Heinrich Bartels Holy Card

Heinrich Bartels

Born in Finnen an the Rhine on 3 April 1829

Died in Milwaukee, Wis., on 10 Jan 1917

Note: Heinrich Bartels is one of Ferdinand Bartels' older brothers. He immigrated to the US and lived with Ferdinand and family in Milwaukee (see 1900 Census).

Biographies of Henry Bartels and Adele Bartels

Frank Henry Bartels

Born in Milwaukee 6 December 1869, Henry was the first child of immigrants Ferdinand and Maria Bartels.[1] He spoke German as his primary language in the home and among fellow parishioners at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. German became his children’s primary language as well. Henry became a master plumber, and his plumbing business “Bartels and Sons” served many German-Americans although his Polish neighbors also frequently employed his services.[2] When his Polish clientele continued to increase, Henry studied the Polish language to better communicate with his customers. This knowledge, too, he shared with his children.[3]

Henry Bartels chose a German-American woman for his first wife, although his cultural background would have less of an influence on his later remarriage. His first wife, Frances “Fanny” Reiniger, was also from Milwaukee. They were married 9 Aug 1898.[4] Fanny developed thyroid problems, including a visible goiter around her neck. The goiter eventually grew too large and suffocated her. She died 1927.[5] A few years later, Henry remarried the widow Theresa “Tess” neè Vollmer, a Polish-American.

Henry was a very tolerant man. Henry’s daughter, Gertrude, remembered her father as “a good husband and family provider.” Granddaughter, Audrey Collette recalled the mischievous side of her grandfather: “Grandpa Henry had a clear mind and was always full of the dickens.”[6] His daily ritual consisted of consuming a pint of chocolate ice cream and a pint of beer, which Collette recalled would usually be in conjunction with watching a baseball game.

Adele Marie Bartels

On 11 February 1906, Henry and Fanny Bartels baptized their oldest daughter at St. Anthony’s Church in Milwaukee and gave her the name “Adele Maria Bartels,” perhaps in honor of Henry’s sister-in-law, Wanda Adele Bartels, who served as godmother. [7] (On other ecclesiastical and civil documents, her middle name changed to “Marie” instead of “Maria.”) Later on in life, Adele began spelling her name as “Adell,” an Americanized version of her German name. She used this new spelling throughout the remainder of her life, including on her marriage certificate in 1927.[8]

Adele worked at the Holproof Hosiery factory in Milwaukee until age 18, when her mother died unexpectedly; then she assumed matriarchal duties in the family, taking care of the children and running her father’s plumbing store.[9] Adele worked at many occupations; at the time of her marriage to John Erickson, she was employed as a bookkeeper.[10] While Adele, her sisters Gertrude and Alberta, and their sister-in-law Dorothy, also worked outside the home, the other wives in the family stayed at home.[11]

Adele married John Peter “Jack” Erickson, a Swedish immigrant she met at a dance at the Southside Armory on Mitchell Street that both regularly attended. They courted for three years before their marriage in 1927. Adele reportedly believed there was only one qualification for a good spouse: that he was a good person. Jack evidently was “a good person” and they spent almost 52 years together before his death in 1979.[12]

Growing up, her family spoke primarily German in the home. They associated with other Germans in their neighborhood, in various societies, and at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, a German parish. (Although mass was in Latin, all of the other services were performed in German.) With her brothers and sisters, Adele attended St. Anthony’s parochial school up to the eighth grade. The nuns instructed the children in German and taught the children the basics, including German history and culture; this German instruction continued during the war.[13] Years later when Adele and Jack raised her sister Alberta’s child, Audrey learned German before English. [14] However, Adele spoke English as a considerate gesture for her husband, and when family came to visit on Sundays, the in-laws who were not conversant in German. She respected her in-laws and wanted them to feel included in the family.[15]

Family relationships were important to Adele. As the oldest daughter, she organized frequent family gatherings and was the focal point of the family. On Sunday afternoons, her siblings and their families, father Henry, and sometimes Henry’s brother George and his wife, Wanda, would come to Adele and Jack’s home for Sunday dinner. Music also brought the Bartels family together. The entire Bartels family would roll up the carpet in the living room and dance the schottische to accordion music, usually provided by Adele’s brother, Norbert.[16] Though she belonged to the Bavarian Club and Steuben Society, Adele was not an active member because it would take time from her family. Her family always came first.[17]


