George Gottlieb Struckman was born on August 17, 1835 in Liekwegen, Schaumburg-Lippe (in the present-day state of Lower Saxony), Germany. At the time, he was known simply as the son of Gottlieb and Sophia, but he would go on to later make a name for himself in the New World.  

It is important to note that the Struckman family name may be spelled as either Struckman or Struckmann. Typically in American documents, it is spelled as "Struckman," while German records denote it as "Struckmann." For the purposes of this exhibit, Struckman will be used. 

^{Birth entry for George Gottlieb Struckman, 1835
From the church book of the Evangelical Lutheran Parish of Sülbeck, Lower Saxony, Germany
The parish served the municipality of Liekwegen
Credit: Lower Saxony State Archives, Bückeburg Department}

^{Evangelical Lutheran Parish of Sülbeck
Located on the slope of the Bückeburg, the parish offers wonderful views of the north German lowlands
and dates back to the 13th century
Credit: Evangelical Lutheran Parish of Sülbeck}

The details of Struckman’s childhood in Germany before his family’s immigration to America are sparse, but an exploration of the available data provides a glance into the Struckman family's long tenure as a staple in their native community. A deep dive into his ancestry, both maternal and paternal, reveals a wide variety of occupations held by family members, all of which benefited their neighborhoods in some way: miner, burgomaster (mayor), charcoal burner, miller, farmer, blacksmith and government inspector.  

All of Struckman's ancestors also lived, worked and attended the parishes within close proximity to the villages of Liekwegen, Sülbeck and the city of Stadthagen. The Struckman family line lived in Liekwegen, Germany from the earliest recorded time around 1600, until they immigrated to America about 250 to 270 years later. 

^{Present-day map showing the close proximity of many of the municipalities related to the lives of Struckman's ancestors in Germany, including: Sülbeck, Liekwegen, and Stadthagen (highlighted on map)
Credit: Google Maps}

In addition to exploring Struckman's ancestral beginnings in Germany, an understanding of the locality and time period in which they lived can be constructed. Liekwegen, the village where he and his family lived, is located within present-day Schaumburg. Schaumburg is a municipality in Germany's second largest state, Lower Saxony. 

Schaumburg-Lippe was one of the smallest German states until the end of World War II. It was originally a county, but to protect its independence, it joined the Confederation of the Rhine on April 18, 1807 and thereupon became a principality. In 1815, Schaumburg-Lippe joined the German Confederation, and then in November of 1837, it joined the fiscal union of the northeastern German states. In 1839, the population of Schaumburg-Lippe was reported as 27,468. 

George Struckman was born into a rather tumultuous period in Germany's history. After experiencing a swift population growth in the 1830s and 40s, a severe economic depression halted industrial expansion, decreased job availability and aggravated urban unemployment. At the same time, a series of bad harvests led to a major famine. Discontent from the lower classes, which had long been suffering, turned to open rebellion.   

There were sporadic hunger riots and violent disturbances in several of the German states, but the signal for an organized uprising did not come until early in 1848, when the regime of the bourgeois King Louis-Philippe had been overthrown by an insurrection in Paris. The result was a series of sympathetic revolutions against the governments of the German Confederation, most of them mild but a few, as in the case of the fighting in Berlin, bitter and bloody. The revolutions demonstrated the prevailing discontent with the traditional, largely autocratic political structure of the independent states of the confederation and called for political unification through a national assembly representing all of Germany. 

To their demise, the parties involved in the revolutions could not agree on how to achieve their aspirations. The middle-class participants were committed to more liberal principles, while the working class focused on improving their working and living conditions. As these groups began to split, popular support for the revolution dwindled. The groups realized they could do no more to solve the overarching problems of the nation than the conservatives had. This provided the aristocracy with an opportunity to defeat the uprising. By November of 1850, the restoration of the German Confederation and the old order was fully reestablished in all its weakness and inadequacy.

The years that followed saw a tightening of the chokehold the aristocracy held over its people. Those who had dared to defy royal authority were forced to pay the penalty of harassment, deportation, imprisonment or even death. Liberals were forced into exile to escape political persecution, many seeking refuge in democratic nations such as the United States.

Although the exact influences for their departure may never be known, the Struckman family joined the wave of German emigrants heading to America in the 1850s. Whether his family was directly involved in the fight for democracy in Germany or whether they were simply seeking fertile new lands and opportunity, George Struckman would later show his dedication to the cause of a unified nation and representative government.

The revolutions of 1848-49 failed to establish democracy in Germany and caused a wave of mass emigration. Nearly one million Germans immigrated to the United States of America in the 1850s, the Struckman family among them. 

On August 20, 1850, 15-year-old George Struckman, along with his parents and siblings Caroline, Carl and Julianna, departed Bremen, Germany aboard the Magdalene for his new homeland in America. It is believed that the eldest son, Frederich, immigrated earlier. Immigration and passenger lists support that a "Friedrich Ernst Struckmann" arrived in America from Schaumburg in 1845.

The ship Magdalene carried passengers to either New York or New Orleans, returning to Germany with a cargo of tobacco or cotton. Arriving in New York, the Struckmans joined thousands of others coming through the nation's "gateway state." In terms of migration, New York absorbed most newcomers from abroad. In 1850, when the U.S. census first recorded birthplaces, Germany was second only to Ireland in terms of leading birthplaces for residents not born in New York. 

