Oconto County WIGenWeb Project
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OCONTO COUNTY
Wisconsin
FAMILIES and BIOGRAPHIES

 .BARTZ.

of towns of Mountain and How


Please click on the photo for a larger view. 

The following photo is Mary Drake, on left and Clara A. Bartz  (later wife of Horace John Herald) on right. Mary Drake was her best friend. This was taken about 1912 in Oconto, I don't know the Drake family or if they were from Mountain or Oconto. But descendents may like to see this picture. Kathleen Barlament

BARTZ
Please scroll down for the Family Tree.

Wilhelm (William) H. O. Bartz was born in 1835 at Buntzen, Prussia (now Germany). At the age of 37 years, in 1872, he immigrated to the U.S.  with his wife Johanna Howe and three children. They settled into a homestead in what would, in 1879, become town of How, Oconto County, Wisconsin (originally Shawano County, WI). Later that year their son Carl H. O. (Otto) died. The family added 5 more children, all of whom eventually settle nearby to raise their own families on farms. 

 Frederick (Fred) Bartz who was born 1845 in Pommerania, West Prussia (now Germany), brother of William, came to the U.S.  in 1884 with his wife Augusta C Zuelke (Zuehlke) and three children. They arrived in Mountain (then Armstrong County), in Oconto County and set up house in an abandoned building that had at first been used as a log lumber camp building and then as the first schoolhouse in the area. The new schoolhouse had been built earlier that same year.  Fred petitioned for US citizenship at the courthouse in Oconto on November 3, 1884. 

Fred Bartz opened the first general store in the settlement of Mountain in 1886. The Bartz family added to their income by boarding woodsmen in their home, charging $4 a month. Men who came in from the camps on weekends swelled the number staying in the home and bedding on the floor in the store to as many as 40 at a time. The couple had 13 infants born to them with 8 reaching adulthood. Please scroll down for the Family Tree.

Fredrick Bartz  

Obituary

Mountain 
1934  

BURIED AT MOUNTAIN

Fred Bartz, 88 years, 8 months, 14 days, died Tuesday, July 3rd, at 3:30 p. m. at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Horace Herald, Oconto. Diseases incident to old age caused his death. He had been ailing for some time but became seriously ill one week previous.

The Rev. Martins officiated at funeral services July 6 at the Lutheran church at Mountain, burial was in the church cemetery.

The pallbearers were Marinus Larsen, Fred Gripentrog, Clifford Elkey, Ed. Saffran, Walter Saffran and James Jorgensen.

Fredrick Bartz was born Oct.19, 1845 in Germany. He married Augusta Zielke in Germany, who preceded him in death 18 years ago last February.

Mr. Bartz was engaged in farming until 18 years ago. He is a pioneer resident of Mountain being the second person to locate there.

Survivor's are four sons, Albert, William, Otto and Harry of Mountain; four daughters, Mrs. William Greene of Lakewood; Mrs. Oscar Strong, Mountain; Mrs. Charles Minor of California, and Mrs. Horace Herald of Oconto. Twenty-one grandchildren and eight great grandchildren also survive.

People from out-of-town attending the funeral were: Wm. Bartz, Mr. and Mrs. Radloff, Mr. and Mrs. Aug. Bartz and son and daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bartz, Mr. and Mrs. John Bartz, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Bartz, all of the town of How; Mr. and Mrs. Herman Bartz, Miss Clara Schliebe, Miss Carrie Dieck of Suring; Mr. and Mrs. H. Gudden, Sr., Mrs. Dorothy Herald, the Misses Kathryn and Lottie Herald, Mr. and Mrs. Jamus Herald, Mrs. Alfred Clausen and Mr. and Mrs. Leo Young, all of Oconto; Harry Greene of Lakewood; Tracy Greene of Milwaukee; Mr. and Mrs. Norval Ohswaldt of Oconto Falls and Mr. and Mrs. Harry Greene, Jr. of Lakewood.

The floral tributes were in the care of the Misses Arvilla and Gladys Bartz, Isabella Strong and Esther Larsen.