SOURCES

[1] Frank Henry Bartels, birth, Milwaukee County Birth Records, microfilm no. 1011984 (Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah), vol. J, p. 106.
[2] Henry’s youngest daughter, Gertrude, remembered her father fondly. “A sound that reminds me of my childhood is running water. Opening and closing a faucet is a constant reminder of my father who was a plumber” (Gertrude [Bartels] Lewis, letter to author, 8 September 1998).
[3] Collette, telephone interview, 9. April 2001.
[4] Henry Bartels-Frances Reiniger marriage, Milwaukee County Marriage Records, microfilm no. 1014003 (Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah), vol. 120, p. 403.
[5] Frances Bartels death, Milwaukee County Courthouse, vol. 547, p. 238. Certificate in possession of author; Collette, telephone interview, 9. April 2001.
[6] Gertrude Lewis, letter to author; Audrey Collette, telephone interview, 9. April 2001.
[7] St. Anthony’s Catholic Church (Milwaukee, Wisconsin). Church records, 11 Feb 1906, “Adele Maria Bartels,” vol. 3, p. 164.
[8] John Erickson-Adell Bartels, Marriage Certificate, 16. Aug 1927, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, License No. 121262. Certificate in possession of the author.
[9] Collette, telephone interview, 9. April 2001.
[10] Erickson-Bartels marriage certificate (1927).
[11] Audrey Collette, telephone interview, 9. April 2001.
[12] John Erickson’s Death Certificate; Adele and Jack were unable to have children.
[13] Audrey (Bartels) Collette, telephone interview, 9 April 2001. St. Anthony’s parish was unique in the city of Milwaukee. Only the second congregation in the city established specifically for Germans, Father Anthon Decker organized it in 1872 on Milwaukee’s south side to meet the needs of the ever-expanding German population. Father Decker intended that the structure also be used as a parochial school to instruct the parish children in both gospel and the German tongue. In 1896, seven hundred and fifty families attended the parish and eight hundred of their children attended parochial school. See Harry H. Heming, The Catholic Church in Wisconsin (Milwaukee, WI: Catholic Historical Publications), 1896, 323-24; and History of Milwaukee (Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1881), 912, 915).
[14] Audrey Collette, telephone interview, 9. April 2001.
[15] Collette, letter dated July 2001.
[16] Collette, letter dated July 2001, part 2.
[17] Collette, letter dated July 2001; Ibid., part 2.

Henry Bartels Plumbing Store

H. Bartels and Son Plumbing and Heating Store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

One side of the store was for the plumbing business; the other side was where he sold confections and other sweets.

Map of Vynen, Rees, and Niedermoermter, Rheinland

Places where the Bartels family lived in Nordrhein-Westfalen (Rheinland at the time they were there): Vynen, Rees, and Niedermoermter.

Franklin Joseph Reiniger Family

Father: Franklin Joseph Reiniger, born February 1847 in Milwaukee. Died ??

Mother: Ottilia Bertha Quade, born about 1856. Died 14 October 1895 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.

1. Frances "Fanny" Reiniger, born 23 May 1875 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Died 20 September 1927 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Married to Frank Henry Bartels.

2. Katherine "Kate" Reiniger, born February 1880 in Milwaukee. Married to Henry "Harry" Wagner.

3. Arthur Adam Reiniger, born 7 December 1881 in Milwaukee. Died 1 May 1963 in Jefferson County, Wisconsin. Married to Margaret Walther.

4. Adolf M. Reiniger, born 29 July 1886 in Milwaukee. Married to Hilda Hitmann.

5. Martha Mary Elizabeth Reiniger, born 5 November 1887 in Milwaukee.

6. William G. Reiniger, born 8 June 1880 in Milwaukee. Died 20 October 1961 in Milwaukee. Married to Lena Schroeder.

7. Paul Reiniger, born August 1891 in Milwaukee. Married to Viola Hitmann.

8. Gertrude H. Reiniger, born 7 November 1892 in Milwaukee. Died 6 July 1980 in Waukesha, Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Never married.

