Historical Marker Donors

The Wisconsin State Historical Marker honoring Gustaf Unonius, New Upsala and the Scandinavian Parish was unveiled on June 1, 2024 at St. Anskar’s Episcopal Church in Hartland Wisconsin. The project to establish the marker was initiated in October of 2020 at the SAHSWI annual meeting, and after much research and documentation the application was submitted in July of 2022. After several discussions with Wisconsin Historical Society and resolving suggested modifications in the text, the final approval was received in May 2023 and the marker was placed on order. Sewah Studios manufactured the marker and delivered it at the end of December 2023. The estimated cost for the marker, installation and landscaping was $10,000, the estimate may be a little short, but not by a lot. We are happy to report that the amount of donations to cover the costs are presently at little over $12,000.

To date there are 54 donations provided by 45 donors. We sincerely thank everyone that have donated to this cause as we celebrate the first Swedes that established the base for the Swedish Americans in Wisconsin. We also would like to list the donors and their dedication of their donation. With respect of each donor’s privacy, we only list those donors who agree to be included in this public listing. The list is in alphabetical order based on first name. The list will be kept updated.

  • Barbara Schoetzau, in Memory of Nancy and Doug Foss
  • Bernadette Hasslinger
  • Beverly Wenzel, In Memory of Anne-Marie Hummel
  • Bridget Crego
  • Charles Roberts, In Memory of Carl Erikson (father-in-law)
  • Cletus Hasslinger, Acknowledging Kee-wah-goosh-kum’s community was the land before New Upsala. To honor Charlotte Bergwall (1852-1883), a Wisconsin Education leader and the U.S. Bergwall’s ambassador to Sweden’s Bergwalls
  • David Hasslinger, In Honor of my mother, Margaret Bergwall 
  • David Preis, In Honor of Mary Weber’s 80th Birthday
  • Doug & Meg Haag
  • Elizabeth Hasslinger
  • Erik Ehrengren, In Honor of my dad, Jan Ehrengren
  • J+M Koepke
  • Jean McClure, In Honor of my mother, Charlotte Kay (Bergwall) Planer
  • Jill Herkowski, In Honor of Mary Weber’s 80th Birthday!
  • John Elliott 
  • John Engel, In Memory of my Grandmother Mildred (Nelson) Starz
  • Karen Snowberg, In Memory of my parents John and Helen Snowberg. (See more)
  • Kathy Natzke, In Memory of my mother, Barbara Natzke, who had a great interest in her Swedish roots. 
  • Ken and Sarah Hintz, In Memory of the John Nelson Family.
  • Kendall Haag, In Honor of Tracy Redman, who is one of your members. She is a friend and an exceptional lady and most deserving of a dedication.
  • Kerri and Jan Ehrengren, In Memory of Kerri’s mother who is of Swedish descent and Jan’s parents who supported his emigration to Wisconsin.
  • Margaret Wittkopp, Dedicated to Dr. Robert P Bergwall (grandfather)
  • Rosemarie Moser, In Memory of my mother and father, Mary Anne Zaffiro (nee Bergwall) and John A. Zaffiro
  • St. Anskar’s Episcopal Church, “We honor the life and ministry of Gustaf Unonius as we, one of the descendant parishes of that ministry, carry on his witness, spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to today’s world.”
  • Sylvia Kreutzmann & Erick Blomgren, In Memory of Irene & Leonard Blomgren.
  • Tehya Crego
  • Tim and Tracy Redman