^{"From the Old to the New World" shows German emigrants boarding a steamer in Hamburg and arriving in New York
Harper's Weekly, (New York). November 7, 1874
Credit: Wikimedia Commons}

Not only did the Struckman family arrive through America's most popular entry point, but they also left through one of Germany's most frequented emigration routes. Due to its location on the Weser River, the city of Bremen developed into one of the major ports of embarkation for German emigration in the 19th and 20th centuries. An 1832 Bremen law meant to protect emigrants only increased the port's popularity. Many emigrants came up the Weser River by barge. Bremen took advantage of the would-be emigrants and provided accommodations and travel necessities. The city of Bremenhaven processed the emigrants at the Emigration Office, part of which still stands today. Between 1850 and 1880, 38% of the emigrant ships arriving at Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports of North America were from Bremen/Bremerhaven.

^{View of Bremen, Germany
ca. 1890 - 1900
Credit: Library of Congress}  

In addition to wetness and darkness, overcrowding was another common issue. Each passenger was accommodated in a space of only 6 feet by 2 feet, and bunks for sleeping were often stacked on top of one another. With little space and plenty of people, filth and odor permeated the air. Smells of stagnant water, rotting wood, urine, vomit and body odor persisted. Toilets were usually located up on the deck of the ship, where weakened passengers could not access them. Additionally, during storms or inclement weather, passengers would remain locked in steerage unable to use the restroom up top. Passengers often used buckets to relieve themselves or vomit from seasickness. 

Unsurprisingly, rats were a routine sight and illness spread quickly. Three diseases in particular were rampant on ships: cholera, typhus and smallpox. Typhus, especially, was common in crowded conditions, earning it the nickname of "ship fever." Oftentimes there was no doctor on board, so passengers had to rely upon remedies from a medicine cabinet in the captain's quarters. These remedies were typically not effective against any of the more serious illnesses.

^{Dying steerage passengers, ca. 1850
Credit: shared by Tom Hutchinson for Ocean Liners Blog}

^{Registering Emigrants, ca. 1866
Credit: Library of Congress}

^{Passing the Inspecting Physician,
ca. 1866
Credit: Library of Congress}

^{Immigrants just arrived, awaiting examination, ca. Between 1870 - 1920
Credit: Library of Congress}

Despite the odds, the entire Struckman family survived the voyage and made it through the necessary checkpoints. They headed towards the fertile lands of Illinois to start a new life in the New World.

When George Struckman and his family landed in the United States of America, their voyage to a new nation was complete, but their journey to find a new home was not. The United States was 74 years old when the Struckmans immigrated. Slavery was legal in 13 southern states. The Fugitive Slave Act and the Compromise of 1850 were adopted. Millard Fillmore just began his presidency the month before. Nathaniel Hawthorne penned "The Scarlet Letter" and gambling and baseball were the favorite American pastimes. With California achieving statehood, the westward expansion, fueled by the Gold Rush, was in full swing. The Women's Rights Movement was just beginning. Horse-drawn stagecoaches were the primary means of overland travel. 

Immigration was increasing dramatically, especially from European countries. Following in the footsteps of many other German immigrants, the Struckmans headed to the state of Illinois in the Midwest. In 1850, Germans comprised 35.9% of all foreign-born adult males in the state. It is unknown what factors personally influenced the Struckmans to choose this state out of the many other options, but it does not appear that their eldest son, Friedrich, settled here when he immigrated in 1845. Evidence for this comes from the 1860 census in Minnesota, where Friedrich was recorded.  

It is possible that the Struckmans knew of other family members or friends traveling to Illinois or that they were advised of the state’s potential for success as immigrants. It seems likely that the family chose to settle in Hanover Township because they were aware of the township’s growing German population. After the failed revolutions of 1848-49, Germans flocked to Hanover Township in large numbers. Most of the Germans were Protestants from the Kingdom of Hanover (hence the township’s name), the Electorate of Hesse-Kassel and the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt. Hailing from Schaumburg-Lippe themselves, which partially belonged to Hesse-Kassel and bordered Hanover, the Struckmans fit the mold. 

^{Historical map of Hanover Township. The Village of Bartlett can be found near the bottom, off-center
Credit: Hanover Township: Rural Past to Urban Present. Alft, E.C. A joint publication of the Bartlett Historical Society,   Elgin Area Historical Society and Streamwood Historical Society}

The German influx was evident by the 1860 census, when two-thirds of the 158 heads of households in Hanover Township were foreign born. Of those, 68 were of German heritage.

^{This bilingual auction poster is a reminder of the German presence in rural Hanover
Credit: Hanover Township: Rural Past to Urban Present. Alft, E.C. A joint publication of the Bartlett Historical Society, Elgin Area Historical Society and Streamwood Historical Society}

When the Struckmans arrived in Hanover, it was a newly organized township as of April 2, 1850. This decision was made primarily to provide government closer than the county seat in Chicago. Land was divided like a checkerboard into six-mile squares called townships. Each township was roughly 36 square miles.

^{Hanover Township, ca. 1851
Map of the Counties of Cook and DuPage, the east part of Kane and Kendall, the north part of Will, state of Illinois
James H. Rees. Chicago, Illinois
Credit: Library of Congress}

The rural government was concerned with collecting the tax, stray animals, control of weeds and maintenance of roads. After spring and fall rains, roads were apt to become long black ditches of mud, so this was quite a chore. The clerk organized the machinery for elections. Another government function, "poor relief" was minimal.

It was often the rich land that beckoned people to this vicinity. Many of these immigrants first worked as farm laborers and later purchased land of their own with hard earned savings. This was the case with the Struckmans, who began farming after settling in the newly formed Hanover Township. 

