Texas A&M University-San Antonio Digital Commons @ Texas A&M University-San Antonio Finding Aids: Guides to the Collection Archives & Special Collections 2020 Beckmann (Adolph Guenther and Milby Giles) Family Papers, 1850-1989 DRT Collection at Texas A&M University-San Antonio Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/findingaids A Guide to the Adolph Guenther and Milby Giles Beckmann Family Papers, 1850-1989 Descriptive Summary Creator: Beckmann, Adolph Guenther, 1887-1954, and Beckmann, Mary Milby Giles, 1890-1956 Title: Adolph Guenther and Milby Giles Beckmann Family Papers Dates: 1850-1989 Creator Adolph Guenther Beckmann (1887-1954) worked at Pioneer Flour Abstract: Mills in San Antonio, Texas, for forty-seven years, holding various positions at the company. His wife Milby Giles Beckmann (1890-1956) was an accomplished pianist who was involved in several local organizations. Content The Adolph Guenther and Milby Giles Beckmann Family Papers Abstract: contain correspondence, financial and property records, scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs that document four generations of a San Antonio, Texas, family. Identification: Col 14629 Extent: 11.09 linear feet (10 document boxes, 6 oversize boxes) Language: Materials are primarily in English; some are in Kurrent German. Repository: DRT Collection at Texas A&M University-San Antonio Biographical Note Members of the Beckmann family were part of the early wave of German-speaking immigrants to Texas, where they became prominent in San Antonio business and society circles. Born in Westphalia, John C. Beckmann (1815-1907) immigrated to the United States in 1841 with his fiancé Regina A. Müller (1815-1905); the couple married soon after their arrival in New York. Settling in San Antonio, Texas, Beckmann established a blacksmith shop near the Alamo and became active in local organizations, particularly the many German-American institutions in the city. Albert Felix Beckmann (1855-1900), the youngest of John and Regina’s seven children, studied architecture in Germany, returning to Texas to serve as a topographical assistant to the U.S. Army before establishing an architectural practice in San Antonio. Working in Page 1 of 24 partnership with James Wahrenberger and on his own, Beckmann’s designs were concentrated in San Antonio, though he was also involved in projects in Mexico, particularly Piedras Negras. In 1886, Albert married Marie Dorothea Guenther (1864-1921), whose father Carl Hilmar Guenther (1826-1902) had founded Pioneer Flour Mills and established the family’s prominence in San Antonio. Adolph Guenther Beckmann, Albert and Marie’s oldest child, was born in San Antonio on 1887 November 20. Upon his father’s death, twelve-year-old Adolph assumed responsibility for his mother, sister Regina Augusta (1889-1959), and brothers Albert Erhard (1892-1951), Werner Noonan (1894-1962), and Kurt Detmar (1897-1976). Adolph Beckmann attended San Antonio’s German-English School and the Manual Training School at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He worked at Pioneer Flour Mills for forty-seven years and held various positions at the company, including President and General Manager. Adolph Beckmann was involved in a number of San Antonio organizations, including the San Antonio School Board, San Antonio Manufacturers Association, San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, Order of the Alamo, and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Mary Milby Giles was born at Vance Ranch near San Antonio on 1890 January 22. Known to her family as Milby, she was the daughter of famed architect Alfred Giles (1853-1920) and Annie Laura James (1861-1909); her maternal grandfather John James (1819-1877) was a pioneer surveyor and developer. Milby was valedictorian of her class at Bonn Avon in San Antonio and attended Gunston Hall in Washington, D.C. Following her mother’s death in 1909, she returned home to care for her four siblings. Milby was treated for tuberculosis at San Antonio’s Grace Lutheran Sanatorium from 1945 until 1948; her daughter Annie Laura was with her for the same therapy during at least part of that time. An accomplished pianist, Milby was also involved in a several local organizations, including St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and the Military-Civilian Club, San Antonio Conservation Society, and King William Area Conservation Society. Milby was a duchess in the Fiesta coronations of 1911 and 1912 and married her duke, Adolph Beckmann, in San Antonio on 1915 April 28. The couple had five children: Mary Marcella (1916-2000), Alfred Giles (1917-1984), Annie Laura (1920-1993), Charlotte Milby (1923- ), and Dorothy Guenther (1925- ). Adolph