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After More Than 100 Years, St. Paul Woman Finally Has Headstone To Mark Her Grave

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A graveside service in St. Paul on Saturday honored a woman who had been resting in an unmarked grave for 106 years.

The service held at Union Cemetery for Emma Anderson, who served in the Salvation Army in the early 1900s, left her with a grave marker. In her lifetime, Anderson worked with Swedish immigrants in the St. Paul area.

Maj. Paul Moore with the Salvation Army heard about Anderson's story earlier this year. He wanted to honor Anderson with a headstone.

"It's a sad story...so we're glad that we can honor her now," Moore said.

Emma Anderson Headstone
(credit: CBS)

When Anderson died in 1916, she had no relatives left to put a stone on her grave.

"Our mens group has about 15 to 20 members, and they jumped right in to raise the $800 so we could have a stone out here," Moore said. "We just wanted something simple, something to mark where she is."

When Anderson died in July of 1916, she was honored by her fellow Salvation Army officers with a funeral service and procession down St. Paul's Payne Avenue.

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