Mountain Memories
Fred Bartz owned much of the land our present day townsite is situated upon. His home was built on the east side of Highway 32/M. Mountain's first school stood near his home, a log cabin structure which had been part of an old logging camp which occupied this site long before Mountain was to become settled by our pioneering families.




Harry H. Bartz
(1891-1989)
father of Allen  Bartz and son of Fred Bartz
all of Mountain, Oconto County, WI

Harry Bartz in Mountain Wisconsin - Above right
 A very rarely seen photograph of what matches early descriptions for a small Pine bough winter lodge constructed in a method adapted in the late 1800's from the Menominee Indian homes. Harry Bartz may have constructed this dwelling to use while first homesteading his land, and would have used it until a permanent home was constructed. He is seen here cooking with the traditional frying pan over a small woodburning stove with chimney.  Notice the snow behind and to the right of the lodge. He is in his "Sunday Best" clothing , including the sleeve garder, with no coat..
contributed by  Dorothy Hagemann


Al Bartz and Gary Knutson and Bruce McLaren. This picture was taken at the Champion spark plugs engine Dyno in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Tyler Alexander)

Al Bartz's Chevy engine in the Canadian Firebird was an interesting combination in Trans-Am racing. (Photo from Hemmings Motor news) 1966.




Allen Robert Bartz was born in Mountain, Oconto County, Wisconsin in 1938 to Harry H. Bartz and wife Carrie Dieck Bartz. His father, Harry was a machinist in a garage in Suring, just south of Mountain and Allen seemed to have "caught the bug" with engines. His first jobs included driving a milk delivery trucks from the farms to the dairy. "When the dairy industry took hold in the area, dairymen were paid by the amount of butterfat present in the milk. This raw milk (unpasteurized) separated quickly, with the butterfat cream going to the top. When the milk was tested, a long glass straw was used to take a sample from the BOTTOM of the cans. If the milk had separated, there was little butterfat in the sample and the dairy received less money for the milk. At first the dairymen brought in their own milk in large metal milk cans by team and wagon. In more recent years, the milk trucks went out to the dairies to pick up the milk.

Al Bartz and his brother drove milk trucks around Mountain and Suring.  By the end of the day they drove the trucks up and down the sand dunes alongside the road to mix up the milk and cream, which would result in a higher milk fat content and make the checks bigger for the farmers!"  Information provided by Kathy Barlament

Al Bartz also knew his way around truck and auto engines, spending hours working on and racing whatever presented itself to him in  the rural communities. In his early 20's Al found his way to Hilborn Fuel Injection in California, a company that began designing racing engines in 1948. There he learned to art and skills of making engines go faster. He moved on to Traco Engineering  in 1964, where the outstanding little shop specialized in horsepower in a very big way, building the very best engines in the racing business. Al worked on engines that powered Indy cars, Sprint cars, Can-Am cars, and SCCA sports cars, becoming  an expert in Chevy racing engine reliability. Their motto was "You either had a Traco engine in your car or you were running for second place."

In 1966 Al Bartz Engines was born. Bartz continued to build engines for different racing series and street use and his engines were profoundly successful as well as sought after by professionals and other enthusiasts.

Al Bartz was a very quiet man, definitely not a self promoter, and remained one of  racing's best kept secrets. A former sprint car racer and antique car collector, Bartz spent more time making other people famous than he did making his own product famous. A heavy smoker all of his adult life, he developed lung cancer and died in 1981 at forty-two years old. Allen Robert Bartz (1938 - 1981) returned to Oconto County, Wisconsin, where his brother brought his ashes for burial in Woodlawn Cemetery.   


Generation 1 - In Prussia

Frederick Bartz   
    b: 1810 :
+ Henrietta Strauss - wife of Frederick
    b: 1811 Wein, Austria 
    m: 1830 Germany 
Children of Frederick Sr and Henrietta
        1. Charlotte Bartz 
        2. Marie Henerette Bartz  

        3. Wilhelm H.O. Bartz
            b: Dec 1835 Buntzen, Germany
            d: Oct 18, 1903 Hayes, Oconto, WI
         4. Frederick Herman Bartz 
            b: Oct 19, 1845 Pomerania, West Prussia, Germany
            d: Jul 4 1934 Oconto, Oconto County, WI
         5. Johann Bartz  
            b: 1847 in Pommerin, Germany
         6. August Herman Ludwig Bartz
            b: Aug 8, 1858 Pommerin, Germany

