William Hartig Family Genealogy & Brewery History
Compiled, Edited & Written by
Mike Reilly
Revised on
01/04/2011
William or Wilhelm Hartig was born on August
11, 1851 in Miltenberg, Bavaria, Germany, the same town from where his Uncle August Krug
came from and
is believed where he married William's Aunt Anna Maria Hartig. William's mother
is Margaretha Hartig [2/27/1824
- 1/17/1896, Milw. Death Cert. V135 P460 has birth as 3/30/1826 in
Miltenberg as lists Josef as father - no last name] mentioned in both Joseph and Anna Maria
Schlitz' wills. But who was William's father? Margaretha is listed as Anna
Maria'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 at
Forest Home Cemetery on July 5, 1866 - relative of Anna Maria?]
[ New recently uncovered news - William's Milwaukee marriage
certificate V7 P706 to Louisa Marshall reveals that a Charles and Margaretha
Hartig are his parents, and gives his birthplace. That Charles maybe the Carl
that died earlier but a death certificate wasn't available at the Milwaukee
County Register of Deeds office]]
According to a Watertown Daily Times news
article [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 more
years at the Engelmann German-English School. The first Milwaukee City Directory
listing for William Hartig is the 1869-70, "William Hartig, brewer, Joseph
Schlitz, res. 420 Chestnut" . So at age 19, William was working for Joseph
Schlitz, the husband of his aunt, Anna Maria, who married Schlitz a few years
after August Krug died in 1856. He's also living/boarding with the
Schlitzs as is his cousin August Uihlein, who has been working for Schlitz
now as a bookkeeper for a couple of years.
Before William arrived in Milwaukee, his
Uncle Philip [also spelled Phillip] Hartig [Anna Maria's
brother 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 as
widow of August, living in a house on Chestnut between Fourth and Fifth. Her
brother Philip is working a saloon on Chestnut between Fourth and Fifth. It
would seem that Philip is helping to run the Krug/Schlitz saloon/brewery and now
boarding with them. Not only was Schlitz operating his brewery but at least an
adjoining saloon or saloon/restaurant combination as had his later employer.
The 1859-60 Directory lists no Hartigs or
Krugs, but Joseph Schlitz is now listed as a brewer at Chestnut between 4th
& 5th, residing there as well. There is a "Brewers" category in
the 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 Lisbon
plank road is listed. Joseph Uhrig was the prosperous St. Louis brewer who was
friendly with the Uihlein family in Wertheim and brought August Uihlein's
brother Edward to America. This Lisbon plank road home proved to be the Summer
Home for the Uhrig family for many years. The 1860-61 Directory first lists an
"A. Uehlein, book-keeper, bds J. Schlitz, 38 Chestnut". [Notice the
address difference]
Getting back to the Hartigs, Philip is
working 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 - no
known tie in.] 1863 shows Philip still in a saloon but at 58 Chestnut living in
a house on Fourth between Vliet and Cherry. There must have been an address
adjustment 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 later
on] is now working not only as a bookkeeper at the Second Ward Bank since at
least 1862, but is also boarding with the Schlitzs at 56 Chestnut. The
commercial category "Breweries" lists " Joseph Schlitz, 56
Chestnut".
In the 1865 Directory, the address system has
changed once more or the brewery/saloon has been moving around; it's now Joseph
Schlitz, brewer, 420 Chestnut, residence same. No Hartigs are listed. The
1866-67 Directory has Joseph Schlitz , brewer, 418 and 420 Chestnut, residence
same with Charles Schmidt boarding at 418 Chestnut. No Hartigs listed.