9. Klara Reiniger, born 11 October 1895 in Milwaukee. Married to Fred "Fritz" Barbaris.

10. Rose Reiniger, born 11 October 1895 in Milwaukee. Married to Wallace Garrow.

Ferdinand Bartels and Maria Voellings Family

Father: Ferdinand Carl Bartels, born 7 September 1840 in Vynen, Rheinland, Prussia. Died 19 February 1920 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.

Mother: Maria Voellings, born 1848. Died 4 May 1933 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.

1. Frank Henry Bartels, born 6 December 1869 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Died 1 March 1955 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Married to Frances "Fanny" Reiniger.

2. George Heinrich Bartels, born 8 February 1872 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Died 8 January 1957 in Wisconsin. Married Wanda Richter.

3. Carrie M. Bartels, born 24 February 1875 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Died 2 January 1908 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Married Herman Kramer.

4. Julia D. Bartels, born October 1876 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Died 22 January 1940 in Wisconsin. Married and divorced from Kurt Von Sehlen.

5. Joseph Bartels, born April 1880 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.

6. William E. Bartels, born 31 March 1882 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Died 17 October 1946 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.

7. Baby Boy Bartels, born and died 15 October 1884 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.

8. Ferdinand Carl Bartels Jr., born 24 February 1886 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Died 23 March 1915 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Married Anna Pufahl.

Gerhard and Hendrica Voellings Family

Father: Gerhard Voellings, born about 1801 and died 1880 in Franklin, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

Mother: Hendrica, born about 1808 and died in 1894 in Franklin, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

1. Johanna Voellings, born 1835. Married Heinrich Foellings.

2. William (Wilhelm) Voellings, born about 1837. Married Mary Hendricks. ** See entry below.

3. Elisabetha Voellings, born 1841. Married Heinrich Derksen.

4. Gertrude Voellings, born about 1845. Married Johann Derksen.

5. Maria "Mary" Voellings, born 1848. Married Ferdinand Bartels. Died 1933 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.

William and Mary Voellings Family

Father: William (Wilhelm) Voellings, born about 1837 in Germany and died 1907 in Franklin, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

Mother: Mary Hendricks, born about 1842 and died in 1926 in Franklin, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

1. Joseph Gerhard Voellings
2. Friedrich Henry "Fred" Voellings
3. Helena Voellings
4. Maria "Mary" Voellings

Ferdinand and Gerhard Bartels Hamburg Passenger List

Page 2

Source Information: Staatsarchiv Hamburg. Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006. Original data: Staatsarchiv Hamburg, Bestand: 373-7 I, VIII (Auswanderungsamt I). Mikrofilmrollen K 1701 - K 2008, S 17363 - S 17383, 13116 - 13183.

People included in this record:

Gerhard Bartels -- last residence: Luebeck -- farmer -- age 36

Ferdinand Bartels -- last residence: Luebeck -- farmer -- age 27

Adele Bartels and Her Reiniger Cousins

Source: Photo in my possesion.

Featured in the photo above are Adele Bartels, daughter of Henry Bartels, and her Reiniger cousins: Rose/Rosa Reiniger and Klara Reiniger.

Gerhard Bartels: Another Elusive Ancestor

Full name of husband: Gerhard Bartles
Husband's father's name: John Henry Bartles
Husband's mother's name: Helena Borck
Husband's occupation: carpenter
Husband's residence: Milwaukee
Husband's birthplace: Germany

Full name of wife previously to marriage: Mrs. Anne DeLeslie
Wife's father's name: Bernard Henry
Wife's mother's name: Julia Flattery

Date of marriage: January 26, 1869
Place of marriage: Milwaukee
Color of couple: white
By what ceremony consummated: Catholic
By whom ceremony conducted: S.P. Lalumiere
Residence of person last named: Milwaukee
Names of subscribing witnesses: Ferdinand and Mary Bartles

Date of certificate: January 26, 1869
Date of registration: April 5, 1869



WHAT I KNOW ABOUT GERHARD BARTELS:

• He was born in Vynen, Germany in 1832.
• He emigrated to the USA with his younger brother, Ferdinand, in 1867 aboard the ship Cimbria, travelling from Hamburg to New York City.
• Eventually both Ferdinand and Gerhard made their way to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
• In the above document (Gerhard's marriage to Anne DeLeslie in 1869), Ferdinand and his wife Mary are witnesses to Gerhard's wedding.

