Title: United Spanish War Veterans, Department of Wisconsin Records
Inclusive Dates: 1905-1982

Creator:

• United Spanish War Veterans, Department of Wisconsin

Call Number: WVM Mss 19

Quantity: 3.8 linear ft. (1 archives box and 2 flat boxes) of papers and 0.1 linear ft. (2 folders) of photographs.

Repository:

Wisconsin Veterans Museum
Have questions? Contact the Reference Archivist

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Veterans Museum (Map)

See the catalog entry for current shelf locations and additions.

Abstract:

Records of a voluntary fraternal association of Spanish-American War veterans dedicated to preserving the memory of their sacrifices and to promoting patriotism. The bulk of these records fall between 1951 and 1967, when the organization was over fifty years old and most members were well into their seventh decade of life. Thus the records reflect, in a sense, the beginning of the end of the USWV, as one sees membership numbers declining and the number of members' obituaries increasing. This is especially apparent in the register of attendees for annual state encampments, which shows sharply declining numbers after 1950. Also included in this collection are departmental encampment proceedings, financial records, and some administrative papers. Some records pertain to local camps within the Department of Wisconsin; the records for the Herman J. Bartels Camp No. 39 (Marshfield) are particularly complete. The patriotic concerns of the United Spanish War Veterans are reflected by constant references to “Americanism” in their records and several flyers.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.wvm-mss00019

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The United Spanish War Veterans (USWV) was a voluntary, fraternal organization of men who served in the United States military during the Spanish-American War (1898-1902). Following the conclusion of the first phase of the war (1898), returning veterans began forming fraternal organizations; by the beginning of the twentieth century several large organizations existed, such as the National Army and Navy Spanish War Veterans, the National Association Spanish-American War Veterans, and the Service Men of the Spanish War. In April of 1904, those three organizations signed an “Amalgamation Agreement” to become a single entity- the United Spanish War Veterans. Other organizations to amalgamate with the USWV were the Legion of Spanish War Veterans (1906) and the Veteran Army of the Philippines (1908). Wisconsin, which had formed a Department of the Spanish-American War Veterans in 1902, was among the first states to establish a Department in the USWV in April 1904.

The USWV was organized at both the state and national level. Each participating state was considered a department, which was divided into local camps. The local camps were numbered and named. No two camps within a state could share a name. Each department held an annual encampment, which often included camping out, formal dinners, entertainment, and memorial events. The USWV held a national encampment in a different city each year; several were held in Wisconsin, including Milwaukee (1905, 1932, 1946, and 1960) and Madison (1976). Several Wisconsin men also served as Commander-in-Chief of the national organization: William H. Armstrong, Morris G. Osterreich, and Edmund L. Wescott.

The USWV objectives, as outlined in its constitution, were: 1) “to unite in fraternal bonds... those men and those women nurses who served in the military or naval establishment of the United States of America at any time during the war with Spain...” 2) “To honor the memory and preserve from neglect and oblivion the graves of the dead.” 3) “To assist former comrades and shipmates, their widows, orphans, and dependent relatives...” 4) “To perpetuate the memories of the war with Spain and the campaigns in the Philippine Islands and in China...” 5) “To promote the best interest of those who participated in the war with Spain and the campaigns in the Philippine Islands and in China.” 6) “To inculcate the principles of universal liberty, equal rights and justice to all mankind, of loyalty to our country, reverence for its institutions, obedience to its laws and respect for its magistrates...” 7) “To encourage and promote the maintenance of an adequate military and naval establishment in our country...” 8) “To educate our people as to the necessity for making provision for national defense...” 9) “To so develop the Order that it may be a valuable aid to the army and navy and the government during any future war.”

In particular, the USWV focused on patriotism and nationalism. Their stated principles were “Freedom, Patriotism and Humanity.” In addition, the following statement appeared at the top of the national organizations printed orders and was spoken at every USWV meeting: “Americanism is an unfailing love of country; loyalty to is institutions and ideals; eagerness to defend it against all enemies; undivided allegiance to the flag, and a desire to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and posterity.”