As mentioned above, William Hartig first
appears in the 1869-70 Directory, and his Uncle Philip once again returns, but
not working in the Schlitz saloon but working as a lumber dealer and living at
284 Mineral.
1870-71 bring more Hartigs in Milwaukee,
Edward [unknown relative?] is a collector working for the Herold
newspaper living at 589 Ninth. Joseph Hartig [Anna Maria's
brother 6/1/1828
- 10/8/1892, Milw. Death Cert. V100 P378(?)] is a maltster at Schlitz and boards at the
420 Chestnut address. Philip has given up the lumber trade and works or is
partners 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 Schlitz
and continues boarding at 420 Chestnut. Meanwhile Joseph Schlitz's two nephews,
John, working as a clerk (where?), and Charles working at or operating a
wholesale wine and liquor shop at 295 3rd have also moved in with them. August
Uehlein is still the only Uihlein listed, still as a bookkeeper for Schlitz's
Brewery, 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 laborer
at the Schlitz brewery living at 523 Walnut. In 1872-73 the Schlitz brewery is
now 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 the
Milwaukee House at 210 Reed, and a Charles Hartig, laborer (where?), residing at
331 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 brother
Philip 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 for
Kargleder & Co as a brewer. John Kargleder and Albert Blatz were brewers at
624 Cherry. [ Note: American Breweries II lists a Kargleder as WI313 but
it doesn't match with vicinity or date] [Added note - The listing is actually
WI318d; John Kargleder & Co., Western Brewery, 1869-1875 when it became the
Milwaukee Brewing Association until 1881. Originally it was founded in 1860 by
John B Maier and Lorenz Winkler, aka John Maier & Co.'s Western Brewery at
7th & Cherry Sts. Maier got a new partner in 1862, a Fred Kohl, which lasted
until 1868 when F. W. Manegold bought them out. Either Manegold died or didn't
like the brewing business because he sold it a year later to John Kargleder
& Co.]
William as Wilhelm returns to the City
Directory in 1874-75, listed as a laborer for the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co.
[Schlitz incorporated in 1872]. William trained both as a business manager and
brewmaster 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 at
523 Walnut. There are two other Hartigs listed, Henry Hartig, a laborer residing
at 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 the
Hartig pages missing.
Both of the above individuals
are reported to be sisters of Anna Maria Hartig Krug Schlitz, but nothing has
been found yet to fully identify them [Charlotte is Anna's sister-in-law
married to her brother Philip]. The name Charlotte shows up again as a
daughter of nephew William, so there must have been a close family relationship
at some time. From Anna Maria's will, it would seem that they did live in
Milwaukee. More searching of the Marriage and Death records in the Milwaukee
County Courthouse may reveal additional information about them and the other
Hartigs mentioned in this article.
Interesting -An article by Otto Tiegs
"Local Support was Their Need for Survival...Storck Brewery Inc., first
published in the American Breweriana Journal, July-August 1995, indicates that
H. 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 William
Hartig. Based on the Milwaukee City Directory, William must have met Storck as
early as 1873-74 at Kargleder's.
[Editor's Note: at this point this editor must review the
Milwaukee City Directories following 1875 for the years afterward to determine
William and H. Charles Storck (note - Storck came to America in 1868 though
didn't arrive in Milwaukee until later) whereabouts and employment.
The Storck & Hartig Brewery - Schleisingerville (aka
Slinger)
As noted above, William Hartig worked
for 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 the
machinist trade (actually he was a locksmith). Prior to coming to Milwaukee, be
briefly worked in Rochester, New York and Chicago , Illinois. John Kargleder
originally 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 Valentine
Blatz's City Brewery at Broadway & Division Sts. On 11/23/1874 John
Kargleder assigns his Chicago patrons to the Val Blatz & Co. [In 1889 Blatz sold out to
the 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, on
April 20, 1876. William's occupation is listed as a brewer and certificate is
witnessed by his uncle Phillip and a John Fischer [unknown relationship].
Long before Val Blatz sold his business, William
Hartig and H. Charles Storck moved to Schleisingerville, Wisconsin to purchase
the brewery of ailing Lehman Rosenheimer. Rosenheimer had bought the brewery
back in late 1870 from Benedict Kornburger, but after several years his son John
had to assume management of the brewery's operation. Hartig and Storck purchased
the brewery for $5,000 on September 10, 1877. Both invested $7,000 for
improvements and hired Carl Panko, the local cooper to supply locally-grown
hardwood barrels for their beer. Their investment was spent on building a brick
addition and installing new equipment. Storck and Hartig's first beer sale was
packaged in 1/8 wooden barrels selling for $1.00 [It would appear evident that
Hartig was probably the brewmaster in the partnership while Storck handled much
of the equipment operation and maintenance]
Meanwhile in Milwaukee, Philip Hartig
foils some burglars' attempt to enter his home. MS 1878 6/13-8/3.