Generation 2

1. Frederick Herman Bartz
    b: 19 Oct 1845  Pomerania, West Prussia, Germany
    immigration:  1882
    naturalization: November 3, 1884 in Oconto County, WI
    d: 4 Jul 1934  Oconto, Oconto, WI 
 + Augusta C Zuelke (Zuehlke)
    b: 24 Mar 1851   Flatow, West Prussia , Germany 

    m: 
1875
 Pomerania, West Prussia, Germany
    immigration:  1882
    d: 6 Mar 1916  Mountain, Oconto, Wisconsin
    Children of Frededrick and Augusta: By 1900 Augusta had given birth to 13 with 8 living
        1. Bertha Augusta Bartz
            b: 2 Oct 1878 Flatow, West Prussia, Germany
            immigration:  1882
            d: 13 Apr 1970  North Bonneville, Skamania, WA
        + William (Bill) Greene  - husband of Bertha Bartz
            b: July 7, 1875  in Germany
            immigration: 1881
            m: June 8, 1898 in Oconto County, WI
            d: August 18, 1946 WI    
            burial: Mountain Cemetery, Oconto County, WI  
        2. Albert August Herman Bartz
            b: 3 Jan 1880 Flatow, West Prussia, Germany
            immigration:  1882
            d: 11 Mar 1951  Mountain, Oconto, WI
            burial: Mountain Cemetery, Oconto County, WI 
        +Jessie Bell Hurning  - wife of Albert Bartz
            b:: 14 Aug 1890 Roselawn, Outagamie, WI
            m: 12 April 1908 in Menominee, MI
            d: 4 Mar 1973 Oconto Falls, Oconto, Wisconsin    
            burial: Mountain Cemetery, Oconto County, WI  
        3. William Theadore Bartz
            b: 17 Jun 1882 Flatow, West Prussia , Germany
            immigration:  1882
            marriage: single
            d: 18 Apr 1965 Mountain, Oconto, WI
            burial: Mountain Cemetery, Oconto County, WI
        4. Otto Henry Bartz 
            b:  2 Jun 1884 Gillette, Oconto, WI
            d: 20 May 1957  Mountain, Oconto, WI
            burial: Mountain Cemetery, Oconto County, WI 
        + Edith Zahn - wife of Otto Bartz
            b: 12 Oct 1886 Gillette, Oconto, WI 
            m: 19 Oct 1907 in Mountain, Oconto County, WI
            d: 20 Jul 1967 Oconto Falls, Oconto, Wisconsin  
            burial: Mountain Cemetery, Oconto County, WI    
        5. Marie (Mary) Heneryetta Bartz
            b: 11 Mar 1886  Mountain, Oconto, WI
            d: 16 Aug 1961 Mountain, Oconto County, WI
            burial: Mountain Cemetery, Oconto County, WI
        + Oscar B. Strong - husband of Marie Bartz
            b: 1874
            m: 16 Sept 1911 in Menominee, MI
            d: 1957
            burial: Mountain Cemetery, Oconto County, WI    
        6. Clara Anna Catherine Bartz
            b: 3 Jan 1889  Mountain, Oconto, WI
            d: 12 Jun 1982 Oconto Falls, Oconto, WI
            burial: St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery (Oconto Catholic Cemetery), Oconto, Oconto, WI -  in the James Herald Family plot   
        + Horace John Herald - husband of Clara Bartz
            b: 16 Sept 1889 Oconto, Oconto, WI 
            m: 14 July 1912 at St Joseph Catholic Church, Oconto County, WI
            d: 27 Jul 1959 Oconto Falls, Oconto, WI
            burial: St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery (Oconto Catholic Cemetery), Oconto, Oconto, WI -  in the James Herald Family plot     
        7. Harry Herbert Bartz
            b: 1 Jan 1891 Mountain, Oconto, WI
            d: 24 Oct 1989 Douglas, Cochise, AZ
 (notes on Harry Bartz -occupation was a machinist in Suring motor garage in 1920;  son Allen Robert Bartz b: 1938 in Mountain d: 1981 in California burial in Woodlawn Cemetery, Oconto County, became a famous race car engine designer)
        + Carrie Dieck - wife of Harry Bartz
            b: Nov  15, 1896 in Suring, Oconto County, WI
            m: 1 Oct 1919 in Suring, Oconto County, WI
            d: 11 Oct 1879 in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin
        8.  Lillian Charlotte Bartz
            b: 7 Oct 1896 Mountain, Oconto, WI
            d: 10 Mar 1979 Georgetown, Eldorado, CA     

