William Hartig Family Genealogy & Brewery History
“Now with new Carl Manz Information & Photos”
Compiled, Edited & Written byMike Reilly
Revised on 08/16/2015
William or Wilhelm Hartig was born on August11, 1851 in Miltenberg, Bavaria, Germany, the same town from where his Uncle August Krugcame from andis believed where he married William’s Aunt Anna Maria Hartig. William’s motheris Margaretha Hartig [2/27/1824- 1/17/1896, Milw. Death Cert. V135 P460 has birth as 3/30/1826 inMiltenberg as lists Josef as father – no last name] mentioned in both Joseph and Anna MariaSchlitz’ wills. But who was William’s father? Margaretha is listed as AnnaMaria’s sister several times, but the entries might have meant sister-in-law. [There was an earlier Hartig death in Milwaukee, that of Carl who was buried atForest Home Cemetery on July 5, 1866 – relative of Anna Maria?] [ New recently uncovered news – William’s Milwaukee marriagecertificate V7 P706 to Louisa Marshall reveals that a Charles and MargarethaHartig are his parents, and gives his birthplace. That Charles maybe the Carlthat died earlier but a death certificate wasn’t available at the MilwaukeeCounty Register of Deeds office]]
According to a Watertown Daily Times newsarticle [June 12, 1976], William arrived alone in Milwaukee at the age of 12,this would be approx 1863. Afterwards he was supposed to have spent one or moreyears at the Engelmann German-English School. The first Milwaukee City Directorylisting for William Hartig is the 1869-70, “William Hartig, brewer, JosephSchlitz, res. 420 Chestnut” . So at age 19, William was working for JosephSchlitz, the husband of his aunt, Anna Maria, who married Schlitz a few yearsafter August Krug died in 1856. He’s also living/boarding with theSchlitzs as is his cousin August Uihlein, who has been working for Schlitznow as a bookkeeper for a couple of years.
Before William arrived in Milwaukee, hisUncle Philip [also spelled Phillip] Hartig [Anna Maria’sbrother 6/14/1827- 3/24/1893, Milw. Death Cert. V107 P178 ] was there as early as 1857 or sooner,working as a brewer and boarding at the Menomonee Hotel operated by a A. King.The following year’s Directory is the only one listing Anna [Maria] Krug aswidow of August, living in a house on Chestnut between Fourth and Fifth. Herbrother Philip is working a saloon on Chestnut between Fourth and Fifth. Itwould seem that Philip is helping to run the Krug/Schlitz saloon/brewery and nowboarding with them. Not only was Schlitz operating his brewery but at least anadjoining saloon or saloon/restaurant combination as had his later employer.
The 1859-60 Directory lists no Hartigs orKrugs, but Joseph Schlitz is now listed as a brewer at Chestnut between 4th& 5th, residing there as well. There is a “Brewers” category inthe Directory commercial section but there’s no listing under it until 1862,”J. Schlitz, 46 Chestnut”. For the first time [1859-60], a”Joseph Uhrig, brewery, St. Louis, MO.”, with a home on the Lisbonplank road is listed. Joseph Uhrig was the prosperous St. Louis brewer who wasfriendly with the Uihlein family in Wertheim and brought August Uihlein’sbrother Edward to America. This Lisbon plank road home proved to be the SummerHome for the Uhrig family for many years. The 1860-61 Directory first lists an”A. Uehlein, book-keeper, bds J. Schlitz, 38 Chestnut”. [Notice theaddress difference]
Getting back to the Hartigs, Philip isworking in a saloon in 1862 at 46 Chestnut, living near Vliet and Fourth Sts.[Note: There’s a listing for a Mrs. Auguste Krug living at 7th and Poplar – noknown tie in.] 1863 shows Philip still in a saloon but at 58 Chestnut living ina house on Fourth between Vliet and Cherry. There must have been an addressadjustment by the City because the Joseph Schlitz brewery is at 56 Chestnut.1863 also shows that one Charles Schmidt [listed as Anna Maria’s executor lateron] is now working not only as a bookkeeper at the Second Ward Bank since atleast 1862, but is also boarding with the Schlitzs at 56 Chestnut. Thecommercial category “Breweries” lists ” Joseph Schlitz, 56Chestnut”.
