Wisconsin History Day By Day

Related Web Sites:
Germans in the Upper Midwest

Early German Women

Max Kade Institute

The Germans in America: Chronology


Read More About It

"Germans in Wisconsin" by Richard H. Zeitlin

"The German Element in Wisconsin" by John Henry Lacher


Vocabulary:

vanguard
immigrant
ancestry


Interesting Fact:

The vast majority of early German immigrants sought a livelihood in farming.


Study Questions:

  • What were the reasons for Germans immigrating to Wisconsin?
  • What were the areas in Wisconsin with the largest German population in 1880?
  • What is the largest ethnic group in Wisconsin today?


    U.S. historical events that occurred on June 15:

    1836: Arkansas becomes the 25th state.



    • June 15

    State Stats

    1839: Eight-hundred German immigrants, the first large group of Germans, arrived in Milwaukee in 1839 to form the vanguard of Wisconsin’s largest immigrant group. By 1850, the number of Germans in Wisconsin was 38,000 and reached 184,000 by 1880. According to the 2000 Census, 42.6 percent of Wisconsin residents claimed German ancestry.

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