^{1860 census entry for the Struckman family
1860 United States Federal Census. Hanover, Cook, Illinois
Credit: Ancestry.com}

The entry as transcribed reads:

Name: George Strokeman
Age: 24
Birth Year: 1836
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Hesse-Kassel
Home in 1860: Hanover, Cook, Illinois
Post Office: Elgin

Notice the error in both the spelling of the last name and birth year/age.

For the first 10 years of his new life in America, George stayed with his parents and worked as a farmhand on their land. By 1860, his father Gottlieb reported a real estate value of $5,370 and personal estate value of $1,500. George's older brother Carl Gottlieb also helped with the family farm, while their other siblings had moved in various other directions. 

As previously mentioned, George's eldest brother, Friedrich or 'Fred," was living in Minnesota with his wife and children. His eldest sister, Caroline, was living close to their parents' home in Hanover with her husband and children. George's younger sister Julia was in nearby Elgin, Kane County, listed in the home of Martha and Q.V. Williams. The 20-year-old's occupation was listed as "serving out," which likely meant that she was a servant, a common occupation for girls at that time.

A decade after their immigration, everything seemed well for the Struckman family, but one year later monumental events would test their allegiance to their new homeland. Struckman was more than willing to answer the call. 

Tensions over states' rights, territorial expansion, the economy and slavery boiled over in the year 1861. At 4:30 a.m. on April 12, Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor. Less than 34 hours later, Union forces surrendered. Traditionally, this event has been used to mark the beginning of the Civil War, although a series of prior events in the senate laid the groundwork. 

^{Confederate flag flying over Fort Sumter following the attack 
Photo taken on April 15, 1861 by Alma A. Pelot
Credit: Wikimedia Commons}

When the Civil War officially began in 1861, Struckman, aged 26, helped organize a company of farmer boys from the Hanover Township region. The company attempted to unite itself with General John Farnsworth’s regiment at St. Charles but failed. Instead, the men went to St. Louis and enlisted under General Franz Sigel in the 4th Missouri Cavalry, Benton Hussars. 

Sigel was one of the Union Army's most controversial generals. He joined the German Revolution of 1849 and served as the rebel government's minister of war. When the revolution failed, he immigrated to the United States of America, where he became the superintendent of the Saint Louis public school system. His greatest contribution to the war effort was his ability to rally the north's German population to the Union cause. Sigel formed five nearly all-German regiments in St. Louis to keep Missouri in the Union. A popular song of the Civil War era, “I Goes to Fight mit Sigel,” conveyed the loyalty of these new Americans. 

^{Song sheet for “I'm going to fight mit Sigel,” by John F. Poole
Credit: Library of Congress}

The first verse of the song reads:

“I've come shust now to tells you how
I goes mit regimentals,
To schlauch dem voes of Liberty,
Like dem old Continentals,
Vot fights mit England, long ago,
To save de Yankee Eagle;
Un now I gets mine sojer clothes,
I'm going to fight mit Sigel.”

Struckman enrolled as a private in September of 1861. The Benton Hussars Cavalry Battalion participated in skirmishes at Hunter’s Farm near Belmont and Bird’s Point, Missouri, operations about Ironton-Fredericktown, an engagement at Fredericktown Expedition from Bird’s Point against Thompson’s forces, and duty in southwest and southeast Missouri until February 14, 1862, when they were assigned to the 5th Missouri Cavalry. 

One month later, Struckman and his fellow Benton Hussars would be involved in one of the war’s most decisive events – the Battle of Pea Ridge. More than 26,000 soldiers struggled for two days in northwest Arkansas in the battle that would decide the fate of Missouri. Control of Missouri was the key to winning the war in the west. 

The Battle of Pea Ridge (or Elkhorn Tavern, as the Confederates named it) was fought on the 7th and 8th of March, 1862, one month before the battle of Shiloh. Seeking to clear secessionist forces out of Missouri, Union General Samuel R. Curtis pursued General Sterling Price into northwest Arkansas, only to be attacked by the combined Confederate forces of Price and General Ben McCulloch. Despite the Confederate Army’s larger force, the Union rang victorious at the end of the fighting. 

^{Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, ca. 1889
Credit: Library of Congress}

The Battle of Pea Ridge was the first clear and decisive victory gained by the north in a pitched battle west of the Mississippi River and, until Price’s invasion of 1864, the last effort of the south to carry the war into the state of Missouri except by abortive raids. General Sigel and his troops, including the Benton Hussars, were an integral part of this battle. More than half of the Union soldiers that participated were German immigrants. 

^{General Franz Sigel at the Battle of Pea Ridge, ca. 1862
Credit: Library of Congress}

Brigadier General Alexander Asboth recalled the Battle of Pea Ridge in his report, “…and two companies of the Benton Hussars, under command of Major Heinrichs, were guarding the rear of the engaged army, and encountered the enemy about 4 miles from Sugar Creek, on the Bentonville road. They opened and exchanged fire with them with shell and spherical case shot until dark, when they retired towards their camps. I advanced with the Benton Hussars during the night of the 13th to Little York, and as it was a very cold night, the road being covered with a crust of ice, we had to move slowly. On this night march about eighteen horsemen, including myself, had their feet frozen. In the neighborhood of Marionsville we captured a wagon train and 150 stragglers of the enemy, and arrived at McDowell’s just at the moment when, after a short engagement, the left wing had driven Price’s rear-guard out of the place…”

Approximately 2,000 to 2,500 Confederates and 1,384 Union soldiers fell in battle at Pea Ridge, including a large number of officers. The battle was an important early turning point in favor of the Union, which maintained formal military control of Missouri for the remainder of the war. 