Membership in the USWV was restricted to certifiable veterans of the Spanish-American War. The organization seemed to take pride in its limited membership, writing the following in a publication: “The 'United Spanish War Veterans' is a unique organization. No child can be born into it; no proclamation of President... can command admission; the wealth of a Rockefeller or a Ford cannot purchase the position; its doors swing open only upon presentation of the bit of paper, torn, worn, begrimed though it may be, which certifies to an honorable discharge from the armies or navies of the nation during the Spanish-American War.” The statement went on to assert that no “new blood” would ever be allowed in, and that when the last veteran of the Spanish-American War died, the organization would cease to exist.

Unlike larger veterans' organizations like the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), there is very little published literature about the USWV. It is difficult to ascertain what, aside from the stated goals of their constitution, the organization sought to accomplish. It is also difficult to pinpoint the year in which the organization ceased to exist, though the requirements of membership would suggest a date in the late 1970's or early 1980's.

The records of the United Spanish War Veterans, Department of Wisconsin are divided into two series, Department of Wisconsin and Local Camps.

Department of Wisconsin (1932-1969) is the larger of the two series and documents the activities of the statewide organization. The Administrative sub-series includes some general orders issued by the Department of Wisconsin, a departmental historian's report, which lists deaths for that year, and a departmental roster. Researchers should note that this series lacks meeting minutes and membership records. The Encampment sub-series consists of bound proceedings from six state encampments in the 1960's; these proceedings document addresses given and business attended to at each of the annual gatherings. The bank statements and financial reports from the Financial sub-series show the researcher the types of things that the USWV spent money on in the mid-twentieth century, such as memorials, flowers for funerals, and annual encampments.

Local Camps (1905-1964) contains a scattering of materials from individual Camps within the Department of Wisconsin. Researchers should be aware that only six of the forty-eight Wisconsin Camps are represented in this series and that only one of those six is documented in depth. The activities of Herman J. Bartels Camp 39, from Marshfield, are represented by the materials in this series, which include meeting minutes, applications for membership, and financial records. The original corps charters for three camps, which include the names of charter members, can also be found within this series.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Norma Wescott, Waukesha, WI, 1979. Accession Number: KA1979.14. Additional materials presented by William Howard, King, WI; Accession Number: KA1983 June 15.

The collection was previously known as Series 36, Series IX, and Record Group 19.

Processing Information

Originally processed by Mark Van Ells circa 1992, with additional processing by Russell Horton in 2002.

	Series: Department of Wisconsin
	Subseries: Administrative
Box   1 Folder   1	General Orders, 1939, 1952-1953, 1961
Box   1 Folder   2	Report of the Department Historian, 1954
Box   1 Folder   3	Roster, 1954
	Subseries: Encampments	⇧
	State
Box   1 Folder   4-9	Encampment Proceedings, 1962-1967
Box   3 Folder   2	Register of Attendees, 1936-1982
	Subseries: Financial	⇧
	Bank statements
Box   1 Folder   10-18	1957-1960, 1963-1967
Box   2 Folder   1-2	1968-1969
Box   2 Folder   3	Checkbooks, undated
Box   2 Folder   4	Encampment expense reports, 1963-1968
Box   2 Folder   5-6	Financial reports, 1951-1953, 1961-1969
Box   2 Folder   7	Per capita tax receipts, 1962-1966
Box   2 Folder   8-10	Per capita tax reports, 1963-1965
	Subseries: Miscellaneous	⇧
Box   2 Folder   11	Correspondence, 1932-1961
Box   2 Folder   12	Program for dedication of Hiker monument, 1965
Box   2 Folder   13	Stamp, undated
Box   3 Folder   1	Patriotic flyers, undated
	Series: Local Camps	⇧
	Subseries: Camp No. 1, Nelson A. Miles Camp, Oshkosh
Ov   13 Folder   6	Charter, 1905
	Subseries: Camp No. 4, Hugh McGrath Camp, Milwaukee	⇧
Box   2 Folder   14	Programs, 1925, 1927
	Subseries: Camp No. 5, Richard J. Dawson Camp, Milwaukee	⇧
Box   2 Folder   15	Resolution, 1931
	Subseries: Camp No. 14, William H. Sauer Camp, Ladysmith	⇧
Ov   13 Folder   6	Charter, 1928
	Subseries: Camp No. 39, Herman J. Bartels Camp, Marshfield	⇧
Box   2 Folder   16	Applications for membership, undated
Box   2 Folder   17	Camp dues book, 1956-1962
Box   2 Folder   18	Correspondence, 1937-1954
Box   2 Folder   19	Financial records, 1945-1962
Box   2 Folder   20	Membership book, 1917-1930
Box   2 Folder   21	Minute book, 1917-1964
Box   2 Folder   22	Miscellaneous, 1949-1957, undated
Box   2 Folder   23	Obituaries, 1948-1952
	Subseries: Camp No. 40, Sauk County Camp, Baraboo	⇧
Ov   13 Folder   6	Charter, 1920