Beckmann died on 1954 June 9; Milby died two year later on November 18. Both are interred at Mission Burial Park South in San Antonio. Annie Laura Beckmann was born in San Antonio on 1920 January 1. She attended San Antonio's Jefferson High School and received a certificate in Costume Design from Sullins College in Bristol, Virginia (1939). An interior designer and realtor, Annie Laura was also involved in a number of social and civic organizations. With a lifelong interest in art, music, and Texas history, she assumed the role of family historian. Annie Laura Beckmann was married to Ernest Keith Langford from 1940 to 1947 and had one son; she later married Jess Maverick McNeel from 1959 to 1973. Annie Laura Beckmann died on 1993 January 3. Page 2 of 24 Additional genealogical information about the Beckmann family is available as a PDF document accessible through the DRT Library's online catalog at http://69.63.217.28/elibsql08_D92004_Documents/00139gen.pdf. References Beckmann family biographical file, DRT Collection at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. The Family of Carl Hilmar Guenther and Dorothea Pape Guenther. San Antonio, Texas: R. B. Hurst, 2001. George, Mary Carolyn Hollers. "Alfred Giles." Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fgi15. Gideon, Margaret Guenther. "Carl Hilmar Guenther." Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fgu02. Long, Christopher. "Albert Felix Beckmann." Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbe94. Pease, S. W. "John Conrad Beckmann." Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbe16. Seidel, Jeff. "Pioneer Flour Mills." Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/dip03. Strong, Bernice. "John James." Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fja17. Scope and Content Note The Adolph Guenther and Milby Giles Beckmann Family Papers contain correspondence, financial and property records, scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs that document four generations of a San Antonio, Texas, family. The bulk of Adolph and Milby's papers are financial and include ledger books, records documenting various family properties in and around San Antonio, income tax paperwork, and files pertaining to the administration of their estates. Two noteworthy items in the collection are a ledger book maintained by John C. Beckmann between 1859 and 1866 for his blacksmith shop, located next to the Alamo, and an 1850 land patent to John James for land in Wilson County, Texas. The collection also contains a significant number of photographs, some contained within albums assembled by Adolph and Milby. Most of the images are of Adolph, Milby, and Page 3 of 24 their relatives, especially members of the Beckmann and Guenther families. The collection includes formal studio portraits and more informal photos. Almost all of the pictures have been labeled with the names of the individuals shown. Photographs document Albert Felix, Marie Guenther, Adolph Guenther, and Milby Giles Beckmann throughout their lives, from infancy or childhood through adulthood. Two noteworthy photographs are family portraits of Carl Hilmar and Dorothea Pape Guenther with their children, daughters- and sons-in-law, and grandchildren, dated 1893 and 1895. The collection also contains Albert Felix Beckmann architecture photographs; images of San Antonio, including many of early- twentieth-century floods; and pictures of the Guenther-Beckmann family business, Pioneer Flour Mills. Organization of Collection This collection is organized into nine series. Series 1: Adolph Guenther Beckmann papers Series 2: Milby Giles Beckmann (wife) papers Series 3: Adolph Guenther and Milby Giles Beckmann financial records Series 4: John Conrad Beckmann (grandfather) papers Series 5: Albert Felix Beckmann (father) and Marie Guenther Beckmann (mother) papers Series 6: James family (in-laws) and Fort Davis papers Series 7: Annie Laura Beckmann Langford McNeel (daughter) papers Series 8: Miscellaneous family papers Series 9: Photographs and photo albums Restrictions Access Restrictions No restrictions. The collection is open for research. Usage Restrictions Please be advised that the library does not hold the copyright to most of the material in its archival collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure those rights when needed. Permission to reproduce does not constitute permission to publish. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright, literary property rights, and libel. Page 4 of 24 Index Terms Personal Names Beckmann, Adolph Guenther, 1887-1954. Beckmann, Mary Milby Giles, 1890-1956. Beckmann, John Conrad, 1815-1907. Beckmann, Albert Felix, 1855-1900. Beckmann, Marie Guenther, 1864-1921. Guenther, Carl