Following the Battle of Pea Ridge, First Sergeant Struckman received his commission of second lieutenant from the governor of Missouri on February 15, 1863. Later that year, a military telegraph dated July 6, 1863 from Brigadier General Asboth to Major Gustavus Heinrichs, both of whom fought at Pea Ridge, stated, “I recommend you reprimand Lieutenant Struckman and restore him to duty if you think he will take warning by his arrest.” The exact charge against Struckman and the reason for his arrest were not included in his Civil War veteran’s records, but he was returned for duty by the following year.  

The company muster roll in May and June of 1864 stated that Struckman was “on expedition with General A.J. Smith.” During this time, General Andrew Jackson Smith was engaged in the Red River Campaign, an effort by the Union to seize control of the important cotton-growing states of Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas. This campaign lasted from March to May, 1864, and was under the command of Major General Nathaniel P. Banks. 

More than just a military expedition, this Union campaign was designed to accomplish two major goals: secure cotton for the northern textile mills and end any hope of French intervention through Texas. As for the first goal, unemployment was rampant in many northern states due to textile mills closing for the lack of cotton. This was causing some domestic unrest, and congressmen up for re-election that fall pressured President Lincoln to do something about it. President Lincoln thought it imperative that the Union regain control of Texas to discourage the French from making inroads. The Union’s efforts were unsuccessful in the end, and this controversial battle was the last major victory of the war for the south.

^{Harper’s Weekly illustration of Confederate forces attacking Union gun-boats during the Red River campaign, ca. 1864
Credit: Library of Congress}

On October 25, 1864, Struckman was “mustered out by reason of expiration of service.” The war continued until General Lee’s surrender on April 9, 1865. 

^{Struckman’s muster-out record, ca. 1864
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums}

With three years of service completed, Struckman returned home to his family in Hanover Township and resumed his place on the farm. He remained active in veteran groups and activities throughout his life. He was a member of the Grand Army Republic (GAR), a veterans' organization formed at the close of the Civil War. This group was formed by Union veterans and chartered in Illinois in 1866, before quickly spreading all across the nation. Membership reached its peak in 1890, when more than 400,000 members in well over 7,000 posts were reported. Each community level organization of the GAR was called a "post." According to GAR records, Struckman joined Post No. 49 in Elgin, Illinois on August 21, 1908. 

^{Obituary for George Struckman, ca. 1920
The last paragraph states that Struckman was a member
of GAR Post No. 49
Credit: The Elgin Daily Courier (Elgin, Illinois)
May 24, 1920}

^{GAR memoriam ribbon from Post No. 49,
of which Struckman was a member
 The lettering reads, "In Memoriam Veteran Post No.49 Elgin, ILL."
Credit: Elgin Area Historical Society}

^{Group shot of Grand Army Veterans taken on May 30, 1908
Individual believed to be George Struckman is circled
Credit: Elgin Area Historical Society}

The organization of the GAR was based upon three objectives: fraternity, charity and loyalty. The GAR uniform was a double-breasted, dark blue coat with bronze buttons and a black, wide-brimmed slouch felt hat with golden wreath insignia and cord. A bronze star badge hung from a small chiffon flag. The star in relief depicted a soldier and sailor clasping hands in front of a figure of Liberty.

^{Civil War veteran John W. Pollard,
who served in the 83rd U.S. Colored Troops, in the Grand Army of the Republic uniform with medal
Credit: Library of Congress}

Throughout its time, the GAR served many roles. At first, the group focused on fraternal activities, such as holding regular scheduled meetings, where the "camp-fire" activity was a favorite. A group of comrades would sit in their hall or around dinner tables, singing old war songs, recounting wartime experiences and swapping accounts of their deeds. As time went on, the organization took on more responsibilities, such as setting up a fund for the relief of needy veterans, widows and orphans; arranging loans and finding work for veterans; encouraging the preservation of Civil War sites, relics and historic documents; commissioning monuments and statues; donating items from war to museums; and building or finding soldiers' homes.

In its later years, the GAR became more politically active and was engaged in relief work and in pension legislation. Five members were elected President of the United States and, for a time, it was impossible to be nominated on the Republican ticket without the endorsement of the GAR voting block.

The GAR's principal legacy to the nation, however, is the annual observance of May 30 as Decoration Day, or as we know it, Memorial Day. General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the GAR, requested members of all posts to decorate the graves of their fallen comrades with flowers on May, 30, 1868. By the next year, more people joined in and honored the dead with eulogies. After World War I, Decoration Day transformed into an even larger production with new celebrations and ceremonies for the most recent wave of fallen soldiers.

^{Celebration of the fifth Decoration Day at Arlington Cemetery, May 30, 1873
Credit: Library of Congress}

It is also possible that George Struckman was a member of the German American Veteran Association, as cited in a Chicago Tribune article from 1895. His name is listed as one of the staff assisting with a parade celebrating the veterans of the "German wars."

^{Chicago Tribune article about a parade celebrating German veterans
Chicago, Illinois. September 1, 1895
Credit: Newspapers.com}

Upon returning home from war, George Struckman married Christiane 'Christina' Busche, who was 14 years his junior, on August 23, 1866. 