In the 1865 Directory, the address system haschanged once more or the brewery/saloon has been moving around; it’s now JosephSchlitz, brewer, 420 Chestnut, residence same. No Hartigs are listed. The1866-67 Directory has Joseph Schlitz , brewer, 418 and 420 Chestnut, residencesame with Charles Schmidt boarding at 418 Chestnut. No Hartigs listed.
As mentioned above, William Hartig firstappears in the 1869-70 Directory, and his Uncle Philip once again returns, butnot working in the Schlitz saloon but working as a lumber dealer and living at284 Mineral.
1870-71 bring more Hartigs in Milwaukee,Edward [unknown relative?] is a collector working for the Heroldnewspaper living at 589 Ninth. Joseph Hartig [Anna Maria’sbrother 6/1/1828- 10/8/1892, Milw. Death Cert. V100 P378(?)] is a maltster at Schlitz and boards at the420 Chestnut address. Philip has given up the lumber trade and works or ispartners with Peter Enders as Enders & Co., a saloon at 419 E. Water St.,living at 284 Mineral. William is still learning the brewing trade at Schlitzand continues boarding at 420 Chestnut. Meanwhile Joseph Schlitz’s two nephews,John, working as a clerk (where?), and Charles working at or operating awholesale wine and liquor shop at 295 3rd have also moved in with them. AugustUehlein is still the only Uihlein listed, still as a bookkeeper for Schlitz’sBrewery, also living at 420 Chestnut.
The 1871-72 and 1872-73 don’t list William,but Uncle Philip is still a barkeeper or partial saloon owner with P. Enders& Co. living now at 708 Jefferson, while Uncle Joseph is listed as a laborerat the Schlitz brewery living at 523 Walnut. In 1872-73 the Schlitz brewery isnow at the corner of Third and Walnut, perhaps Joseph is boarding at the brewery(?). The 1871-72 Directory also lists an “Anna Hartig, servant at theMilwaukee House at 210 Reed, and a Charles Hartig, laborer (where?), residing at331 Fifth St. [Both Anna and Charles are unknowns]
1873-74 a Mrs. Eliza Hartig (a widow?)listed, living at 310 Third St. [see 1874-75] [another unknown relative factor].Joseph Hartig lists himself as a brewer living at 523 Walnut, and his brotherPhilip is working for or with Peter Enders & Co, a saloon, at 419 E. Water,his residence may be the same location as above.
Meanwhile William has moved on working forKargleder & Co as a brewer. John Kargleder and Albert Blatz were brewers at624 Cherry. [ Note: American Breweries II lists a Kargleder as WI313 butit doesn’t match with vicinity or date] [Added note – The listing is actuallyWI318d; John Kargleder & Co., Western Brewery, 1869-1875 when it became theMilwaukee Brewing Association until 1881. Originally it was founded in 1860 byJohn B Maier and Lorenz Winkler, aka John Maier & Co.’s Western Brewery at7th & Cherry Sts. Maier got a new partner in 1862, a Fred Kohl, which lasteduntil 1868 when F. W. Manegold bought them out. Either Manegold died or didn’tlike the brewing business because he sold it a year later to John Kargleder& Co.]
William as Wilhelm returns to the CityDirectory in 1874-75, listed as a laborer for the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co.[Schlitz incorporated in 1872]. William trained both as a business manager andbrewmaster while at Schlitz. Uncle Philip is still at the 419 E. Water St.saloon living at 708 Jefferson, and Joseph still labors at Schlitz residing at523 Walnut. There are two other Hartigs listed, Henry Hartig, a laborer residingat 873 Buffam, and a Mrs. Eliza Hartig (a widow?) listed as a washerwoman,living at 312 Third St. [Neither is known relation]
The 1875 Milwaukee City Directory has theHartig pages missing.