Hartig and Storck sold their beer through
local support and publicity. Posters for advertising weren't used until the
mid-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 and
Storck 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 malt
hose from the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. MS 5/4-8/2 but the following year it's
damaged by fire. MS 1881 1/1-2/4.
When William moved to Schleisingerville, he
brought along he wife the former Louise [Louisa] Marshall of
Milwaukee, and his
almost new-born daughter Margaret, born on January 1, 1877. The young couple
probably lived within the brewery as they later did when moving to Watertown. As
the Hartig & Storck brewery grew, so did the two families; William added son
Philip [named after his Uncle] on October 21, 1879, daughter Charlotte [or
Lottie 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 had
dreams of owning his own brewery, sold he sold his interest on June 27, 1884 to
the local train station agent, Charles Ehlert, for $6,000. [Appears that William
either didn't have as much initially invested in the brewery, or he basically
got out of it what he invested, if he and Storck went 50/50]. Anyway the Hartig
family 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 River
in the foreground)
Williams arrives in Watertown in the Summer of 1884; story
has it that he initially went to work for the August Fuermann Brewery, then gets
together with his cousin Charles [Carl] Manz [Not sure if Manz
already lived in Watertown and if their partnership was part of an arrangement
when William was supposed to have obtained a loan from his aunt, the widow Anna
Maria Schlitz. There is talk of a loan from her that was to be paid back to at
an interest rate of 4%. Whether this loan was made to purchase the brewery in
Schleisingerville or in Watertown is not known.]
They purchase the
City Brewery from Joseph Bursinger who went bankrupt in 1883. They actually
purchased the property from its' assignee, J. H. Sleeper for $30,000.MS 1884
8/25-8/2. [William Jannke note: Carl Manz was not living in Watertown before William Hartig arrived. They
jointly purchased the Bursinger brewery from his creditors in August, 1884. I have the transaction papers, and the bankruptcy papers from Joseph
Bursinger.] [Editor's note: Carl Manz may have arrived with Hartig from
Schleisingerville, 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's
residence is the same address as the brewery and his cousin Charles Manz resides
at 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 son
of Anna Krug, August's sister, and may have been a beneficiary to his late Uncle
Krug's estate.
The 1887 Directory shows that Paul Hoppe at 2nd and
Emerald Sts. is the sole bottler of Hartig & Manz export beer, but by 1889
this location is now the Hartig & Manz Bottling Works. By 1897, the William
Hartig Bottling Works is located at 100 Cady St., the brewery site. Other
brewmasters
associated with the brewery are William Fleuter, Norbert Schliewe, Henry Bully
of Clyman, and Frank Finer.
|
|
| Before the family moved to 305 N. Washington St, they
lived at the brewery and boarded some of their workers, such as John Kehr, the
brewery collector for "Hartig's Best". John Kehr was a big wig there and he won a bet in the early days of the
century 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!!! This
must have been a sight!"]. Also, Herman Zanke and William
Reich who mastered the wagons and teams of Percheron horses to deliver the
brewery's products. The Brewery owned its' own grain elevator, fermenting
buildings and stables for its horses and wagons. |
In 1887 the William Hartig family grows with the birth of
daughter Meta but tragedy strikes a year later when his six year old daughter
Ida dies on March 6, 1888.
While the Hartigs and Manz family are growing, someone
breaks into their old friend's Storck Brewery and makes off $500 in cash and 464
notes. MS 1889 8/29-7/2.
1892-93, William Hartig has an additional listing in the
Directory as president of the Miller Reichardt Manufacturing Co.; an E. Miller
is v-pres, Carl Scholl is secretary, and F. Vullmacher is the treasurer. The
company is listed as a boiler works, foundry and with general machine shops at
5th and Market Sts.