No.	Name	Location
1	Nelson A. Miles	Oshkosh
2	H.W. Lawton	Manitowoc
3	Charles O. Baer	Appleton
4	Hugh J. McGrath	Milwaukee
5	Richard J. Dawson	Milwaukee
6	John J. White	Monroe
7	Morris	Beloit
8	T.J. George	Menomonie
9	Robert G. Doole	Fort Atkinson
10	H.W. Quentmeyer	Madison
11	M.C. Casberg	La Crosse
12	Doege-Trier	Sheboygan
13	???	???
14	William H. Sauer	Ladysmith
15	Arthur McCourt	Fond du Lac
16	William A. Bancroft	Racine
17	Sparta	Sparta
18	Curtis J. Dillon	Ripon
19	Allyn C. Capron	Milwaukee
20	Oscar Zimmerman	Tomah
21	Louis R. Miller	Whitewater
22	Daniel W. Gates	Neillsville
23	Harry L. Gifford	Janesville
24	Guy M. Dulin	West Allis
25	F.B. Loomis	Portage
26	Hector R. Swift	Superior
27	Eau Claire	Eau Claire
28	Robley D. Evans	Milwaukee
29	Frank L. Tiffany	Waukesha
30	Stoughton	Stoughton
31	Fred R. Goodhouse	Mauston
32	George L. Edgerton	Beaver Dam
33	???	???
34	John T. Kingston	Ashland
35	Marinette	Marinette
36	???	???
37	Frank Gauger	Wausau
38	Joseph Meurer	Green Bay
39	Herman J. Bartels	Marshfield
40	Sauk County	Baraboo
41	Dewey	Kenosha
42	W.H. Stone	Merrill
43	F.J. Carpenter	Stevens Point
44	Charles King	King
45	Oconto	Oconto
46	Robert B. McCoy	Barron
47	Col. Charles Young	Soldiers Home
48	Charles G. Juneau	Wauwatosa

