Saturday's Society : Deutscher Kriegerverein (DKV)

German immigrants who fought in the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War established the Deutscher Kriegerverein, or the German Veterans Society, on December 1, 1889.  Members paid dues amounting to $.10 per month.  

Albany Times, 3 December 1889

Gustav Zinserling, the proprietor of the Hotel Columbia, was the leader of the veterans’ group for many years. 

Gustav Zinserling in uniform

Gustav Zinserling

They met monthly at the Hotel Columbia until 1901, then they met at the Grand Army Hall, located at 31 Green Street.

1893 Albany City Directory ad

In 1908 the society moved to its final meeting place- the German Hall.   

German Hall, 48 Beaver Street, Albany

The Veterans’ Society celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary at Shafer’s Grove.  The group had 150 members in its heyday; by 1897 membership included seventy-two members and two honorary members, but by March 1918, membership had dwindled to twenty-nine individuals, and the society dissolved itself after twenty-nine years.[1]

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[1] n. a., Geschichte der Deutschen in Albany und Troy, p. 179. Schenectady Herold-Journal, March 29, 1918, 1:2.

Deutscher Kreiger Vereine

This is not a post that I like but I feel the need to get it out. In January 2015, I posted a short article on the Deutscher Kreiger Vereine or DKV. In the post I attached a picture of one of the last remaining DKV flag holders in the area that I knew of. Over time there were some questions that readers emailed me regarding the DKV. One reader emailed me a few months ago and notified me that the DKV flag holder was missing from the gravesite. I mentioned perhaps the family removed it to clean it up or repair it. Recently I traveled to the cemetery where the flag holder was located and it was still missing as of last week. It is hoped that my article did not draw attention to it and then someone stole it. Either way if the family did not remove it, shame on whoever took it.

DKV or Deutscher Kreigerverein

After viewing an online FB discussion regarding an older picture of a man in a uniform, this brief paragraph from my MA thesis on German-American history in Albany should clarify some questions.

German immigrants who fought in the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War established the Deutscher Kriegerverein, or the German Veterans Society, on December 1, 1889.  Members paid dues amounting to $.10 per month.  Gustav Zinserling, the proprietor of the Hotel Columbia, was the leader of the veterans’ group for many years.  They met monthly at the Hotel Columbia until 1901, when they met at the Grand Army Hall, located at 31 Green Street.  In 1908 the society moved to its final meeting place- the German Hall.  The Veterans’ Society celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary at Shafer’s Grove.  The group had 150 members in its heyday; by 1897 membership included seventy-two members and two honorary members, but by March 1918, membership had dwindled to twenty-nine individuals, and the society dissolved itself after twenty-nine years.[1]

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[1] n. a., Geschichte der Deutschen in Albany und Troy, p. 179. Schenectady Herold-Journal, March 29, 1918, 1:2.

Below is a photo of a DKV veteran's grave marker.  I used to see quite a few of these in local German cemeteries.  However very few are still around today.  Either they were tossed out by the caretakers or perhaps stolen.  Either way we do not see these much anymore.

Below are photos of two men in their DKV uniform.

Anton Hafner

Gustav Zinserling