William's family residence is listed at the corner of
Washington and Cady Sts. at 305 N. Washington. From this home (?) directly across
the 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 replaced
by 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 was
allowed access to these tunnels but they have been closed to the public for
safety reasons for some years. The tunnels never, to my [William Jannke] knowledge, ran under the river. In 1998 the last
remaining tunnels were filled in, thus obliterating any trace of brewing history from Watertown.]
The Hartig & Manz brewery is located at 104-108 Cady
Street and William and Louisa add their second son, William
Jr., to the family on April 18, 1894.
[Editor Note - a Walter Uehlein is listed
as a student at Northwestern University in Watertown in the 1892-93 City
Directory - unknown relationship]
By 1896, William has bought out his cousin and changed the
name to the Hartig City Brewery. Charles Manz moved to Water and Rock Sts. in
1887, then to William and Rock Sts. in 1889. The 1892-3 Directory has Carl or
Karl Manz residing at 309 N. Church St. and is joined in the 1899 listing by his
daughter, Miss Hedwig Manz, who may have been adopted by Carl and his wife
[wife's name unknown]. Both of them remain this residence until the
1907-8 Directory when neither is listed. There is some mystery here, because
it's reported that after Carl sold his interest to William, he moved to
Milwaukee for a time, then died on-board a ship during a return visit to Europe
in 1897. [Actually, a Milwaukee Sentinel article dated 4/7/1899
page 10 col.7, reports that Charles and his wife are returning to Germany]
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 Manufacturing
Co. 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 the
William Hartig Bottling Works at 100 Cady.
Innovation comes to the Brewery in 1897 with the Watertown
Daily Times reporting, January 21, 1897, that Hartig is adding lighting,
contracting with Watertown Manufacturing [probably his own company] to install a
dynamo to power 100 incandescent lamps. [It's believed that the brewery had or
so does have some arc-type lighting already]
By 1898 William has purchased the Fuermann Brewery located
directly across the street on Cady. Due to mounting competition and it's said
his 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 1848
he started his own brewery, located right across the street from what later became the Hartig Brewery. Today this is the site of the Watertown
Municipal Building.]
The 1899 Directory lists son Phillip as a brewer with no
mention of the Fuermann Empire Brewery, though Albert Fuermann, a son of
August, is
operating the Watertown Bottling Works at 1026 N. 2nd.
The Brewery's mascot was a goat which normally advertised
their "Bock Beer", but was also put on display in the brewery yard for
the school children to pet. The goat ate lavishly, probably both beer and the
spent grains. The goat was wonderful. It was trained to walk into the brewery, tap three
times, and it was given a dish of beer to drink. He often delighted crowds on Main St. as he led parades or pulled
a small wagon usually loaded with a small barrel of beer. When he died, probably from
over-eating and drinking, he was given a funeral
that some compared to that of a human adult.
Some of the advertising slogans found in the Watertown
early 1900 City Directories are; "Remember, For Purity or Flavor, Nothing
Exceeds Wm. Hartig's Bottle Beer" , or "Wm. Hartig, Manufacturer of
Hartig's Celebrated Lion Brew", or At Home Drink Wm. Hartig's Export Bottle
Beer Phone No. 28".
Free "seidels" of beer were available at the
brewery when a new beer was tested.
The 1902 Directory doesn't list daughter Margaret Hartig
anymore because in 1901 she married Louis H. Kusel. The Kusels were involved
with a hardware store and dairy operations in Watertown. [Don't know what
part of the family business Margaret became part of.] They had daughter Louise
Kusel, and sons Edwin and William. Seems like Margaret had the say for at least
two of her children's names. [William Jannke, president of the
Jefferson Dodge Genealogical Society reports that he visited with some present
day Kusel relation and obtained some photos and relics, but no photo of William
Hartig Sr. has been identified yet. Pictures of the brewery and some brewery
equipment are supposed to be on display at the Historical Society's headquarters
located within the Octagon House, but it is only open from May thru October.]
By 1902-03 it seems that William sold the Watertown
Manufacturing Co.
