August & Bertha Hartwig
August and Bertha were the parents of Frank Hartwig. Their story about coming to America, raising son Frank and his siblings, and living in Summit, WI and Milwaukee, WI is told in detail further down this page.
August Carl Hartwig (Frank's Father)
b. 20 September 1845 - Güstebiese, Koenigsberg, Brandenburg, Prussia (Preußen)
Immigrated to the USA in 1867 with Father Friedrich August & Mother Elizabeth
Declared Intention for U.S.A. Citizenship in 1870
Married Bertha Wille in 6 January 1871
Petitioned for Official Citizenship in June 1906
d. 14 January 1923 - Portage, Indiana
St. Joseph's Hospital while living at the home of his
daughter Olga Weissbrodt
Cremains buried at Pilgrim's Rest Cemetary in Milwaukee, WI
at his wife Bertha's gravesite located at Lot 1, Blk 9, Sec H, Grave 46
Bertha Wille Hartwig (Frank's Mother)
b. 16 June 1853 - Rensekow, Pomerania, Prussia
Immigrated to the USA in 1868 along with Father August Wille and Mother Caroline
d. 16 January 1921 (Gastritis) - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Trinity Hospital
Buried at Pilgrim's Rest Cemetary in Milwaukee, WI
at the gravesite located at Lot 1, Blk 9, Sec H, Grave 46
Friedrich August Hartwig (Frank's Grandfather)
b. 19 September 1818 - Güstebiese, Koenigsberg, Brandenburg, Prussia (Preußen)
d. 22 July 1886 - Summit, Wisconsin
Elisabeth Hilliges Hartwig (Frank's Grandmother)
b. 17 December 1817 - Güstebiese, Koenigsberg, Brandenburg, Prussia (Preußen)
d. 10 January 1893 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Children of August & Bertha Hartwig
William
b. 23 Jan 1872 m. Maggie Piroska 15 April 1920 d. 24 June 1926 and buried at Montorse Cemetery ... The records at St. John’s church in Sullivan, WI include the birth and baptismal records for most of their children: Wilhelm (William) was born first. The church record says 1872, but his death record states January 23, 1873.
Otto J.C. (aka Arthur)
b. 8 Jul 1874 m. Frances Retz 29 Nov 1895 d. 12 Jun 1911 (tuberculosis) and buried at Pilgrim's Rest cemetery in Milwaukee, WI ... The church record says he was born in 1873 but his death certificate states July 8, 1874. Note: there was no son named Arthur as Otto and he were actually one and the same.
Martha Wilhelmine Louise
b. 9 August 1875 m. Fred Zuehlke 20 May 1893 d. 3 Apr 1961 ... The first daughter, Martha Wilhelmine Louise, was born on August 9, 1875 and baptized on October 17, 1875.
Friederika Wilhelmine Ida
b. 7 March 1877 d. 1878 ... The second daughter, Friederika Wilhelmine Ida, was born on March 7, 1877 and baptized on May 13, 1877. It is believed that she died in 1878 and buried at La Belle Cemetery in Oconomowoc, WI.
Franz Carl (Frank)
b. 11 March 1879 (per church records) or 11 May 1879 by his recall. He was baptized on June 29, 1879, and his sponsors were Adolph Wolf, Wilhelmine Wolf and Carl Zahn) m. Helen Stone 10 Dec 1910 (wedding attendants were Frank Buth and Linda Heuter) d. 21 March 1965 and buried at Mosinee Cemetery, Mosinee, WI
Amanda Auguste Marie
b. 3 Dec 1880 m. John Junck 21 Oct 1899 d. unknown
Gustav August Joachim
b. 7 Feb 1882 m. Martha Giese 17 April 1909 d. 27 May 1917 due to acccidental electrocution at Geo. Ziegler candy factory in Milwaukee, and buried at Pilgrim's Rest cemetery in Milwaukee, WI ... His death certificate says he was actually born on the 8th) and baptized on April 30, 1882.
Click here to read about Gustav's death
Bertha Mina Ida
b. 2 July 1885 d. 15 February 1887 ... Bertha Mina Ida was born on July 2, 1885 and baptized on August 30, 1885.
Herta (Hattie)
b. 14 July 1888 m. Wm (Bill) Steltzner 19 Oct 1907 d. 1971
Olga
b. 8 March 1890 m. Hugo Weissbrodt 19 June 1909 d. August 1986
Richard
b. 19 February 1892 d. 3 April 1893
Paul
b. 12 December 1893 d. 17 July 1894
Hartwigs Come to America
Friedrich August Hartwig (Frank's Grandfather) was born on September 19, 1818. His wife, Elisabeth Hilliges, was born on December 17, 1817. Their son, August Carl Hartwig, was born on September 20, 1845. Not much else is known about them, other than that their residence was Güstebiese, near the Oder River, in the Koenigsberg district, in the Province of Brandenburg, in the Kingdom of Prussia (Preußen). It is now a part of Poland, and is called Gozdowice. No information has been found for any of their relatives in Prussia (or America for that matter) but the Hartwigs probably were encouraged to make the journey to Wisconsin based on what they read in letters or newspapers from friends or relatives already living there. And so they left Güstebiese and traveled to Hamburg, Germany, a popular seaport, where on October 1, 1868 they boarded the steamship Allemania. Two weeks later, on October 21st, they docked at a port in New York City.