2. Wilhelm H.O. Bartz

    b: Dec 1835 Buntzen, Prussia, Germany
    immigration: 1872 from Prussia
    d: 18 Oct 1903 Hayes, Oconto, WI 
    burial: St John Lutheran Cemetery in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
+ Johanna Howe - wife of Wilhelm (William) Bartz
    b: Jan 1846 Prussia
    m: 1866 in Prussia
    immigration: 1872 from Prussia
    d: 1931 Hayes, Oconto, WI 
    burial: St John Lutheran Cemetery in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
 Children - 1900 Johanna had given birth to 9 with 8 living.
        1. August Bartz
            b: 1866 Germany
            immigration: 1872 from Prussia
            d: 1945
            burial: St John Lutheram Cemetery in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
        + Emma Buchholz - wife of August Bartz
            b: Sept 16, 1869 in Germany
            immigration: 1889 from Germany
            m: 1895 in Oconto County, WI
            d: Aug 18, 1940 in Hayes, WI
           burial: St John Lutheran Cemetery in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
        2. Carl H. Otto Bartz
            b: Feb. 2, 1869 in Prussia
            immigration: 1872 from Prussia
            d: September 29, 1879 in Hayes
            burial: in St John Lutheran Cemetery, Hayes, Oconto County, WI
        3. Marie Bartz  
            b: Feb 1872 in Germany
            d: 1967
            burial: St John Lutheran Cemetery in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
        + August Radloff - husband of Marie Bartz
            b: Dec 1863 in Germany
            immigrations: 1868 from Prussia
            m: 1891 in Hayes, Oconto County, WI, St John Lutheran Chuirch
            d: 1940 in town of How, Oconto County, WI
            burial: St John Lutheran Cemetery in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
        4. William H. Bartz
            b: Jan 1875 in WI
            d: 1948
            burial: St John Lutheran Cemetery in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
        5. Frank T Bartz  
            b: March 1876 in WI
            d: 1938 in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
            burial: St John Lutheran Cemetery in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
        + Amanda Van Gottin - wife #1 of Frank Bartz
            b: 24 Oct 1888
            d: 19 Feb 1914 in Hayes, Oconto County, WI

            burial: St John Lutheran Cemetery in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
        + Hattie  ? -  wife #2 of Frank Bartz      
            b:  1908 (on 1920 census)
        6. Gustav Bartz
            b:14 Jul 1878 in WI
            d: 9 Nov 1918
            burial: St John Lutheran Cemetery in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
        7. John H. Bartz  
            b:Mar 1881 in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
            d: 1965 in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
            burial: St John Lutheran Cemetery in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
        + Susan C. ?
            b: 1888   in Minnesota 
            d: 1972 in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
            burial: St John Lutheran Cemetery in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
        8. Paul Bartz  
            b: 22 Feb 1884  in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
            d: Jul 1974
            burial: St John Lutheran Cemetery in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
        + Emma Schossow - wife of Paul Bartz
            b: 1888 in Germany
            immigrations: 1889 from Germany
            m: 1908
            d: 1941 in town of How, Oconto County, WI
            burial: St John Lutheran Cemetery in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
        9. Herman F. Bartz  
            b:Jul 1886  in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
            d: 1958 in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
            burial: St John Lutheran Cemetery in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
        + Marie J. Schlieb - wife of Herman Bartz
            b: 1890 in Wisconsin
            m:  1918
            d:  1958 in Hayes, Oconto County, WI
            burial: St John Lutheran Cemetery in Hayes, Oconto County, WI  





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