I cannot find any record of Gerhard or Anne DeLeslie Bartels after this marriage in 1869. Does anyone have additional information about his whereabouts after 1869? I've searched the 1870 census extensively but cannot locate him. And I do not know if he stayed in Milwaukee or moved elsewhere.

Birth of Frank Henry Bartels

Name: Frank Henry Bartels

Gender: Male

Race: White

Father's name: Chas. Ferdinand Bartels

Father's occupation: Box Maker

Mother's name: Mary Fuellings

Birth: Decbr 6, 1869

Place of Birth: Milwaukee Wis.

Name of Physician or other person signing the certificate: Ch. Ferdinand Bartels

Residence of such person: Milwaukee Wis.

Date of certificate: February 9, 1871

Date of registration: February 9, 1871

William Reiniger Family in 1930 Census

Source Citation: Year: 1930; Census Place: Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: 2586; Page: 15B; Enumeration District: 53; Image: 673.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2002.

People listed in this census image:

William Reiniger -- Head -- age 40 -- born in Wisconsin
Lena " -- Wife -- age 40 -- born in Wisconsin
Maureen -- Daughter -- age 16 -- born in Wisconsin

Henry Wagner Family with Reiniger Sisters in 1930 Census

Source Citation: Year: 1930; Census Place: Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: 2594; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 250; Image: 691.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2002.

People found in this census:

Henry F. Wagner -- Head -- age 50 -- born in Wisconsin
Catherine " -- Wife-H -- age 50 -- born in Wisconsin
Robert " -- Son -- age 10 -- born in Wisconsin
Gertrude Reiniger -- Sister-in-law -- age 38 -- born in Wisconsin
Clarence Kassow -- Head -- age 30 -- born in Wisconsin
Marie " -- Wife-H -- age 26 -- born in Wisconsin

NOTE: Gertrude Reiniger, Catherine Wagner, and Marie
Kassow are all Reiniger sisters.

Paul Reiniger Family in 1930 Census

Source Citation: Year: 1930; Census Place: Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: 2595; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 414; Image: 435.0.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2002.

People listed on this census image:

Paul H. Reiniger -- Head -- age 38 -- born in Wisconsin
Viola E. " -- Wife-H -- age 38 -- born in Wisconsin
Clarence -- Son -- age 17 -- born in Wisconsin
Bernice -- Daughter -- age 16 -- born in Wisconsin
Muriel -- Daughter -- age 13 -- born in Wisconsin

Carrie Bartels Kramer -- A Mystery to Me

Carrie (Bartels) Kramer is a mystery. I found her name listed with her family in the 1900 census. This was the first time I'd ever heard of her. She was not enumerated in any other census records with her Bartels family.

Later, when I was doing "cemetery hopping" with my Grandpa, I stumbled--almost literally so!--upon her gravestone in the Ferdinand Bartels family plot at the Calvary Cemetery in Milwaukee.

Discovering her grave led me to search for her obituary. I found it in The Milwaukee Journal on Saturday, January 4, 1908. Under the DEATH NOTICES, I saw her notice:

KRAMER--On Thursday, Jan. 2. at 2:15 p.m. Carrie Kramer, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ferd. Bartels, at Jersey City, Heights, N. J. at the age of 32 years. Funeral home of her parents, 535 National Ave. Services at Holy Trinity church on Greenbush, corner Park. Internment at Calvary cemetery.

I know she married Herman Kramer, per the marriage license I found in another Milwaukee Journal newspaper. They applied for a license and, I assume, got married... but, then what happened? She ended up in New Jersey at some point (she died there). Why did she go there? What caused her death? What happened to Herman Kramer after that?

Does anyone have additional information about her?

Ferdinand Bartels and Maria Voellings

Source: Photo in my possession. Taken approximately 1910-1920 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Henry Bartels and Frances "Fanny" Reiniger

Source: Photo in my possession. Taken approximately 1898 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, around the time of their marriage.

