I like to give illustrated talks about history, especially the history of the Jonathan Clark House, its occupants, their neighbors, and their lives in early Wisconsin territory and state. Back on Friday, April 24, 2026, I spoke to the members of the Milwaukee County Genealogical Society about the German immigrant experience in our area circa 1845–1910, as lived by the extended family of German immigrant—and 1868-1873 Clark House occupant and farmer—Fred Beckmann. The talk went well, and I’ve been invited to speak to the MCGS again, this Saturday, September 26, at 10:00 a.m., at Milwaukee’s Central Public Library Downtown.
Scenes from my previous MCGS presentation at the Milwaukee Central Public Library Downtown, April, 2026. Photo credit: Laura Rexroth.
What’s it about?
This month’s MCGS presentation is titled From the ‘Burg to the Battlefield…and Back: A Local German-American Family and their Civil War Experiences.
The American Civil War is a huge topic, with many famous—and lesser-known—aspects, and no one talk can cover them all. So, rather than try and squeeze a grand overview of the war and its many battles into less than an hour, we will discuss some interesting and unusual aspects of the war—as experienced by some of Wisconsin’s German-American soldiers— that may have gotten lost over time. And we’ll do this by focusing on the Civil War experiences of one local family, the siblings and future in-laws of recent German immigrant Fred Beckmann.
You’re invited!
My Saturday, September 26, 2026, MCGS presentation will be held in the 1st floor Rotary Club of Milwaukee community meeting room of the Milwaukee Central Public Library Downtown, 814 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee. The event will start with a short MCGS business meeting at 10:00 a.m. My presentation begins about 10:15 a.m. and will last about 45 minutes, followed by plenty of time for questions & answers. The meeting is free and open to the public, and I hope to see you all there.
Sound interesting? Click “continue reading” for more details.
More info…
Once the Civil War began, the Union needed soldiers. Among the many volunteers were German immigrants from southeast Wisconsin. Altogether, some four thousand German-American Wisconsin men served, most of them organized into four “all-German” regiments. They were part of the more than 91,000 Wisconsin men that fought for the Union, many of them recent immigrants from Germany, Ireland, Scandinavia and elsewhere in the Old World.
Many of these local men saw some of the fiercest action and harshest deprivations of the war, fighting in both the “famous” battles in the East, and also in the lesser-known but equally deadly conflict in “the West.” Wisconsin’s German-American soldiers sometimes fought alongside Black and Native American units and were well-aware of the brave Vivandières, the “daughters of the regiment,” women that served—without pay—to boost the morale of Union regiments and provide aid to the wounded and dying on and off the battlefield.
The experiences of our Wisconsin men in the Civil War raise all kinds of questions, including:
• who were these German immigrant soldiers?
• why did they serve?
• how did it affect their families and communities?
• how did it affect their attitudes about other, non-German, Americans?
To try and answer these questions, my talk will focus on the wartime experiences of a few members of one extended family of German immigrants from Cedarburg, the Beckmann family. I think you will find it interesting and informative.
Who’s who?
I had to do a lot of genealogical research for my Beckmann-focused talks, trying to make sense of all the extended Beckmann family connections in old Washington/Ozaukee county. The various branches of the Beckmann family intersect with many other local German-American families, in a fascinating tangle of personal and business relationships. It’s easy to get lost among all the surnames (and variant spellings), of the ADLER, BECKMANN, HACKFELD(T), PODOLL, RIGBERS, SCHULTZ, and other related families. It’s complicated.
How to make sense of it all? Well, as the vendor at the ball game used to shout, “You can’t tell the players without a scorecard!” So below is my latest “scorecard” for the extended Fred Beckmann family. For this edition of the chart, I have added a blue star next to the names of our three related Civil War participants:
• Charles Beckmann, Co. I, 26th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry
• Carl “Charles” Gottschalk, Co. B, 26th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry
• Henry Hackfeld, Co. I, 9th Regiment Wisconsin Infantry
Feel free to click on the chart to view or download, and use it as you see fit. And please let me know if you find any typos or other errors, if you have questions, or if you can add additional information.
Hope to see you there
I hope to see you there this Saturday, September 26, at 10:00 a.m. in the 1st floor Rotary Club of Milwaukee community meeting room, Milwaukee Central Public Library Downtown, 814 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee. Be sure to ask questions if you have them, and come say “hello” after the event.
In memorium…
In closing, I was very sorry to learn of the recent death of Terri Cieslak. Terri was a pillar of the Milwaukee County Genealogical Society for many years, and was the person responsible for arranging my first presentation to the society last April. Unfortunately, I did not have the chance to get to know her well, but our few interactions were always lively, enjoyable, and productive. Her obituary (here) is a testament to an interesting and spirited life well-lived. I extend my condolences to her family and large circle of friends, including her colleagues at the MCGS.