Charlotte Hartig 6/26/1839 – 9/3/1921
is the wife of Philip, Milw. Death Cert. forPhilip V107 P178
Franziska or Francisca Hartig 5/22/1827 – 6/2/1893Milw. Death Cert. V109 P225
Both of the above individualsare reported to be sisters of Anna Maria Hartig Krug Schlitz, but nothing hasbeen found yet to fully identify them [Charlotte is Anna’s sister-in-lawmarried to her brother Philip]. The name Charlotte shows up again as adaughter of nephew William, so there must have been a close family relationshipat some time. From Anna Maria’s will, it would seem that they did live inMilwaukee. More searching of the Marriage and Death records in the MilwaukeeCounty Courthouse may reveal additional information about them and the otherHartigs mentioned in this article.
Interesting -An article by Otto Tiegs”Local Support was Their Need for Survival…Storck Brewery Inc., firstpublished in the American Breweriana Journal, July-August 1995, indicates thatH. Charles Storck worked at the John Karglader brewery until it closed in 1875,Then he [Storck] moved on to Valentine Blatz’s City Brewery where he met WilliamHartig. Based on the Milwaukee City Directory, William must have met Storck asearly as 1873-74 at Kargleder’s.
[Editor’s Note: at this point this editor must review theMilwaukee City Directories following 1875 for the years afterward to determineWilliam and H. Charles Storck (note – Storck came to America in 1868 thoughdidn’t arrive in Milwaukee until later) whereabouts and employment.
The Storck & Hartig Brewery – Schleisingerville (akaSlinger)
As noted above, William Hartig workedfor period of time at the Western Brewery owned by John Kargleder & Co. (Albert C. Blatz) where he met H. Charles Storck, whose main occupation was themachinist trade (actually he was a locksmith). Prior to coming to Milwaukee, bebriefly worked in Rochester, New York and Chicago , Illinois. John Karglederoriginally purchased the brewery property from A. Abrams at auction on June 25,1873. [MS] Since Kargleder& Co. sold out in 1875, this must be the time both men moved to ValentineBlatz’s City Brewery at Broadway & Division Sts. On 11/23/1874 JohnKargleder assigns his Chicago patrons to the Val Blatz & Co. [In 1889 Blatz sold out tothe United States Brewing Co., of Chicago]
William Hartig marries Louise [Louisa] Marshall , born November 20, 1857, daughter of Carl &Fredericke Marshall both of Saxony, Germany. Marriage Cert. V7 P706, onApril 20, 1876. William’s occupation is listed as a brewer and certificate iswitnessed by his uncle Phillip and a John Fischer [unknown relationship].
Long before Val Blatz sold his business, WilliamHartig and H. Charles Storck moved to Schleisingerville, Wisconsin to purchasethe brewery of ailing Lehman Rosenheimer. Rosenheimer had bought the breweryback in late 1870 from Benedict Kornburger, but after several years his son Johnhad to assume management of the brewery’s operation. Hartig and Storck purchasedthe brewery for $5,000 on September 10, 1877. Both invested $7,000 forimprovements and hired Carl Panko, the local cooper to supply locally-grownhardwood barrels for their beer. Their investment was spent on building a brickaddition and installing new equipment. Storck and Hartig’s first beer sale waspackaged in 1/8 wooden barrels selling for $1.00 [It would appear evident thatHartig was probably the brewmaster in the partnership while Storck handled muchof the equipment operation and maintenance]
Meanwhile in Milwaukee, Philip Hartigfoils some burglars’ attempt to enter his home. MS 1878 6/13-8/3.
Hartig and Storck sold their beer throughlocal support and publicity. Posters for advertising weren’t used until themid-1880’s when stock lithographs where first used. The demand for Storck &Hartig beer grew to 2,000 barrels a year by 1881. The brewery expanded andStorck built a home behind the brewery.
The Milwaukee Sentinel reports that a Mr. Storck’s infant daughter, Bertha, dies on July 6, 1881, Pg3 Col.4.
Back in Milwaukee Carl Manz is leasing a malthose from the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. MS 5/4-8/2 but the following year it’sdamaged by fire. MS 1881 1/1-2/4.
When William moved to Schleisingerville, hebrought along he wife the former Louise [Louisa] Marshall ofMilwaukee, and hisalmost new-born daughter Margaret, born on January 1, 1877. The young coupleprobably lived within the brewery as they later did when moving to Watertown. Asthe Hartig & Storck brewery grew, so did the two families; William added sonPhilip [named after his Uncle] on October 21, 1879, daughter Charlotte [orLottie as she preferred to be called later on] on September 14, 1881, and a third daughter,Ida, born in 1882.
