George was born in Grossumstadt, Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany, May 24, 1845. He left Germany
between 1845 and 1850, and grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
between 1845 and 1850, and grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He enrolled with the 26th Wisconsin Volunteers, Company I, on the 25th day of March 1864. He was discharged from service July 1865, near Louisville, Kentucky. In his pension application, (& other documents) he stated that he was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He kept a journal of his military time, like so many other soldiers in the 26th.
George returned to Milwaukee after the War. He married his first wife, Bertha Emma Sophia Krienitz in 1867. They had three children. When Bertha died at age 26, George married her sister, Wilhemina in 1874. In 1880, with 6 children, they moved to North Alabama by wagon. George had admired the area on his trek during the Atlanta Campaign. One daughter of George told her descendants of the move. ‘we left as soon as the snow melted. I remember counting the stars at night, and we slept under the wagon if it rained. The little kids rode in the wagon, but us older kids mostly walked’. Calculations indicate that they spent approximately 3 months ‘walking to Alabama’. George became a wealthy man, owning hundreds of acres of land in the town of Cullman, Alabama.
MANY descendants of George Hoenig still live in the area.
George returned to Milwaukee after the War. He married his first wife, Bertha Emma Sophia Krienitz in 1867. They had three children. When Bertha died at age 26, George married her sister, Wilhemina in 1874. In 1880, with 6 children, they moved to North Alabama by wagon. George had admired the area on his trek during the Atlanta Campaign. One daughter of George told her descendants of the move. ‘we left as soon as the snow melted. I remember counting the stars at night, and we slept under the wagon if it rained. The little kids rode in the wagon, but us older kids mostly walked’. Calculations indicate that they spent approximately 3 months ‘walking to Alabama’. George became a wealthy man, owning hundreds of acres of land in the town of Cullman, Alabama.
MANY descendants of George Hoenig still live in the area.
Relatives who remember him say he never talked about the War. One wonders…surely living out his life in the Deep South, his daughters all marrying southern boys (2 daughters married twin brothers of the community who’s father, it turns out, was in a few of the same battles as George- but on the other side!) probably had a lot to do with his quietness about his experiences. George’s second wife also died young, and by the end of his life, he had a total of 6 wives. George is buried in the ‘Protestant’ cemetery of Cullman County, Alabama. The Hoenig family plot is near the plot of the founder of the city, Johann G. Cullmann.
Biography and photos from Tammy Young Lyles.
Biography and photos from Tammy Young Lyles.