Friedrich Wilhelm Beckman

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Marilyn Potter Oppenborn Steber on December 19, 2015 at 3:16pm

I guess you've already looked for Naturalization or Intention to become a citizen records and found nothing for his parents. 

1850 Census should find them listed first, and then names of other children might give a clue.  Did the parents settle in Wisconsin? If not, where? There are many German Historical Societies there and Pennsylvania. 

Did the parents go to the gold rush? 

My great-great was in the 1848 Rebellion aka Bonn Rebellion Students Rebellion and Karl Schurz Rebellion and came to "Amerika" because of his particpation in that. Many men fled Germany at that time. 

I'm guessing they were Lutherans. Church records in the city where they settled may have some information, too.

Good luck. 

Permalink Reply by Marilyn Potter Oppenborn Steber on December 19, 2015 at 3:41pm

Have you looked at Familysearch.org to find them? 

Lots of Beckmans in Prussia these days.

Permalink Reply by Patty Zoe Beckman on December 19, 2015 at 7:09pm

Yes, I check with FamilySearch, MyHeritage, Fold3, etc. on a regular basis.  I've been looking for at least eight years. 

Permalink Reply by Patty Zoe Beckman on December 19, 2015 at 7:07pm

Thanks.  I have his Naturalization and Intention records - nothing about his parents or where in Germany he was born.  He settled in Illinois.

Permalink Reply by Marianne Szabo on December 19, 2015 at 4:35pm

Where did they settle? Ohio has a large German population, as well as Texas, and Michigan.  Do you have baptism records?  I found my great-grandparents village of origin in the baptism records of their children.  They were Roman Catholic and in Latin on the record it says "ex loco", which means "from the place" and then gives the village name.  I agree about FamSrch - they have German marriage, and baptism records going back hundreds of years. Try putting his name in with his birth year and see what pops up.  FamSrch will show all name variants, but you still may have to play around a bit.  I found 5 birth/baptism records for his name or something similar (2 were RC and 3 were Evangelische or Protestant).  Also, remember that in Germany, particularly if they were Roman Catholic a child had a "church" name (usually the first name), and then a middle name, which was actually the name he/she were called by.  When he got to the U.S. his family might have dropped one of the names.  When my greatgrandfather, Johan Gerhard Booms, arrived in the U.S. he went by Johan Gerhard, then Gerhard, then just John, and finally John Henry on his death certificate (which is actually a mistake.  He dropped the Gerhard pretty quickly because I think it was hard to pronounce.

Permalink Reply by Patty Zoe Beckman on December 19, 2015 at 7:05pm

Thanks for responding.  He settled in Illinois. I've been able to track him with his Americanized name, Fredrick William Beckman.  I have not been able to find any baptism or birth records.  All I have been able to determine by his U.S. records is that he was from "Prussia" or "Germany". I believe he was Lutheran 

Permalink Reply by Joel S. Russell on December 20, 2015 at 7:40am

Where in Illinois did he settle?  I'm from Illinois and have numerous German ancestors who settled in the state.  Have you found them in church records?  That is where I've had the most luck tracking the families back to Germany.  When did your ancestor die, have you seen the church funeral record?  I've found the funeral record of the church actually often reads like an obit listing where they came from, when, even marriages.  I'd be happy to help you with this, don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Joel

http://www.rafert.org/home

Permalink Reply by Patty Zoe Beckman on December 20, 2015 at 1:16pm

Thanks for your response; you give me hope!  Frederick William Beckman (Friedrich Wilhelm Beckmann) settled in Nashville, Washington, Illinois, then moved to Denver CO sometime between 1880 and 1890). He died there in 1903. He was Lutheran, I believe, but have not checked church funeral records.

He served as a private in the Civil War, 10th Regiment, Missouri Infrantry, company E

I have some information leading me to believe that he had a brother, Henrich Louis Beckmann who also lived in Nashville.  I think he was born in 1839.

Permalink Reply by Wayne H. Vallowe on December 21, 2015 at 8:39pm

Ms. Beckman,

I know you said you looked on Family Search but is this the information you found? What I have here is based on his mothers name. Stettin is the city, it is now known as Szczecin, Poland. I hope this is what you are looking for.

Friedrich Wilhelm Beckmann 1841 - birth 15 JAN 1841 christening 21 Feb 1841 SANKT JAKOBI,STETTIN STADT,POMMERN,PRUSSIA(now apart of Poland) Add to Source Box

(Son)

1841 - Deceased • MZXP-THW

birth

15 January 1841

christening

21 February 1841

Stettin Stadt, Pommern, Preussen, Germany

Pomeranian Genealogy

Stadtkreis Stettin

Kreis History

• Stettin was the capital of Pomerania and a member of the Hanseatic League.
• Stettin became the largest German seaport with access to the Baltic Sea.
• The city is located on both sides of the Oder River.
• Stettin was a Kreis from 1818 to 1826, but became part of Kreis Randow in 1826.
• In 1857, Stettin again became a separate Kreis, and was part of the administrative district of Stettin under 1945.
• Stettin gained land from Kreis Randow in 1939.
• The city has the Pomeranian Duke's Castle, started in the 14th century.
• The city has two city gates constructed by King Frederich Wilhelm I: King's Gate and the Berlin Gate.
• Stettin has an archives that contains records of former Pomeranian residents.
• As the Provincial capital of Pomerania, and as a governmental district, many administrative offices were located in Stettin, among them, the courts of law, the imperial ralway administration, the main postal service, office for high seas traffic, chamber of comemrce and trade, and insurance offices.
• Stettin is now in Poland, and is known as Szczecin.
• Regierungsbezirk (Administrative District) Stettin

Permalink Reply by Patty Zoe Beckman on December 22, 2015 at 12:26am

Thank you for your response and for your research.  He is in FamilySearch under his Americanized name, Frederick William Beckman. I have a lot of information on him from the time he arrived in the U.S. He might be one in the same. I will investigate the Friedrich Wilhelm Beckmann you sent me.