VIDEO | Civil War Monument dedication at Van Vechten (Kewaskum Union) Cemetery

September 6, 2025 –  Kewaskum, Wi – A Civil War Monument dedication will be held today for three veterans in the Van Vechten (Kewaskum Union) Cemetery, 8446 Highland Drive in Kewaskum. The ceremony will recognize Charles Schuppel, Friedrich (Fred) Kocher. and Johann Siegel. The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. and is open to the public. 

CHARLES (CARL) SCHUPPEL

Carl Schuppel was born October 3, 1841, in Kirchheim, Baden, Germany to Friedrich Wilhelm Schuppel and his wife Magdalena nee Kletti.  He had at least 4 brothers, and four half-brothers, two of which died during infancy/childhood., and 6 half-sisters, three of which died during infancy.  Carl’s mother died when he was only three.  She died during the childbirth of another son.  This made Carl the youngest surviving sibling.

Carl immigrated to the United States at age 10.  His father died when he was eleven years old.  His oldest full brother was 18 at the time.  He had older half-siblings who were also believed to be in Wisconsin.  Carl Americanized his name, making it “Charles” Schuppel.

In 1860, he was living in the Town of Barton and working as a shoemaker, with his older brother Johannes, who now went by John.  John was married and Charles lived with them.

Charles volunteered to serve in the Union Army in September of 1861, and served as a private in the 4th Battery, Wisconsin Light Artillery, organized in Beloit, and later Camp Utley in Racine.  According to Civil War records he was 5-feet 5-inches tall with a dark complexion and black hair. He served until October 4th, 1864, and was honorably discharged at Jones Sandling, Virginia.  After being discharged he became a farmer and owned his own farm.  Charles went on to marry Abbie Frost on March 10, 1875, and lived in Illinois, with their five children.  Charles Schuppel died in 1907.

FRIEDRICH (FRED) KOCHER

Now Charles Schuppel, being the youngest in his family, had a half-sister – Elizabetha Schuppel, who was about 27 years older than Charles.  Elizabetha married a man named John Kocher, and their oldest son was Friedrich (Fred) Kocher.  Friedrich Kocher was born in Kirchheim, Baden, Germany on September 14th of 1839. Friedrich and his family came to the United States in December of 1848.  

In 1860, Friedrich and his family lived in the Town of Barton, not far from Charles Schuppel.  Friedrich worked on the family farm and in December of 1861, Friedrich enlisted in the Union Army.  Friedrich was a sandy haired blue-eyed fella of 5’ 4”, when volunteered.  

He was a Private in the 2nd Independent Battery, Wisconsin Light Artillery, and mustered out in Point Lookout, Maryland on July 10, 1865.  

In November of 1866, he married Augusta Wernicke in the town of Addison.  They were blessed with 12 children, five of whom died during infancy.  Friedrich and Augusta farmed in the Kewaskum area, until his death on June 12th of 1907, from cancer.

JOHANN (JOHN) SIEGEL

Johann Siegel was born on February 21, 1826, in Saxony, Germany to George and Maria Siegel.  He had at least 3 siblings, including a brother, Georg, who he was close with.

At age 29, Johann immigrated to the United States.  It is not known if he came alone, but we do know his older brother Georg immigrated the same year.  Both brothers along with Georg’s wife settled on a farm in the Farmington area.  Johann, now using the name John worked as a laborer on the Gottlieb Gruel farm, according to the 1860 census.

John married Wilhelmina Schmidt nee Seefeld in 1864.  John’s wife Wilhelmina was married once before.  Wilhelmina’s first husband was Peter Schmidt, of Kewaskum, who volunteered and served in the Civil War in 1862.  Peter died of disease in Arkansas in 1863 and is buried in the Little Rock National Cemetery.  The name Schmidt, some also used the spelling of Schmitt.  That carried through to this day, with individuals closely related, and the last name spelling is different.

On December 23 of 1864 John enlisted in the Union Army and served with Company F, 18th infantry Regiment from Wisconsin, organized in Milwaukee.  He served until July 18, 1865. Brother Georg enlisted in the 45th Wisconsin Infantry Company 1, about a month before John enlisted.

According to www.wisconsinhistory.org.  John and the rest of the 18th infantry “participated in the advance on Raleigh, North Carolina, and the surrender of the Confederate Army.  The Regiment moved to Louisville, Kentucky in June of 1865, and were mustered out on July 18, 1865.  Two years after returning from battle, John and Wilhelmina had their first of 6 children.  John lived until the age of 87 passing away on December 18, 1913 in the Town of Barton.

JACOB TEUNIS VAN VECHTEN

Jacob Teunis Van Vechten was born in Catskill New York May 8, 1823.  His early life was spent in the Catskill Mountains until he engaged as a fireman on one of the boats owned by Commodore Vanderbilt on the Hudson River.  In 1846 he started west, and located in the Town of Kewaskum, Washington County.  

On September 12, 1846, upon a government claim, he became one of the first settlers in the township.  Mr. Van Vechten was one of the first supervisors of the Town of Kewaskum, and it was through him that both the town and village received their names, being named after an old Indian Chief whose tribal village was originally located less than two miles from his farm.  During these years Jacob Van Vechten married Elizabeth Bancroft, and two of their children died.  Due to these two deaths the Van Vechten Cemetery started.

No tax money is used for the monuments. The Civil War Monument Committee is a volunteer organization that researches and raises money for the monuments. To help support this effort, donations can be mailed to the American Legion Post #36  P.O. Box 921  West Bend, Wi 53095

“The project to recognize Civil War veterans is a labor of love. This project was started by Gene Wendelborn, a key researcher at the Washington County Historical Society, and he passed away before we ever got to this phase of placing monuments.”