^{Marriage license for George Struckman
and Christiane Busche, ca. 1866
Credit: Genealogical copy purchased from
the Office of the Kane County Clerk} 

Like her husband, Christina was born in Liekwegen, Germany, and immigrated to the United States with her family in 1856. The family also settled and farmed in Hanover Township, where she met George. The couple shared a familiar hometown, immigration journey and settlement location. 

Following their union, George and Christina lived on a farm that appeared to be adjacent to his father’s farm in Hanover Township. According to the 1870 census, two hired hands, a maid and a cousin’s son lived with the family that now had two children William and Amelia. 

^{1870 census entry for the Struckman family
1870 United States Federal Census. Hanover, Cook, Illinois
Credit: Ancestry.com}

Oldest son William was born in December of 1866, four months after his parents wed. He attended the Elgin Academy, which was established by charter of the Illinois General Assembly in 1839 to provide students with a classical education. The academy's original building, Old Main, was constructed between 1855 and 1856. It now serves as a museum of the Elgin Area Historical Society.

^{Modern photo of the original
Old Main building at
the Elgin Academy
Credit: Wikimedia}

William continued his education at the University of Michigan Law School, practicing law thereafter for some 40 years in the Chicago area. William lived in Berwyn with his wife Alvena and children George W. and Maria. 

^{University of Michigan catalogue of graduates
showing William Franz Struckman, ca. 1923
U.S., College Student Lists, 1763-1924
Credit: Ancestry.com}

^{William Struckman and his wife Alvena,
along with children George and Maria
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums} 

The couple welcomed their second child, daughter Emilie ‘Amelia’ in May of 1868. Amelia never married and lived with her parents until they passed. In their later years, Amelia and her sister remained in the family home, never reporting an occupation to the census.

Daughter Ida joined the family in 1870 and, similarly to sister Amelia, would never marry and lived with the family until her passing. Ida was visually impaired, so her family looked after her. 

^{Obituary for Emilie ‘Amelia,’ ca. 1935
Credit: Ancestry.com}

^{Ida Struckman (1870-1955)
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums}

Youngest son Emil was born in 1872 and also went on to attend college in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He married Agnes in 1901 and the couple had two children Marion and Robert. Emil worked as a traveling machinery salesman in Omaha, Nebraska, but by the late 1920s, he had become the superintendent of schools in Malta, Montana. Emil and his wife returned to Bartlett and the family home in the late 1930s to assist his sister Ida. Emil began teaching at Bartlett High School, the two-year high school. He was later the principal and also served as village clerk from 1941 to 1945. 

^{Emil Struckman (1872-1968)
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums}

George and Emil shared a unique experience, attending the World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World’s Fair, together. The exposition, held in Chicago in 1893 as a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World, was an influential social and cultural event. Emil served as a tour guide, accompanying visitors to the multiple attractions and sharing information and insights to make their experience memorable.  

^{Badge from the World’s Columbian Exposition, ca. 1893
George Struckman’s name is etched onto the gold bar atop the ribbon. It is believed that Struckman wore it while attending the fair, as he was Cook County Supervisor
at the time.
Credit: Image by Village of Bartlett Museums}

^{Back of the World’s Fair photo with Emil’s writing documenting the buildings within the Court of Honor, including the Administration Building and the Columbian Fountain.
Notice the stamp on the back of the photo, commemorating the Exposition celebrating Christopher Columbus’ arrival in America, as well as the staining of another photo onto this one
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

^{Obituary for Emil Struckman, noting his career as a principal
Credit: Ancestry.com}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While still living in close quarters on the farm, it appears that all of the Struckman children were sick with measles in 1880. Symptoms included vomiting, fever, watery eyes and a vivid red rash. The disease hospitalized an average of 48,000 Americans each year through the 1960s, sometimes leaving the survivors compromised with brain damage or deafness.

^{1880 census entry for the Struckman family (page 2), showing the children were all sick with the measles
1880 United States Federal Census. Hanover, Cook, Illinois
Credit: Ancestry.com}

The Struckmans moved into Bartlett in 1886 after 51-year-old Struckman purchased a home on lots 15 and 16 in Jacob’s Addition for $1,300 on April 28. The circa 1885 Victorian Italianate style family home at 400 W. Oneida remained in the Struckman family until the mid-1950s, when Emil sold it and moved to New Jersey to live with his daughter.

 

^{The Struckman home, 400 W. Oneida Avenue
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums} 

According to the records of Immanuel United Church of Christ, the Struckmans were never formal members. However, George Struckman did play a role in the congregation’s charter in 1891 under the name of Immanuel Congregation of Bartlett, the same year the Village of Bartlett was incorporated. He was asked to be a member of the building committee and was elected chairman of the finance committee to handle the soliciting of the necessary funds.

Church records show that the congregation purchased lots, had architectural plans drawn and built the church for a cost of $1,825.00. On March 13, 1892, the sanctuary was dedicated and the congregation was debt free. Struckman's daughter Ida was confirmed there and son Emil was married there and had his first child baptized there. In 1916, Struckman sold two lots to Immanuel, allowing the church’s future expansion to the west. 

Immanuel United Church of Christ is Bartlett’s oldest continuing congregation. The church is located directly to the north of the Struckman home.

 

 

 

^{c. 1900 postcard of
Immanuel United Church of Christ
Left to right: church school,
parsonage, church
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums}

 

 

 

 

 

 

An intimate look into the family dynamic can be seen through the memories left on the pages of the autograph books of Ida and Amelia. The family wrote encouraging quotes and short poems, highlighting their support for one another, during the years of 1879 to 1881. Text for each entry is included as a caption for the images.

