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■Beckman clan converges in DodgevilleBy Criss RobertsThe Hawk EyeODGEVILLEWhat cculd havej^been more appropriate than abean-field backdrop and corn stalks as altar flowers for the Beckman family reunion mass?Nearly 400 of an estimated 600 descendants of Des Moines County pioneer farmers Theodore and Bernadine Beckman gathered at St. Mary’s in Dodgeville Saturday to celebrate their heritage.The day’s fare included games, dinner, and a hayrack ride past some of the 1,000 acres Theodore farmed in the days when his main tractor was a plow horse.The highlight, though, was when the group gathered for an outdoor mass officiated by four priests who also were Beckman family members.“My grandfather said in his will, ‘If you take care of your church, the Lord will take care of you,’ ” said Dodgeville’s Joe Beckman, a great-grandson of the family patriarch.Church was what brought Theodore and Bernadine together in the first place. He stowed away to America in 1848 after being drafted into the Prussian Army. His plans were to head to the Wisconsin territory after landing in New Orleans, but low water stopped his steamer in Keokuk. From there, he hiked upriver to take a job in a Burlington brewery until he had enough money to continue his trip.While in Burlington, he began attending Mass at St. Paul’s, which is where he met Bernadine Niemann.Since he loved her and she loved Burlington, he decided to find a way to stay.There was money to be found in the gold fields of California, so Theodore headed west until he collected enough gold dust to cash in for $2,000.He came back for Bernadine, and together they bought 120 acres in Franklin Township on which they produced good crops and nine children.Although smaller reunions between family members have been going on for several years, Saturday’s event was the first multi-branch event.know what the connection is.”“We all kind of knew we had a connection,” said great-granddaughter Mary Ann Messer of Mount Pleasant. “Now weEight of the nine Beckman children remained in the Dodgeville area, where they and their children tended to marry fellow St. Mary’s parishioners. Three Beckman children married three Schulte siblings. Two others married Vorwerk cousins. Two granddaughters married a pair of Riffels, and three other grandchildren married three Panther siblings.“They all grew up when their social life was also their church life,” Messer said. “And it still is in Dodgeville.”Joe Beckman and a Rappennecker are the only Beckman relations still farming the family land. But with beans behind the altar and corn stalks beside it, the entire fannlv was reminded of its roots.
Newspaper Details
Burlington Hawk Eye
Burlington, Iowa, US
Sun, Jul 06, 1997
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Burlington P.
IA, USA 04 Feb 2024
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