but help ask is this: why was James Upton's grave the one chosen for the 1898 "decoration ceremony"? Was it chosen at random? Was it in a convenient location? Did someone making arrangements for this ceremony know him? This is as good a time as any to remind myself of Genealogical Research Law #3: There are some questions that will never be answered. Sigh...

Custer National Cemetery
("Borrowed" from Picasa)

We promise you that this will be the last photo of a graveyard you'll see in this blog. Well, at least until we get to New Brunswick where James Upton's parents and grandparents are buried (those would be my great great and great great great grandparents). And when we get to Salem, Massachusetts, in the fall, I'll be searching for the graves of four previous generations of Uptons. The 1600s...what a time to live in Salem!

I'd like to sign off this update with a thank you to our readers for tolerating all my genealogical ramblings. Genealogy research is hopelessly addicting...there will always be "just one more branch" to research. But my, it sure is fun!

--- Barbara
Day 33
Total miles: 3,379