Germans in Wisconsin:

Leaving the "Fatherland" to Make a New Home

German immigrants boarding a ship for America in the late 19th century.
From the old to the new world. German emigrants for New York embarking on a Hamburg steamer. Wood engraving in Harper's Weekly, November 7, 1874.

Adapted by Laura Delikowski, from Badger History: Germans in Wisconsin written by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin © 1974

 


Leaving Germany

Between the 1840s and early 1900s, many German immigrants left Germany and Austria to find a new home in other places, such as North America. They were looking for freedom that they did not have in their homelands.

Many of them were eager to become American citizens and to have the right to vote. They knew that the United States of America was a democracy, and they wanted to be a part of it.

Courtesy of CIA: The World Factbook: Germany
Map of Germany and the whole of Europe

Courtesty of the Heinrich Scherer (1824-1894) webpage on rootsweb, an ancestry.com division.
The Scherer family home in Oconto, Wisconsin (1860-1894)

A New Home in Wisconsin

By 1850, many Germans who came to America had made homes in eastern states. When there was little land left in those states, many moved north towards Wisconsin to make a new home.

Between the 1840s and early 1900s, many Germans settled in Wisconsin. They liked the land and the climate . Many planned to farm this new land. Others chose to live in cities and towns. They found work in things such as wood-working, baking, fixing clothes, making furniture, and running shops. Many worked to save money, and many sent money to relatives in Germany to pay for them to come to America.


Many Germans came to Wisconsin seeking freedom. They wanted to be free to practice their own religions, and they wanted to be a part of the new democracy in America.

Men and women liked to live near each other. They gave German names to their villages and towns, naming their new homes after places in Germany or important German men.

The German immigrants wanted to hold on to their culture in their new homes in Wisconsin. They spoke their native language, German, in their towns, schools, and churches. They wanted to build German schools for their children because they did not want to lose their heritage .

Courtesy of Bob Reim in \
Abrahms German Methodist Episcopal Church (Built in 1883)



Many of the German immigrants who came to Wisconsin became "Americans" and brought a great deal of their culture to the state.  Today, many of their descendants still live in Wisconsin. Many still remember the heritage and are proud to share their culture with others.

Courtesy of Germanfest, Photo Gallery, "Previous Year Photos"
A band playing music in traditional German dress at Germanfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Think about it!

Courtesy of Microsoft Office images
The German flag

Think about what you have read and the pictures you saw. Use these questions to think more about Germans in Wisconsin.


1. Why did the German immigrants leave their country?

2. Why did they come to Wisconsin?

3. Where did many of the first immigrants settle?

4. What kinds of work did they do?

5. Imagine their life in Wisconsin and the challenges they might have faced. Can you think of some things that might have been hard for them?