Otto Tiegs tells that William Hartig haddreams of owning his own brewery, sold he sold his interest on June 27, 1884 tothe local train station agent, Charles Ehlert, for $6,000. [Appears that Williameither didn’t have as much initially invested in the brewery, or he basicallygot out of it what he invested, if he and Storck went 50/50]. Anyway the Hartigfamily moved to Watertown and the rest of the Storck brewery is another story.
William Hartig In Watertown, Wisconsin
Wm. Hartig Brewery and Malt House (Rock Riverin the foreground)
Williams arrives in Watertown in the Summer of 1884; storyhas it that he initially went to work for the August Fuermann Brewery, then getstogether with his cousin Charles [Carl] Manz [Not sure if Manzalready lived in Watertown and if their partnership was part of an arrangementwhen William was supposed to have obtained a loan from his aunt, the widow AnnaMaria Schlitz. There is talk of a loan from her that was to be paid back to atan interest rate of 4%. Whether this loan was made to purchase the brewery inSchleisingerville or in Watertown is not known.]
They purchase theCity Brewery from Joseph Bursinger who went bankrupt in 1883. They actuallypurchased the property from its’ assignee, J. H. Sleeper for $30,000.MS 18848/25-8/2. [William Jannke note: Carl Manz was not living in Watertown before William Hartig arrived. Theyjointly purchased the Bursinger brewery from his creditors in August, 1884. I have the transaction papers, and the bankruptcy papers from JosephBursinger.] [Editor’s note: Carl Manz may have arrived with Hartig fromSchleisingerville, perhaps they had already been working together?]
The 1885 Watertown City Directory is the first to list Hartig & Manz as brewers and maltsters on Cady Street. William Hartig’sresidence is the same address as the brewery and his cousin Charles Manz residesat 2nd and Cole Sts.
Charles Manz is the nephew of the late August Krug,founder of the Schlitz Brewery in Milwaukee. Charles or Carl (Karl) was the sonof Anna Krug, August’s sister, and may have been a beneficiary to his late UncleKrug’s estate.
The 1887 Directory shows that Paul Hoppe at 2nd andEmerald Sts. is the sole bottler of Hartig & Manz export beer, but by 1889this location is now the Hartig & Manz Bottling Works. By 1897, the WilliamHartig Bottling Works is located at 100 Cady St., the brewery site. Otherbrewmastersassociated with the brewery are William Fleuter, Norbert Schliewe, Henry Bullyof Clyman, and Frank Finer.
Before the family moved to 305 N. Washington St, theylived at the brewery and boarded some of their workers, such as John Kehr, thebrewery collector for “Hartig’s Best”. John Kehr was a big wig there and he won a bet in the early days of thecentury and was rolled down Main Street in a wheel barrow. [Bill Jannke’s additional comment: “I have seen a photo of this and you must understand that John Kehr was a BIG MAN!!! Thismust have been a sight!”]. Also, Herman Zanke and WilliamReich who mastered the wagons and teams of Percheron horses to deliver thebrewery’s products. The Brewery owned its’ own grain elevator, fermentingbuildings and stables for its horses and wagons.
In 1887 the William Hartig family grows with the birth ofdaughter Meta but tragedy strikes a year later when his six year old daughterIda dies on March 6, 1888.
While the Hartigs and Manz family are growing, someonebreaks into their old friend’s Storck Brewery and makes off $500 in cash and 464notes. MS 1889 8/29-7/2.
1892-93, William Hartig has an additional listing in theDirectory as president of the Miller Reichardt Manufacturing Co.; an E. Milleris v-pres, Carl Scholl is secretary, and F. Vullmacher is the treasurer. Thecompany is listed as a boiler works, foundry and with general machine shops at5th and Market Sts.