The Allemania passenger manifest listed Friedrich’s occupation as “arbeiter”, or worker. But on another emigration document his standing is listed at “buedner”, which is a term to describe a particular type of farmer – one who grows vegetables for both his own sustenance and for sale.
Above is a reenactment of typical steerage quarter for ships such as the Allemania
Below are immigration records for Friedrich, Elisabeth and August Hartwig
August & Bertha Settle in the Town of Summit
From New York City they embarked on route to Wisconsin, at first settling in Ixonia, in Jefferson County. This fact is known only because Ixonia is listed as their residence on the warranty deed dated November 23, 1869, when Friedrich and son August purchased 72 acres of land in Concord – which was the town where young Bertha Wille was living with her parents, August and Caroline Wille.
August Carl Hartwig married Bertha Johanna Justina Wille on January 6, 1871. The ceremony took place in at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran church in Sullivan (then Golden Lake) located in Jefferson County. As it so happens, this location is essentially on the border of Concord, and Summit (in Waukesha County) where the Hartwigs would eventually move. According to the marriage certificate, the witnesses were Carl Buske, Heinrich Buske, Wilhelm Wille, and H. Wille; and the minister was Conrad Stoeffler. It is interesting to note that the certificate lists August’s occupation as carpenter, not farmer.
The Hartwig family were members of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church located in Sullivan, WI - not far from their home in Summit, WI
August and Bertha’s first child, William, was born in about 1872 (he is listed as age 8 on the 1880 federal census) so perhaps it became necessary for Friedrich and August to sell their property in Concord on March 4, 1872 was in order to obtain a home large enough for a growing family. But for nearly a year they must have rented from someone before August and Bertha purchased their property in Summit Township (just south of Oconomowoc in Waukesha County) on February 7, 1873. The 80 acres that were split between Sections 19 and 20 was purchased for $725. Although certainly not the original structure, it is possible that the house that stands on the site today could be the result of improvements to the original building.
Shortly thereafter, Friedrich and Elisabeth must have decided to let the young family have some privacy and so they returned to Ixonia, and purchased an acre of property on June 18, 1873. (Warning: the following may appear somewhat confusing … on the warranty deed it states that Grantee (purchaser) is our very own Friedrich August Hartwig – so far so good. But the Grantor is listed as Carl August and Friedericke Hartwig – who are NOT our “known” relatives. Perhaps “their” kin back in Prussia/Germany were related to “our” kin there, but no evidence has been discovered to indicate this is the case.
1873 Plat
1891 Plat
The small squares indicate their house, which is currently located on the northeast corner of Golden Lake Road and Genesee Lake Road. The photo below shows that the house standing there as of August 21, 2015 could be - at least partially - the original dwelling:
Summit would be the Hartwig’s home for nearly 20 years, but very little is known about their life other than they were members of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Golden Lake (now Sullivan, WI) who has the records for their family membership.
2015 Video of August Hartwig Property
To see what the August Hartwi property looked like as of August 21, 2015 click on this link: Video of the August Hartwig property in the Town of Summit
Frank's Grandfather Friedrich died in 1886 and was buried at the Summit Cemetery
The Hartwigs move to Milwaukee
In 1892 August and son-in-law Fred Zuehlke (aka Zilke) built two homes in Milwaukee - 833 Arrow Street and 612 Arthur Avenue, which was also the storefront for the Hartwig Bakery from 1893 to 1899 ...
In 1892, the first Hartwig Bakery was located at 563 Maple St (now 1031 Maple St) which was also where Grandmother Elisabeth, and the two oldest brothers, William and Otto (aka Arthur) lived ...
In 1897, Frank and brother Otto (aka Arthur) ran a bakery out of 135 Lincoln Ave in what is now known as the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee. The address is now 1031 E Lincoln Ave, and the business is the Sugar Maple Pub.
In 1893 Frank's Grandmother Elisabeth died
In 1906, August became a US Citizen
On November 2, 1870 August Hartwig traveled to the Jefferson County courthouse (in the city of Jefferson) to file a certificate that declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States, and to renounce all allegiance to Prussia. There is no evidence that his Father, Friedrich, did the same. Even if he had, it was not necessary for the wives, Elisabeth and Bertha to file these declarations as the same status would extend to them by virtue of their marriages.
In 1921 August & Bertha Celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary.
The article shown below appeared in the local German-language newspaper, The Milwaukee Herold dated 9 December 1921.
Later in 1921 August's wife Bertha died
After his wife Bertha died in 1921, August moved to South Bend, IN to live with his youngest daughter, Olga Weissbrodt
August Hartwig died in 1923. His ashes were sent to Milwaukee and were buried in Bertha's gravesite.