1907-08, Phillip is the brewery's superintendent. Nothing
much changes until 1911-12 when William Jr. is listed as a student attending
Watertown schools and St. John's Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin. Then
as 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 as
a Private First Class in the 457 Motor Truck Co. spending at least one year
overseas.
|
|
As Prohibition hits the nation, the William Hartig Brewery
becomes bottlers of carbonated beverages [root beer], manufacturers of cereal
beverages and ice cream. Actually William begins the William Hartig Ice
Cream Co. in August, 1921 as a separate company.
Times must have been hard on William, he died on Friday
March 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 Episcopal
Church. The church services were held the following Monday, and the
Merchant's National Bank, of which William was a Director, closed early at 1:00
p.m. in his honor.
|
William died without a will and since it was contested by
family members, it went thru a lengthy probate [No. 125B] period. His estate was
valued at $96,161.73 much of which had to be collected from numerous outstanding
accounts resulting from sales of malt syrup, soda, and ice cream. Louisa
received $32, 053.92 and each of the surviving children got $12.,821.77 minus
inheritance 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 the
Secr-Treas.
|
IRTP - JL label 4.5" by 3" |
After Prohibition ends, Louise, Williams widow, actually
reopens the brewery but Philip soon takes charge. The 1934 Directory lists,
" The Hartig Co., brewers and Ice Cream". 1945 shows William Jr. still
as Sec-Treas.
Competition from the national breweries has been taking a
toll for a number of years, and now the rationing of grains for their beer and
sugar for the ice cream is sending the Company into bankruptcy.
|
The family sold their interests in the brewery in June, 1945 to Harvey
Roscoe 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 myocardial
degeneration [Jefferson Cty V22 P119, Probate No. 735F]. A few months later,
William Hartig Jr. dies on June 24, 1946 of a cerebral hemorrhage [Jefferson
Cty V22 P264, SSN 392-10-5316] at age 52. The death of his mother and
his younger brother, and the demise of the family business must have been too
much for Philip, for he died in a Madison hospital on July 25, 1946 after
spending a couple of weeks there suffering from illness. Philip was a graduate
of 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 at
305 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 this
year is that of a "Mrs. Mary Hartig (attended at Bethesda Lutheran
Home)" - 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 residing
in Watertown - no further information about Harold's role in The Hartig Co. is
known]
Update to Harold F. McEvoy
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 Waukesha
Daily 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 the
federal 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 the
Wisconsin Rapids Daily
Tribune on April
23, 1947:
Brewery Fined For Going
Over Quota
Madison -
(AP) - Federal Judge
Patrick 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, died
on April 20, 1952 [Jefferson Cty V25 P297(?)]
Col. J.W. Sproesser, president of the Merchants National Bank, last reported
owner of The Hartig Co., donated some brewing equipment to the Octagon House [Historical
Society]. During 1952-53, the Hartig brewery buildings are torn down to make way
for a National Tea Store [Today - Tom's United Foods]
Charlotte or Lottie continued living on until her death on
November 12,1968 [Jefferson Cty V44 P322, SSN 393-48-6394]at the Watertown
Hospital of complications resulting from a fractured femur. The last listing for her at the family home was the 1966
Directory. 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 plot
in Oak Hill Cemetery except for Margaret, who died on June 26, 1951 and is
probably 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 for
descendents of Margaret Kusel, and the Hartig Brewery in Watertown. As
additional information and pictures are uncovered, more will be added here and
on the family tree.]
References: Milwaukee City Directories at the Milwaukee
County Historical Society; Sanborn Fire maps of
Watertown, Wisconsin; An article by Otto Tiegs
"Local Support was Their Need for Survival...Storck Brewery Inc., first
published in the American Breweriana Journal, July-August 1995 by the American
Breweriana Association; William
Jannke, president of the Watertown Historical
Society.; The Watertown Daily
Times newspaper, various issues on microfilm at the Watertown Public
Library; the Reference Staff at the Watertown Public Library; The
Chronological History of the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co., compiled and edited
by Michael R. Reilly
Other Links: Milwaukee
County Genealogical Society, Dodge
Jefferson County Genealogy Wisconsin Society