William’s family residence is listed at the corner ofWashington and Cady Sts. at 305 N. Washington. From this home (?) directly acrossthe Rock River from the brewery, a tunnel(s) was built to travel back and forth.For many years a wooden bridge joined West and East Cady Streets, later replacedby an iron version. [William Jannke note: The beer tunnels you speak of were built in 1859-1860 by Joseph Bursinger,who, incidentally, bought his brewery from my ancestor, Jacob Hoeffner in 1854. No photos exist of Hoeffner or Bursinger, though I may have found
done that I think shows Bursinger on it. He lost the brewery in 1883 to his creditors][In the 1990’s a Watertown Daily Times reporter wasallowed access to these tunnels but they have been closed to the public forsafety reasons for some years. The tunnels never, to my [William Jannke] knowledge, ran under the river. In 1998 the lastremaining tunnels were filled in, thus obliterating any trace of brewing history from Watertown.]
The Hartig & Manz brewery is located at 104-108 CadyStreet and William and Louisa add their second son, WilliamJr., to the family on April 18, 1894.
[Editor Note – a Walter Uehlein is listedas a student at Northwestern University in Watertown in the 1892-93 CityDirectory – unknown relationship]By 1896, William has bought out his cousin and changed thename to the Hartig City Brewery. Charles Manz moved to Water and Rock Sts. in1887, then to William and Rock Sts. in 1889. The 1892-3 Directory has Carl orKarl Manz residing at 309 N. Church St. and is joined in the 1899 listing by hisdaughter, Miss Hedwig Manz, who may have been adopted by Carl and his wife[wife’s name unknown]. Both of them remain this residence until the1907-8 Directory when neither is listed. There is some mystery here, becauseit’s reported that after Carl sold his interest to William, he moved toMilwaukee for a time, then died on-board a ship during a return visit to Europein 1897. [Actually, a Milwaukee Sentinel article dated 4/7/1899page 10 col.7, reports that Charles and his wife are returning to Germany]
The following is new information about the Manz family provided by a descendant, Pam:
Info. re Carl ManzSunday, March 8, 2015 1:40 PM
- From:
- “musicalwombie
- To:
- “Mike Reilly” <slahsinc@yahoo.com>
Hi Mike: Ill provide information in this email, as well as cemetery photos; however, Im disappointed that it turns out I dont have a scanned copy of Carl Manzs death certificate. Im not able to scan at home (where I am now), but when I go back to work next week I can scan and send it to you if you think youd like to have it as a back-up record.
Im sure Im providing far more than you need to answer the hanging questions in your slahs research about Carl Manz. Here goes:
NAME: Benedict Carl Manz (goes by Carl)
BORN: 4-27-50 Amorbach, Germany
MOTHER: August Krugs sister, Anna Maria Clara
WIFE: Emma Blum (married 1882, Milwaukee)
WATERTOWN: Watertown residency: 1884-1902
1902 – relocated back to Milwaukee; lived on Wells Street
DIED: 8-23-03, Manitowoc County, WI
BURIAL: Milwaukee – Forest Home Cemetery (sec. 33)
CAUSE OF DEATH: I interpret this as a heart attack. The death certificate says, organic heart disease, definite probably several years.
LOCATION OF DEATH: According to death certificate, he was on the ship SS Sheboygan sailing Lake Michigan from Fish Creek to Milwaukee. He died on ship off the shores of Manitowoc County.
HIS NIECE: Carl and Emma did not have children. In Jan. 1897, they made a trip to Germany for family reason. Later that year (Sep. 1897), Carl’s niece, Hedwig Manz (age 17), arrived and joined their household in Watertown. She would live with them, and then with Emma, until Emmas death in 1938. She remained a single woman, living in the Milwaukee home she last shared with Emma until her own death in 1957. I don’t know if she was adopted by Carl and Emma, but my grandmother referred to her as adopted.
MY CONNECTION: Emma Blum is my gr-gr-aunt. The papers for the Manz lot at Forest Home are now in my possession. I never knew the history of Carl Manz until recently, when my own mother’s death and burial in the Manz lot stimulated an interest in ancestry. I never knew that we had a beer baron in our family!
Mike: You’re welcome to use any of this information. This has been fun for me! I hope it helps you. Pam
The 1897 Directory lists the William Hartig Brewery,100-112 Cady, with William Hartig as the proprietor, with offices at 100 Cady.The family residence is 305 N. Washington and remains so until 1966.