German Research "Secret Weapons"

In the special research edition of Ancestry Magazine published just this year (January/February 2008 issue), I was asked to identify my "secret weapons" for German research. This is what I said....

Beginning German Research

I wrote an article for Ancestry Magazine several years ago about how to begin researching your German ancestors. Perhaps this article might be useful to other researchers who are interested in beginning to search for German Ancestors--maybe even Milwaukee German ancestors!

Beginning German Research
by Adele Maurine Marcum
January/February 2004 Ancestry Magazine, vol. 22, no. 1

Long before you travel to Germany, consult the documents created in the United States. You'll find many clues to help you learn the identity of your immigrant ancestors.

Read more here...

Joseph Voellings Family in 1920 Census

Source Citation: Year: 1920;Census Place: Milwaukee Ward 11, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: T625_2001; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 335; Image: 144.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.

People included on this census image:

Name	Age	Relationship to Head of Household	Place of Birth
Joseph B. Voellings	52	Head	Wisconsin
Catherine	52	Wife	Wisconsin
Mary	26	Daughter	Wisconsin
William	22	Son	Wisconsin
Leonard	18	Son	Wisconsin
Pearl	16	Daughter	Wisconsin
Florence	10	Daughter	Wisconsin

Ferdinand C. Bartels Family in 1900 Census

Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Milwaukee Ward 8, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: T623 1802; Page: 14B; Enumeration District: 55.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004.

People found in this census image:

Name	Relationship to Head of Household	Birthdate	Place of Birth
Ferdinand C Bartels	Head	Sept 1840	Germany
Mary "	Wife	Aug 1848	Germany
George H. "	Son	Feb 1872	Wisconsin
Carrie M. "	Daughter	Feb 1875	Wisconsin
Julia D. "	Daughter	Oct 1876	Wisconsin
Ferdinand C Jr. "	Son	Feb 1886	Wisconsin
Henry B.	Brother	Apr 1830	Germany

Anton Verhalen Family in 1900 Census (with Voellings)

Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Franklin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: T623 1800; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 2.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004.

People found in this census image:

Name	Relationship to Head of Household	Birthdate	Place of Birth
Anton Verhalen	Head	Nov 1868	Wisconsin
Annie "	Wife	Jan 1866	Wisconsin
Eddie "	Son	July 1892	Wisconsin
Alma "	Daughter	June 1893	Wisconsin
Leo "	Son	Oct 1895	Wisconsin
Lawrence "	Son	Oct 1897	Wisconsin
Henry Voellings	F in Law	Feb 1821	Germany
Johanna "	M in Law	Apr 1834	Germany

William Voellings Family in 1880 US Census

Source Citation: Year: 1880; Census Place: Franklin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roll: T9_1435; Family History Film: 1255435; Page: 17A; Enumeration District: 86;

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1880 United States Federal Census database on-line. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.

Listed in the census image above:

Name	Age	Relationship to Head of Household	Place of Birth
William Völlings	43	(head)	Rihne [sic]
Mary	38	wife	Rihne [sic]
Joseph	13	son	Wisconsin
Frederic	12	son	Wisconsin
Helena	9	daughter	Wisconsin
Mary	6/12	daughter	Wisconsin
Gerard	80	father	Rihne [sic]
Henriette	72	mother	Rihne [sic]

Surnames I'm Searching for

Primary Surnames
Bartels -- variants = Bartells, Bartel, Bartell
Reiniger -- variants = Reininger
Voellings -- variants = Vollings, Follings, Foellings, Fuellings
Quade

Associated surnames
Verhalen -- variant = Ver Halen

Primary Places These Families Lived
Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Franklin, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

Looking for My Milwaukee German Ancestors

My ancestors were among the many of immigrants to Milwaukee who spoke German. I've been very lucky in some aspects of my research--namely that my grandmother inherited a plethora of documents, photos, family stories, and other information about our German ancestors. She has since passed these on to me. (Danke schoen, Oma!)

I've also been lucky in connecting with "distant cousins" who have supplied me with additional resources and data for these often elusive ancestors. With this blog, I hope to be able to make additional connections and discover what more about my Milwaukee Germans.