Name	Location	Camp No.
Baer, Charles O.	Appleton	3
Bancroft, William A.	Racine	16
Bartels, Herman J.	Marshfield	39
Capron, Allyn C.	Milwaukee	19
Carpenter, F.J.	Stevens Point	43
Casberg, M.C.	La Crosse	11
Dawson, Richard J.	Milwaukee	5
Dewey	Kenosha	41
Dillon, Curtis J.	Ripon	18
Doege-Trier	Sheboygan	12
Doole, Robert G.	Fort Atkinson	9
Dulin, Guy M.	West Allis	24
Eau Claire	Eau Claire	27
Edgerton, George L.	Beaver Dam	32
Gates, Daniel W.	Neillsville	22
Gauger, Frank	Wausau	37
George, T.J.	Menomonie	8
Gifford, Harry L.	Janesville	23
Goodhouse, Fred R.	Mauston	31
Juneau, Charles G.	Wauwatosa	48
King, Charles	King	44
Kingston, John T.	Ashland	34
Lawton, H.W.	Manitowoc	2
Loomis, F.B.	Portage	25
Marinette	Marinette	35
McCourt, Arthur	Fond du Lac	15
McCoy, Robert B.	Barron	46
McGrath, Hugh J.	Milwaukee	4
Meurer, Joseph	Green Bay	38
Miller, Louis R.	Whitewater	21
Morris	Beloit	7
Miles, Nelson A.	Oshkosh	1
Oconto	Oconto	45
Quentmeyer	Madison	10
Sauer, William H.	Ladysmith	14
Sauk County	Baraboo	40
Sparta	Sparta	17
Stone, W.H.	Merrill	42
Stoughton	Stoughton	30
Swift, Hector R.	Superior	26
Tiffany, Frank L.	Waukesha	29
White, John J.	Monroe	6
Zimmerman, Oscar	Tomah	20

Location	Name	Camp No.
Appleton	Charles O. Baer	3
Ashland	John T. Kingston	34
Baraboo	Sauk County	40
Barron	Robert B. McCoy	46
Beaver Dam	George L. Edgerton	32
Beloit	Morris	7
Eau Claire	Eau Claire	27
Fond du Lac	Arthur McCourt	15
Fort Atkinson	Robert G. Doole	9
Green Bay	Joseph Meurer	38
Janesville	Harry L. Gifford	23
Kenosha	Dewey	41
King	Charles King	44
La Crosse	M.C. Casberg	11
Ladysmith	William H. Sauer	14
Madison	H.W. Quentmeyer	10
Manitowoc	H.W. Lawton	2
Marinette	Marinette	35
Marshfield	Herman J. Bartels	39
Mauston	Fred R. Goodhouse	31
Menomonie	T.J. George	8
Merrill	W.H. Stone	42
Milwaukee	Hugh J. McGrath	4
Milwaukee	Richard J. Dawson	5
Milwaukee	Allyn C. Capron	19
Monroe	John J. White	6
Neillsville	Daniel W. Gates	22
Oconto	Oconto	45
Oshkosh	Nelson A. Miles	1
Portage	F.B. Loomis	25
Racine	William A. Bancroft	16
Ripon	Curtis J. Dillon	18
Sheboygan	Doege-Trier	12
Sparta	Sparta	17
Stevens Point	F.J. Carpenter	43
Stoughton	Stoughton	30
Superior	Hector R. Swift	26
Tomah	Oscar Zimmer	20
Waukesha	Frank L. Tiffany	29
Wausau	Frank Gauger	37
Wauwatosa	Charles G. Juneau	48
West Allis	Guy M. Dulin	24