1897 also shows that the Miller Reichardt ManufacturingCo. has had a name change to the Watertown Manufacturing Co., at 108-114 6th St.with William Hartig as president. There is also a separate listing for theWilliam Hartig Bottling Works at 100 Cady.
Innovation comes to the Brewery in 1897 with the WatertownDaily Times reporting, January 21, 1897, that Hartig is adding lighting,contracting with Watertown Manufacturing [probably his own company] to install adynamo to power 100 incandescent lamps. [It’s believed that the brewery had orso does have some arc-type lighting already]
By 1898 William has purchased the Fuermann Brewery locateddirectly across the street on Cady. Due to mounting competition and it’s saidhis sons inability to successfully run the business, August sells.[ August Fuermann started his career in brewing with my [William Jannke] ancestor, Jacob Hoeffner, and in the fall of 1848he started his own brewery, located right across the street from what later became the Hartig Brewery. Today this is the site of the WatertownMunicipal Building.]
The 1899 Directory lists son Phillip as a brewer with nomention of the Fuermann Empire Brewery, though Albert Fuermann, a son ofAugust, isoperating the Watertown Bottling Works at 1026 N. 2nd.
The Brewery’s mascot was a goat which normally advertisedtheir “Bock Beer”, but was also put on display in the brewery yard forthe school children to pet. The goat ate lavishly, probably both beer and thespent grains. The goat was wonderful. It was trained to walk into the brewery, tap threetimes, and it was given a dish of beer to drink. He often delighted crowds on Main St. as he led parades or pulleda small wagon usually loaded with a small barrel of beer. When he died, probably fromover-eating and drinking, he was given a funeralthat some compared to that of a human adult.
Some of the advertising slogans found in the Watertownearly 1900 City Directories are; “Remember, For Purity or Flavor, NothingExceeds Wm. Hartig’s Bottle Beer” , or “Wm. Hartig, Manufacturer ofHartig’s Celebrated Lion Brew”, or At Home Drink Wm. Hartig’s Export BottleBeer Phone No. 28″.
Free “seidels” of beer were available at thebrewery when a new beer was tested.
The 1902 Directory doesn’t list daughter Margaret Hartiganymore because in 1901 she married Louis H. Kusel. The Kusels were involvedwith a hardware store and dairy operations in Watertown. [Don’t know whatpart of the family business Margaret became part of.] They had daughter LouiseKusel, and sons Edwin and William. Seems like Margaret had the say for at leasttwo of her children’s names. [William Jannke, president of theJefferson Dodge Genealogical Society reports that he visited with some presentday Kusel relation and obtained some photos and relics, but no photo of WilliamHartig Sr. has been identified yet. Pictures of the brewery and some breweryequipment are supposed to be on display at the Historical Society’s headquarterslocated within the Octagon House, but it is only open from May thru October.]
By 1902-03 it seems that William sold the WatertownManufacturing Co.
1907-08, Phillip is the brewery’s superintendent. Nothingmuch changes until 1911-12 when William Jr. is listed as a student attendingWatertown schools and St. John’s Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin. Thenas a bottler in 1917. But in 1919, though listed as a bottler, his address is(USA). He enlisted in the Army and served in the Ordnance Dept, specifically asa Private First Class in the 457 Motor Truck Co. spending at least one yearoverseas.
As Prohibition hits the nation, the William Hartig Brewerybecomes bottlers of carbonated beverages [root beer], manufacturers of cerealbeverages and ice cream. Actually William begins the William Hartig IceCream Co. in August, 1921 as a separate company.
Times must have been hard on William, he died on FridayMarch 9,1923 [Jefferson Cty V8 P716] of pneumonia at St. Mary’s Hospital, and was buried in the family plot in Oak Hill Cemetery.The Hartig family members were Episcopalians and attended St. Paul EpiscopalChurch. The church services were held the following Monday, and theMerchant’s National Bank, of which William was a Director, closed early at 1:00p.m. in his honor.
William died without a will and since it was contested byfamily members, it went thru a lengthy probate [No. 125B] period. His estate wasvalued at $96,161.73 much of which had to be collected from numerous outstandingaccounts resulting from sales of malt syrup, soda, and ice cream. Louisareceived $32, 053.92 and each of the surviving children got $12.,821.77 minusinheritance taxes.