 

^{Left page: “Ida Struckmann”
Right page: “Autographs”}

 

 

 

 

 

 

^{Left page: “Ida - If truth from error you should learn, apply your mind with care. Avoid the wrong, the right desern [sic] (should be discern) and thus truth I share. Your brother, William.”
Right page: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Emelia Struckmann.”}

 

 

 

^{Left page: “German..”
Right page: “April 6th, 1880. George Struckman. Hanover, Cook Co., Ill (Ilinois).”} 

 

 

 

 

^{Left page: “Mamie Krull. 517 22. [illegible]
Right page: “Emelie - See here Emilie, don’t you laugh, when you gaze on this, your brother’s autograph.
Your brother, William.”} 

 

 

 

^{Left page: empty
Right page: “Your father, George Struckman.
Hanover, Cook County, Illinois. April 6th, 1880.”
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums} 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throughout his adult life, George Struckman was a prominent Republican leader in state, county, and local government. His involvement in politics began shortly after his return from the Civil War. He was elected to his first position within the Hanover Township government, that of justice of the peace, in 1865. One of the duties of the justices was to certify the expenses and receipts of the township. The annual stipend for the position was $1.00. 

In the following years, Struckman would hold many different positions within township government, some elected and some appointed. The image below lists the dates and titles of these positions (not including his terms as supervisor or president of the Village of Bartlett):

^{George Struckman was a school board trustee when township School District #6, Bartlett, was formed
The board split District #7 at the urging of township parents to create the new district
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums}

In 1881, Struckman easily won the election for Hanover Township supervisor by a vote of 152 to 2. During his year as supervisor, a motion was made to continue the ordinances passed in 1880 and 1881, which forbade cattle, horses, sheep and hogs from running at large. Also in that year, every male inhabitant of the township was required to labor for two days on the highways being constructed within the township limits. 

During his term as supervisor, Struckman also replaced two officials. Township Clerk Peter Sharp “left town and state,” so Bartlett granary owner Seth Lobdell was appointed to fill the post. Struckman was required to fill the second vacancy following the death of a highway commissioner.

 _{Seth Lobdell, Township Clerk appointed by George Struckman
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums} 

The township had $455.74 on the books that year. One source of revenue was township and county taxes. The assessment rate was now 30 cents on every $100 worth of real estate and personal property. Other sources included the fees charged by the township pound master and a dog license fund. The two brought in $90.28 worth of revenue.

Expenses for the year included $18 paid to the highway commissioner for his services, 70 cents paid to Louis Struckmeir for filling a collector bond and $21 to Struckman for his services as supervisor. The balance of $183.92 was carried over to the new budget of 1882 and a newly elected supervisor.

On March 24, 1891, Struckman was elected Bartlett's first village president. He, along with newly elected trustees John Carr, Jacob Schmidt, August Schick, Herman Niewisch, Charles F. Schultz and Henry Waterman held their first board meeting the next evening to start determining the course of the recently incorporated Village of Bartlett. A total of five meetings were held that first week to establish committees, procedure rules and various ordinances. Early ordinances dealt with licensing saloons and peddlers, constructing streets and wooden plank sidewalks and village operations.

^{The official oath for George Struckman’s election to the office of village president, ca. 1891
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums}

^{George Struckman’s signature, including his title as president of the village of Bartlett, ca. 1891
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums}

Struckman also presided over the establishment of the police department and cemetery in 1892 and volunteer fire department in 1897. In his initial administration, the first village hall was erected. 

^{Volunteer Fire Department posing with a water pumper, ca. 1897
Struckman is the sixth man on the left (circled)
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums}

A new century saw the return of Struckman to Bartlett politics. In 1901, he once again served as president, presiding over the following committees: finance, streets and highways, cemetery, ordinances and licenses. During his second tenure, new inventions came to the village, including the telephone and the automobile. The president and trustees focused on day-to-day municipal business, such as tax levies, dog licenses and cement sidewalks. The May 1, 1911 board minutes stated, "... Moved by Trustee Schmidt that president Struckman be given a vote of thanks as retiring president of the Board, for his long and continuous service as the village president of the Village of Bartlett. Motion carried."

To date, George Struckman is the only village president who has been elected to serve at two different times. He is also the longest serving village president, committing 18 years to the community.

In addition to participating in various roles within township government, Struckman also represented his municipality at the state level. His first election to the Illinois State Legislature occurred in 1878, at the age of 43. He was a representative from Hanover Township.

He was re-elected in 1880, this time listed from Kane County because he used an Elgin P.O. box. The election records of 1882 refer to Struckman as coming from Cook County because he used a Chicago P.O. address. During this time period, Struckman was residing on his farm in Hanover Township.

^{Modern photo of the Illinois State Capitol building
Ground was broken for the new building in 1868 
Credit: Wikimedia Commons} 

Struckman’s representation must have been well-received, given that on September 10, 1892, the Elgin Advocate reported, "Our townsman, Honorable George Struckman, has been nominated for president of the County Board on the Republican ticket." He served as county president from 1893 to 1894. 