Encampment No.	Dates Held	Location
1st	September 19, 1904	St. Louis, MO
2nd	September 7, 1905	Milwaukee, WI
3rd	October 8, 1906	Washington, DC
4th	September 9, 1907	Cedar Point, OH
5th	September 1, 1908	Boston, MA
6th	September 8, 1909	Tacoma, WA
7th	August 29, 1910	Denver, CO
8th	August 21, 1911	Oklahoma City, OK
9th	September 9, 1912	Atlantic City, NJ
10th	September 1, 1913	Buffalo, NY
11th	August 31, 1914	Louisville, KY
12th	August 30, 1915	Scranton, PE
13th	September 4, 1916	Chicago, IL
14th	September 24, 1917	Cleveland, OH
15th	September 3, 1918	Baltimore, MD
16th	September 2, 1919	San Francisco, CA
17th	September 12, 1920	St. Louis, MO
18th	September 11, 1921	Minneapolis, MN
19th	August 22, 1922	Los Angeles, CA
20th	September 16, 1923	Chattanooga, TN
21st	September 7, 1924	Michigan City, IN
22nd	September 27, 1925	St. Petersburg, FL
23rd	August 15, 1926	Des Moines, IA
24th	August 28, 1927	Detroit, MI
25th	October 7, 1928	Havana, Cuba
26th	September 8, 1929	Denver, CO
27th	August 17, 1930	Philadelphia, PA
28th	September 6, 1931	New Orleans, LA
29th	August 21, 1932	Milwaukee, WI
30th	August 20, 1933	Los Angeles, CA
31st	August 19, 1934	Pittsburg, PA
32nd	September 15, 1935	San Antonio, TX
33rd	August 30, 1936	Saratoga Springs, NY
34th	August 22, 1937	Columbus, OH
35th	September 11, 1938	Portland, Oregon
36th	September 10, 1939	Atlantic City, NJ
37th	August 18, 1940	Detroit, MI
38th	August 17, 1941	Omaha, NE
39th	August 16, 1942	Cleveland, OH
40th	August 15, 1943	Boston, MA
41st	August 13, 1944	Cincinnati, OH
42nd	September 9, 1945	Denver, CO
43rd	August 4, 1946	Milwaukee, WI
44th	August 24, 1947	Kansas City, MO
45th	August 27, 1948	Washington, DC
46th	October 9, 1949	Tampa, FL
47th	September 24, 1950	Atlantic City, NJ
48th	???	???
49th	???	???
50th	???	???
51st	???	???
52nd	???	???
53rd	September 2, 1956	Louisville, KY
54th	???	???
55th	August 31, 1958	Louisville, KY
56th	September 20, 1959	Miami, FL
57th	September 4, 1960	Milwaukee, WI
58th	September 17, 1961	Little Rock, AK
59th	September 9, 1962	Peoria, IL
60th	September 29, 1963	Lansing, MI
61st	August 30, 1964	Louisville, KY
62nd	September 5, 1965	Little Rock, AK
63rd	October 1, 1966	Lansing, MI
64th	September 2, 1967	San Antonio, TX
65th	September 8, 1968	Asbury Park, NJ
66th	September 7, 1969	San Diego, CA
67th	September 6, 1970	Memphis, TN
68th	September 19, 1971	Hartford, CT
69th	September 10, 1972	Portland, OR
70th	September 8, 1973	New Orleans, LA
71st	September 7, 1974	Philadelphia, PA
72nd	September 8, 1975	Indianapolis, IN
73rd	September 18, 1976	Madison, WI

Convention	Year	Location
1st	1902	Appleton
2nd	1903	Milwaukee
3rd	1904	Oshkosh
4th	1905	La Crosse
5th	1906	Racine
6th	1907	Manitowoc
7th	1908	Ripon
8th	1909	Fond du Lac
9th	1910	Sheboygan
10th	1911	Janesville
11th	1912	Appleton
12th	1913	Beaver Dam
13th	1914	Eau Claire
14th	1915	Marinette
15th	1916	Racine
16th	1917	La Crosse
17th	1918	Madison
18th	1919	Oshkosh
19th	1920	Fond du Lac
20th	1921	Baraboo
21st	1922	Kenosha
22nd	1923	Fort Atkinson
23rd	1924	Beloit
24th	1925	Sheboygan
25th	1926	Racine
26th	1927	Green Bay
27th	1928	Stevens Point
28th	1929	Superior
29th	1930	Appleton
30th	1931	Oshkosh
31st	1932	Baraboo
32nd	1933	Fond du Lac
33rd	1934	Madison
34th	1935	Sheboygan
35th	1936	Janesville
36th	1937	Milwaukee
37th	1938	Eau Claire
38th	1939	Marinette
39th	1940	Racine
40th	1941	Beaver Dam
41st	1942	Stevens Point
42nd	1943	Oshkosh
43rd	1944	La Crosse
44th	1945	Milwaukee
45th	1946	Marshfield
46th	1947	Green Bay
47th	1948	Beaver Dam
48th	1949	Milwaukee
49th	1950	Sheboygan
50th	1951	Waukesha
51st	1952	Wisconsin Dells
52nd	1953	Oshkosh
53rd	1954	Racine
54th	1955	Wisconsin Dells
55th	1956	Milwaukee
56th	1957	La Crosse
57th	1958	Milwaukee
58th	1959	Manitowoc
59th	1960	Waukesha
60th	1961	Beaver Dam
61st	1962	Sheboygan
62nd	1963	Oshkosh
63rd	1964	Sheboygan
64th	1965	Beaver Dam
65th	1966	Sheboygan
66th	1967	Sheboygan
67th	1968	Sheboygan
68th	1969	Sheboygan
69th	1970	Sheboygan
70th	1971	Sheboygan
71st	1972	Sheboygan
72nd	1973	Sheboygan
73rd	1974	Sheboygan
74th	1975	Sheboygan
75th	1976	Sheboygan
76th	1977	Sheboygan
77th	1978	Sheboygan
78th	1979	Sheboygan
79th	1980	Sheboygan
80th	1981	Sheboygan
81st	1982	Sheboygan