Louise is listed as William’s widow in 1924, Philip H.Hartig is manager and William Jr. is assistant manager.
By 1927 Philip is President-Manager of The Hartig Co.,sister Charlotte H. Hartig is V-pres., brother William H. Hartig Jr. is theSecr-Treas.
IRTP – JL label 4.5″ by 3″
After Prohibition ends, Louise, Williams widow, actuallyreopens the brewery but Philip soon takes charge. The 1934 Directory lists,” The Hartig Co., brewers and Ice Cream”. 1945 shows William Jr. stillas Sec-Treas.
Competition from the national breweries has been taking atoll for a number of years, and now the rationing of grains for their beer andsugar for the ice cream is sending the Company into bankruptcy.
The family sold their interests in the brewery in June, 1945 to HarveyRoscoe of Minneapolis. He promptly ran the brewery into the ground and in 1947 it went bankrupt, and the buildings were torn down in 1953.Source: William Jannke
Mrs. Louise[Louisa] Marshall Hartig dies Tuesday March 13, 1946 of myocardialdegeneration [Jefferson Cty V22 P119, Probate No. 735F]. A few months later,William Hartig Jr. dies on June 24, 1946 of a cerebral hemorrhage [JeffersonCty V22 P264, SSN 392-10-5316] at age 52. The death of his mother andhis younger brother, and the demise of the family business must have been toomuch for Philip, for he died in a Madison hospital on July 25, 1946 afterspending a couple of weeks there suffering from illness. Philip was a graduateof the Rheudes Business College in Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Brewing School[at Schlitz?]; he never married.
Charlotte and Meta continued living in the family home at305 N. Washington St. The 1947 Directory lists a Harold F. McEvoy as Pres-Mgr.of The Hartig Co. He resided at Washington Hotel. Another interesting entry thisyear is that of a “Mrs. Mary Hartig (attended at Bethesda LutheranHome)” – the only listing. [Could this be Meta?] [Editor’s Note – Harold F.McEvoy is reported to be an uncle of Donald and Karen McEvoy, currently residingin Watertown – no further information about Harold’s role in The Hartig Co. isknown]
Update to Harold F. McEvoy
Hartig BreweryMonday, December 27, 2010 8:11 PMFrom: “Chris McEvoy” <mce245@yahoo.com>To: slahsinc@yahoo.com
I’m addressing this to Mr. Mike Reilly, as he wrote the history of the Hartig Brewery. Mr. Reilly, you commented that the 1947 directory listed a Harold McEvoy as the president, and that no further information about Harold McEvoy was available. I actually came to the Hartig Brewery while researching Harold McEvoy – he was my great-uncle and my father’s god-father. I don’t have a lot of information about his time at the Hartig Brewery, but did come across some news stories. (Uncle Harold tends to be one of those family members who is easily tracked in the newspaper.) I just finished transcribing the articles (4 in all), so include them here with references. The text of the articles is in bold.
From the WaukeshaDaily Freeman,Waukesha, Wisconsin, 1 Nov 1946, Page 3: Watertown Beer is Ordered Destroyed Madison,-(UP)- The U.S. District Attorney’s office announced today that 1,703 cases of beer were destroyed at the Hartig co. in Watertown yesterday on order of thefederal district court in Madison.
The beer was condemned in court proceedings Tuesday after Harold F. McEvoy, president of the Hartig co., had declined to contest charges of food and drug law administrators that the beer was adulterated by a type of acid resulting from the use of molasses in brewing.
The government’s charges specified that the adulteration was not harmful. The following story appeared in theWisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune on April 23, 1947:
Brewery Fined For Going Over Quota
Madison – (AP) – Federal JudgePatrick Stone levied fines totaling $8,000 yesterday against the Hartig company, Watertown brewery, and its president, Harold McEvoy, on charges of making beer in excess of the company’s quota.
Judge Stone fined McEvoy $3,000 on each of two counts and fined the brewery $2,000. McEvoy and the counsel for the company entered please of no contest.