The Death of Gustav Hartwig (based on coroner's report)
Gustave Hartwig was a hard worker. He must have been, considering that he was willing to work on a Sunday. Or, maybe because Sunday was the only day that routine maintenance could be performed at the George Ziegler Company, it may have been a requirement – the duty – of the boiler room firemen to clean the water heater on May 27, 1917. The George Ziegler Company made candy at 362–374 Florida St., at the corner of Greenbush St., in the Milwaukee, WI neighborhood known as Walker’s Point. Renowned for developing the first chocolate bar containing peanuts (the Milk Chocolate Peanut Block) Ziegler was one of the largest candy companies in the Midwest, ultimately making 20 tons of candy per day at the 7-story facility. It was only a year before Gustave started working there, in 1911, when the company launched their flagship treat, the Ziegler Giant Bar. Although it isn’t certain that Ziegler employees received free, or discounted, candy as a perk for working there, the temptation to nibble “on the job” might have resulted in a few extra pounds for some. But, by looking at him, you wouldn’t have known it to be a problem for Gustave. At age 35, the 5’-8”and 165 pound son of German immigrants, with light brown hair and gray eyes, was considered a good, strong, healthy man. In fact, Gustave hadn’t missed a day of work in nearly two years, and only then because of a severe bout of rheumatism.
Working as a fireman in the boiler room at Ziegler was Gustave’s first factory job. He had farmed during his youth, later became a baker like his older brothers (William, Otto and Frank) and, up to that point, was one of the only Hartwig’s to ever drive a car after taking a job as coachman. Perhaps, on that particular day, knowing what the daily task was to be, Gustave yearned for that relatively clean and comfortable job. But then, who wouldn’t prefer driving a car around Milwaukee on a 59 degree day in late May – instead of descending into, and cleaning, a cramped and dank water heater? But it had to be done. Every 5-6 weeks. The plant’s boilers, which had just been cleaned by the same crew one week earlier, required clean, pre-heated water in order to be most-efficient, and on this day, the gravel that filtered the water would be removed and replaced, and the plates that heated the water would be cleaned. Frank Friedrich, a candy maker at Ziegler for nearly 35 years, and Fred Witte, the plant’s maintenance engineer, were the other members of the cleaning crew, and began work around 7:00 that morning. The job at hand would typically mean a long day anyway, but for Frank and Fred it would be even longer than they would ever know. For Gustave, it would be the last day he would ever know.
By 5:00 that evening, the men were just finishing up cleaning the interior of the heater tank. Gustave and Fred had just reattached the heater plates inside the tank, which was approximately 12 feet tall. But with an interior that was only 4-1/2 feet in diameter, there wasn’t much room for one man, let alone two. Thankfully, it wasn’t particularly warm inside, but removing and replacing the heavy gravel in such a limited space both men couldn’t help but emerge completely soaked with sweat – unlike Friedrich’s clothes, which were dry as he sat on top of the tank. Fred emerged first and gave instructions to Gustave. “Go up there with Friedrich and help him put on that cover, and I will close the doors and finish up the lower part.” Friedrich was still on top of the tank as Gustave crawled out, and Fred was about halfway down the ladder tightening bolts when Friedrich suddenly hollered to him, “hurry-up and shut off the power!” Fred jumped off the ladder and pulled on the power switch. As he started back up the ladder to see what was wrong, Friedrich asked him to bring some water. Fred found a tin cup and filled it half full before proceeding up the ladder. By the glow of the drop light, which hung from the ceiling just 3 feet above the tank, Fred saw Friedrich holding Gustave’s head on his lap in a sideways position. Friedrich attempted to coax Gustave into taking a sip, but there was no reaction when he placed the cup against his silent lips. Friedrich looked at Fred and cried, “Get a doctor.” Fred immediately ran to the factory store and telephoned for a doctor but got no response, so he called for a police ambulance, which arrived within ten minutes – perhaps five. As Friedrich waited, he poured the water over Gustave’s forehead, hoping it would provide some comfort. Stunned, Friedrich stared straight ahead, wondering what had happened. He remembered hearing Fred’s instructions to Gustave, who, by then, was crawling over to the side of the tank opposite Friedrich. Gustave had accepted the drop light from Friedrich and hung it overhead. Gustave started to rise in order to scoot into a better position for attaching the cover, and Friedrich did the same. But as Friedrich turned he heard Gustave cry “ouch”. Friedrich immediately felt Gustave’s hand upon his shoulder, which gave Friedrich a slight shock. As Friedrich turned back to see what had happened, Gustave collapsed into his lap, and took 3 or 4 breaths. Then he went silent. Apparently, as Gustave was rising up he had come in contact with the brass socket of the drop light – which had a short, and whose fiber liner was damp – causing 220 volts to pass through his body from his shoulder blade (third degree burn) to his right heel (second degree burn).
Hours later, the boiler room sat dark and silent. The drop light hung from the ceiling above the heater, and the fiber lining inside the brass socket was starting to dry out. The electrical inspector would eventually discover the shorted wire within and order it to be replaced with a socket containing a porcelain liner – just as the city’s revised electrical code had mandated two years earlier – but only for new installations. Unfortunately, that change came too late for Gustave Hartwig – the Son, Brother, Husband and Father – who was buried three days later at Pilgrims’ Rest cemetery in Milwaukee.