Name	Term
M.T. Moore	1901-1902
J.A. Nemitz	1902-1903
T.J. George	1903-1904
Arthur J. Baum	1904-1905
J.C. Brandel	1905-1906
C.J. Weigel	1906-1907
William F. Bauchle	1907-1908
E.L. Evans	1908-1909
John S. Float	1909-1910
Edward S. Falter	1910-1911
J.G. Armstrong	1911-1912
T.E. Kingston	1912-1913
Nicholas Groetzinger	1913-1914
R.C. Burchard	1914-1915
C.H. Bucholz	1915-1916
C.J. Juneau	1916-1917
Fred Arnold	1917-1918
J. Fred Sugden	1918-1919
S.D. Boreham	1919-1920
Guy M. Dulin	1920-1921
C.A. Zilisch	1921-1922
M.G. Kenny	1922-1923
A.T. Ledin	1923-1924
C.G. Price	1924-1925
George Herzog	1925-1926
+Rae Weaver	1926-1927
E.W. Simmons	1927-1928
W.W. Kradwell	1928-1929
A.J. Obenberger	1929-1930
William H. Zuehlke	1930-1931
E.H. Quistorff	1931-1932
*William H. Armstrong	1932-1933
Nicholas M. Schantz	1933-1934
A.E. Schumacher	1934-1935
Augustus W. Riese	1935-1936
Fred J. Schmitt	1936-1937
Max W. Heck	1937-1938
J. Stanley Dietz	1938-1939
J.J. McDevitt	1939-1940
Leonard R. Loken	1940-1941
Harvey Washburn	1941-1942
Charles H. Cox	1942-1943
Henry Tyriver	1943-1944
George C. Bauer	1944-1945
Frank H. Dwinnell	1945-1946
Carl L. Brosius	1946-1947
Rudolph Sladky	1947-1948
Hans Hilsenhoff	1948-1949
Marcus A. Hansen	1949-1950
John F. Ebbe	1951-1952
Herbert C. Geittmann	1952-1953
William J. Holzapfel	1953-1954
*Morris G. Osterreich	1954-1955
Ralph E. Caniff	1955-1956
Edward J. Miller	1956-1957
Phil C. Kammerer	1957-1958
Max Affeldt	1958-1959
Gustav A. Poppert	1959-1960
*Edmund L. Wescott	1960-1961
Clyde H. Shaw	1961-1962
Walter A. Swope	1962-1963
Julius Raniszewski	1963-1964
Chris Erickson	1964-1965
M.J. Cernahan	1965-1966
Wilfred Marshall	1966-1967
M.J. Cernahan	1967-1968
John P. Stranberg	1968-1969
???	???
John F. Ebbe	1970-1972
???	???
*Morris G. Osterreich	1973-1975
Wilfred Marshall	1975-1976