According to the book History of Cook County, "At the close of the fiscal year 1894, president Struckman reviewed what had been accomplished by the County Board. He said that he did not know why the expression 'clean and businesslike' should not be applied to the administration of county affairs for the past year. The previous administration had been conducted in such a manner that little resources were left to be drawn upon by the board during 1894. The commissioners were compelled to rely upon their own ingenuity and good management to successfully carry on the affairs of the county. Not only was the board of 1894 confronted with a large number of poor persons on hand, but was compelled to meet an amount of suffering, misery, and starvation almost unprecedented the history of the county." 

Neither their efforts nor Struckman’s were forgotten, as the Board of Cook County Commissioners commissioned a certificate of appreciation for him upon his retirement. 

^{Certificate of appreciation from the Board of Cook County Commissioners to George Struckman,
dated December 1, 1894
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums}

Struckman returned to Springfield again in 1884, 1900 and 1902. In the early 1900s, Struckman supported legislation separating Chicago from Cook County, in an effort to make sure Chicago didn’t incorporate all the small county towns as it had previously. 

^{1885 Session listing showing the various committees Struckman served on as Cook County Representative
Credit: Journal of the House of Representatives, Illinois}

^{1901 Session listing showing the various committees Struckman served on as Cook County Representative,
in addition to bills introduced
Credit: Journal of the House of Representatives, Illinois}

 The October 2, 1902 issue of the Cook County Herald stated, “The Hon. George Struckman, candidate for the Legislature, was one of the speakers at a Republican meeting in Schaumburg Tuesday evening.” This was the final time that he was elected as a representative.

^{Illinois Legislative Directory entry for George Struckman, ca. 1901
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums}

Overall, Struckman served 14 years in Illinois government. In the Struckman home, a framed collage was hung of the 103 men of the 34th General Assembly who elected John A. Logan as state senator by a majority vote. At that time in history, state legislators chose their United States senator by a majority vote. Due to infighting in 1885 between the political parties, the voting process by the legislators continued for 171 days and 120 ballots. Finally, on May 19, with all members seated, the selection process was completed, and John A. Logan was confirmed. 

 ^{Collage picture of the 103 men who elected John A. Logan to the United States Senate
Senator John Logan, George Struckman, and John W.E. Thomas identified and circled
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums} 

^{Close-up of George Struckman from the collage picture
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums} 

^{John A. Logan (1826 – 1886)
Credit: Wikimedia Commons}
 

Ten minutes of applause followed the final tally before Logan could speak. He was a Mexican and Civil War veteran, who helped form the Grand Old Army of the Republic, of which Struckman was a member. As its commander in 1868, Logan issued General Order No. 11, which established the first Memorial Day.  

During the 1885 legislative session, Struckman also served alongside John W.E. Thomas, Illinois’ first African American legislator. Born into slavery in 1847 in Montgomery, Alabama, Thomas taught fellow slaves how to read and write. After the Civil War, he became a school teacher before moving to Chicago in 1869. In 1865, when Illinois repealed the “Black Laws,” statutes that prevented African Americans from voting, serving on juries and entering into contracts, and then granted full suffrage for African American males in 1870, Thomas’ political bid was successful. 

^{John W.E. Thomas (1847 - 1899)
Courtesy of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum}

A fellow Republican, Thomas was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1876. He was elected again in 1882 and served two more terms. Thomas was instrumental in the passing of Illinois’ first civil rights legislation in 1885. Modeled after the federal Civil Rights Act, the bill stated that all persons within Illinois were entitled to full and equal enjoyment of public accommodations or places of amusement. A person who denied another person of this right could be fined, with the money going to the wronged individual. 

^{Original document for the Civil Rights Act proposed to the Illinois House in 1885
by John W. E. Thomas
Credit: Illinois State Archives}

Being that they were both from Cook County and Republicans, Struckman and Thomas may have run in the same circles and voted for the same bills. Struckman likely supported his fellow representative’s civil rights legislation and would have voted similarly on many issues pertinent to the citizens they both cared deeply for.

Throughout his lifetime, George Struckman contributed his insight and knowledge to all levels of government - village, township and state. He was a longtime prominent Republican Party leader who encouraged and sponsored other party leaders towards success. As an immigrant to a new nation, Struckman felt compelled to be directly involved in the government presiding over its citizens. His dedication as a public servant cannot be understated, and his actions as village president helped guide the Village of Bartlett into the future as it faced the turn of the century. 

^{This poster hangs in the Illinois State Capitol and depicts the members of the House of Representatives, ca. 1879
The individual thought to be George Struckman is circled above
Credit: Illinois State Archives} 

It's hard to imagine that George Struckman could ever have had free time for leisure or other activities, but somehow he did, especially during his later years. 

On July 16, 1907, Struckman and his brother-in-law Charles Busche sailed to their birth country of Germany for an extended vacation, visiting from July until October. 

^{Maps of Struckman's trip sailing to and from the United States of America to Germany, ca. 1907
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums}

 ^{Guidebook used by Struckman for his travels through Germany, ca. 1907
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums}

The statue on the cover, "Berolina," once stood in Berlin's large public square, Alexanderplatz, and represented an allegorical female figure that symbolized the city.

^{Berolina statue in Alexanderplatz, c. 1900
Credit: Wikimedia Commons}

^{Another book used by Struckman during his travels,
focusing on the History of the City of Obernkirchen, ca. 1907
Note his faint signature at the top
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums}

While in Germany, Struckman and Busche also attended a fall parade in Invalidendank, located about 14 miles (or 23 km) east of Berlin, the country’s capital. 

 ^{Admission ticket for Herbst-Parade, or “Fall Parade,” ca. 1907
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums}

After years of dedicating his life to government at all levels, Struckman became a bit of a hometown celebrity in his later years, with his comings and goings often being reported in the local news.

