Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2024
John Beck was born in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany, the sixth of seven children born to Havier Xavier Beck (1801-1888) and Euphrasia Rossina Baÿerle Kesser (1794-1872).
The Kingdom of Bavaria, spelled Baiern until 1825, was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1806 and existed until 1918. In 1825, Ludwig I ascended the throne of Bavaria. Under Ludwig, the arts flourished in Bavaria, and Ludwig personally ordered and financially assisted the creation of many neoclassical buildings and architecture across Bavaria. During the Revolution of 1848, Ludwig abdicated on March 20, 1848 in favor of his eldest son, Maximilian II. The revolutions also brought amendments to the constitution, including changes to the lower house of the Landtag with equal suffrage for every male who paid a direct tax, according to “Kingdom of Bavaria” in Wikipedia.
In 1864, Maximilian II died, and his eighteen-year-old son, Ludwig II, became King of Bavaria.
Ludwig II proposed that Prussian King Wilhelm I be proclaimed German Emperor (Kaiser) of the new German Emperor, where the territories of the German Empire were declared, which included the states of the North German Confederation and all of the south German states, with the major exception of Austria. The empire also annexed the formerly French territory of Alsace-Lorraine.
Bavaria’s entry into the German Empire changed from jubilation to dismay shortly afterward because of the direction Germany took under the new German Chancellor and Prussian Prime Minister, Otto von Bismarck.
Ludwig II became increasingly detached from Bavaria’s political affairs and spent vast amounts of money on personal projects, such as the construction of several fairytale castles and palaces. Ludwig used his personal wealth to finance these projects, and not state funds, and the construction projects landed him deeply in debt. These debts caused much concern among Bavaria’s political elite, and in 1886, the crisis came to a head. A medical commission appointed by the cabinet declared Ludwig insane and thus incapable of reigning.
Whether it was the requirement for military for men there, the unstable area of Bavaria, or the need for land in America, the Beck family headed to the United States.
John, along with his siblings and his parents, emigrated via the Castle Garden in New York on the ship Emma. They arrived at America on Feb. 7, 1853, and eventually arrived in Minnesota Territory as settler-colonists in Carver County. They also lived in Shakopee, and were farmers in the area.
F. Xavier Beck and Euphrasia Rossina Baÿerle Kesser Beck were farmers, as were their children: Marianna, Michael, Ephrosyne, Anna Maria, Theresa Matilda, John, and Andreas Beck.
At age 25, John Beck was a laborer at various farms. He decided to enlist in the Civil War and the U.S.-Dakota War on Aug. 18, 1862, at Fort Snelling. John became mustered out into the F Company F, Minnesota 8th Infantry.
While the Eighth Minnesota Volunteer Regiment was formed in the summer of 1862, the result of the U.S.-Dakota War, the soldiers spent most of their first two years of service occupying posts around the state.
For Private John Beck, he spent the first year at Fort Snelling. And on April 24, 1863, Private Beck died at Fort Snelling of disease.
Private Beck was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Eagle Creek, now part of Shakopee, according to the Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars 1861-65, Minnesota Adjutant General’s Report of 1866, and the SUVCW Database.