Printed in Waukesha Daily Freeman (Waukesha, Wisconsin), 20 Jan 1948, Page 1. Seems to be a follow-up from the story in the Freeman 1 Nov 1946 in which 1,703 cases of adulterated beer were destroyed. Judge Patrick Stone is the same one who fined Harold McEvoy $6,000 22 Apr 1947 for exceeding production quotas at the brewery, according to the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune:
Watertown Brewer Fined for ‘Short Cut’
MADISON, Wis., (UP) – Harold F. McEvoy, former owner and manager of the Hartley brewery, Watertown, was fined $50 in Madison Federal court today for shipping adulterated beer in interstate commerce.
McEvoy pleaded no contest to the charge. Federal district attorney Charles Cashin said the beer was adulterated by use of an acid which, he said, was used by some brewers as a “short cut” to avoid the expense of pasteurization.
The brewery is now in bankruptcy, largely because of the government’s seizure and destruction of beer shipments, McEvoy said. In fining McEvoy, federal judge Patrick T. Stone said he took into account the fact that McEvoy had spent $48,000 trying to correct “deplorable” conditions in the Hartley brewery after purchasing it in 945 and had paid a previous $6,000 fine for using excess grain in making beer.
From the Waukesha Daily Freeman, Waukesha, Wisconsin, 10 Feb 1948, Page 1:
Former Brewer at Watertown Is Fined
CHICAGO, (UP)-A former brewer was fined $2,500 in federal court today after he pleaded guilty to the charge of concealing 102,180 pounds of grain spirits which he had marked as “molasses.”
Harold McEvoy,Watertown, Wis., resident and St. Paul, Minn., businessman, was given 90 days by Federal Judge Michael Igor to pay the fine. McEvoy was charged with concealing the grain in 1946 after it had been sold to his King Cole Brewing co., here. The grain spirits were subject to the then effective war food orders. Similar charges were dropped against J.P. Walsh, Dan Schulte, and the Hartig co., of Watertown.
I’m not sure if or how this is related to the overproduction and adulteration, or if it even involves the Hartig brewery at all. This may not add much to the description of events, but does flesh out some of the problems between 1945 and 1947 a little.
Sincerely,
Chris McEvoy
Honolulu, HI
Meta [Mathilda] Hartig, a daughter who never married, diedon April 20, 1952 [Jefferson Cty V25 P297(?)]
Col. J.W. Sproesser, president of the Merchants National Bank, last reportedowner of The Hartig Co., donated some brewing equipment to the Octagon House [HistoricalSociety]. During 1952-53, the Hartig brewery buildings are torn down to make wayfor a National Tea Store [Today – Tom’s United Foods]
Charlotte or Lottie continued living on until her death onNovember 12,1968 [Jefferson Cty V44 P322, SSN 393-48-6394]at the WatertownHospital of complications resulting from a fractured femur. The last listing for her at the family home was the 1966Directory. Her death was reported by her sister Louis Kusel living at 216 N.Church St.
All of the Watertown Hartigs are buried in the family plotin Oak Hill Cemetery except for Margaret, who died on June 26, 1951 and isprobably buried next to her husband, Louis, who passed away on June 7, 1947.
See some Hartig brewery and family photos here, courtesy of Otto Tiegs:Picture1,Picture2, Picture3
[Editor’s Note: So ends the lives of the William Hartig family, except fordescendents of Margaret Kusel, and the Hartig Brewery in Watertown. Asadditional information and pictures are uncovered, more will be added here andon the family tree.]References: Milwaukee City Directories at the MilwaukeeCounty Historical Society; Sanborn Fire maps ofWatertown, Wisconsin; An article by Otto Tiegs“Local Support was Their Need for Survival…Storck Brewery Inc., firstpublished in the American Breweriana Journal, July-August 1995 by the AmericanBreweriana Association; WilliamJannke, president of the Watertown HistoricalSociety.; The Watertown DailyTimes newspaper, various issues on microfilm at the Watertown PublicLibrary; the Reference Staff at the Watertown Public Library; TheChronological History of the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co., compiled and editedby Michael R. Reilly
Other Links: MilwaukeeCounty Genealogical Society, DodgeJefferson County Genealogy Wisconsin Society