 
^{Newspaper snippet about Struckman's return
from his trip through Germany
The Daily Herald (Chicago, Illinois), October 25, 1907
Credit: Ancestry.com}

  

^{Newspaper snippet reporting that the Honorable George Struckman
is sick with congestion of the lungs
The Daily Herald (Chicago, Illinois)
February 14, 1908
Credit: Ancestry.com}

 

 

 

 

^{Newspaper snippet on Struckman’s current affairs,
such as visiting friends and family or traveling to Chicago 
The Daily Herald (Chicago, Illinois)
March 14, 1927
Credit: Ancestry.com}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Bartlett, George remained a staple of the community and could be seen around the developing village.

^{A photo of three men standing at the Bartlett railroad, ca. 1907
Struckman is in the middle 
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums} 

Struckman’s wife, Christina, remained a homemaker and mother to their children, until she passed away in 1914 at the age of 63.

George Struckman passed away on May 23, 1920, at age 84 years. 

 

 

 

^{Obituary announcement for Mrs. George Struckman
The Daily Herald (Chicago, Illinois)
September 4, 1914} 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

^{Obituary announcement for Mrs. Christina Struckman
The Elgin Daily Courier (Elgin, Illinois)
August 31, 1914}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

^{Chicago Daily Tribune (Chicago, Illinois)
May 24, 1920}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

^{The Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois)
May 21, 1920}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

^{The Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois)
May 21, 1920}

 

 

 

 

 

All of the Struckman family, with the exception of William, are buried in Bartlett Cemetery, which George Struckman helped establish. George Struckman also is the only Civil War veteran buried in the cemetery.  

^{Family gravestone for George and Christiane/Christina Struckman
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums}

^{Personal gravestones for George Struckman and his wife Christina, affectionally remembered as “Papa” and “Mama”
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums} 

 

^{Gravestones for George’s children Amelia, Ida and Emil
Note the Freemason symbol on Emil’s gravestone
Credit: Village of Bartlett Museums}

 

As the village’s first and third president, George Struckman helped guide the town forward at the turn of the 20th century. He helped implement new technologies of the time, such as telephones and automobiles.

Traces of Struckman's work can be seen all around the Village of Bartlett, in areas such as the fire protection district, the police department, the foundation for public education in the village, Bartlett Cemetery, the first village hall and even the streets and highways. Take a drive down Struckman Boulevard, named in his honor, or W. Oneida Avenue, the location of his family home. Stand where he once stood at the railroad depot, waiting for a train to take him to the capitol building or into the city for business. Walk along the cement sidewalks he helped commission or marvel at the acres of land, once tilled for farms, that today provide the footing for residential homes.

Struckman can be thanked for supporting candidates that brought Memorial Day and the first civil rights legislation to the state.  Through his involvement in various government positions, he promoted resolutions on the issues that mattered to him and his constituents.

As immigrants to a new nation, Struckman and his family were seeking a chance to start over. Unwilling to throw away this opportunity, he committed his time and service to his new home, fighting for its unification.

His dedication as a public servant cannot be understated, but Bartlett in particular owes a great debt to remembering his legacy as a leader. Struckman led and filed the incorporation petition for the village, paving the way for the community Bartlett residents know and love today.    

^{A portrait of George Struckman
Courtesy of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum}

Books

Alft, E. C. Hanover Township: Rural Past to Urban Present. A joint publication of the Bartlett, Elgin Area, and Streamwood Historical Societies. Elgin, Illinois: 1980.

Andreas, A. T. History of Cook County, Illinois: from the earliest period to the present time. Chicago: A. T. Andreas, 1884.

Hanover Township. Our Town: Hanover Township. A brief History and Elected Officials through the Years. Hanover Township: April 2020.

Joens, D. From Slave to State Legislator: John W. E. Thomas, Illinois’ First African American Lawmaker. Southern Illinois University Press: 2012. 

Online Resources

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. https://presidentlincoln.illinois.gov/

Arcinsys online research. Lower Saxony State Archives, Bückeburg Department.  https://nla.niedersachsen.de/startseite/

Hessian Regional History Information System (LAGIS). https://www.lagis-hessen.de/en/

Illinois Digital Archives (IDA). http://www.idaillinois.org/

Illinois State Archives. https://ilsos.net/departments/archives/databases/home.html

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. “Grand Army of the Republic History.” http://www.suvcw.org/?page_id=167

The Library of Congress. “The Grand Army of the Republic and Kindred Societies.” https://www.loc.gov/rr/main/gar/garintro.html

Village of Bartlett Museums, Online Collections Database. https://bartlettmuseums.pastperfectonline.com/

Guest Curator Sarah Sanders graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Arts, with a major in classics, cum laude. She obtained her Master of Arts in museum studies with digital curation certificate at Johns Hopkins University, Advanced Academic Program. She developed the George Struckman: Portrait of a Leader online exhibition as part of a remote project with the Village of Bartlett Museums. She is interested in many fields of museum and cultural heritage work, especially historical research, curatorial projects and collections. When she's not working, she is likely playing softball or volleyball. 

A special ‘thank you’ to those that made this exhibit possible:
          Village of Bartlett Museums, remote project opportunity
          Pam Rohleder, Village of Bartlett Museums Director
          The countless scholars, researchers, archives, libraries, museums, historical societies and all other organizations that supplied information, photographs, and documentation for this exhibit