Notes
Note N1091
Index
Occupation 1900 Sedan City/Sedan Township/Chautauqua County Ks Census-US Soldier. Enlisted in the Spanish/American war and served with Company D, 17th Infantry in the Philippine Insurrection. He was honorably discharged as a Corporal. He spent most of his career as an oil driller in the Kansas oil fields. He also worked in the oil fields in Romania just before the start of World War I. His US passport for travel to Romania was issued 17 Feb 1914. For more on the US involvement in Romanian oil production see https://firstworldwarhiddenhistory.wordpress.com/category/romania/
"Son of Samuel, who was a sheriff for some years in Kansas, and Emma Hartzell. Married Grace F. Veal on February 23, 1911.
In 1913, John was employed by Standard Oil and was sent to Romania to work in their oil fields there. He was accompanied by his wife and small daughter, Mary Louise. In 1916 when Romania entered World War I, they had to flee. Grace was suspected of being a spy and getting out was difficult, but they made their way north through Russia into the Arctic Circle countries. Two months after leaving Romania, they arrived safely in New York City and called their anxious families two days before Thanksgiving. Some time later John was inducted into the US Army." - Find-a-grave
Gravestone is marked "Kansas, Cpl. Co. D 17th Inf. Reg."
"Clyde Parkinson and John Hartzell, two more of our soldier boys, came in Tuesday after having served three years in the Philippines. They both belonged to the same company, Co. D, 17th Infantry. These are both bright, energetic young men and both advanced to positions as noncommissioned officers, Clyde Parkinson being a sergeant and John Hartzell being a corporal. They landed in San Francisco on their return July 22 just seven days before their arrival here. Their company was in the campaign against the Moros and they could not be sent home promptly at the expiration of their enlistment which accounts for their delay in getting home. John Hartzell enlisted the 25th day of May 1899, and Clyde Parkinson enlisted the 11th of Jun, 1899. They say Sedan don't look natural because it don't look as large as it used to. They went down to Caney river to bathe Wednesday morning and they inquired if the river had not been filled up since they left."--31 July 1902, Sedan (KS) Lance
He and his wife Grace and daughter Mary Louise appear on the 15 Nov 1916 records of the ship Frederick VIII arriving in New York, probably returning from Romania.
"Offficial List of 1491 Names That Registered For Military Service In Chautauqua County Last Thursday. #1206 Samuel Trevill Hartzell, #1366 Adam Sinclair Hartzell, #1397 John Austin Hartzell"--19 Sep 1918, The Sedan (KS) Times-Star
"John A. Hartzell -- John A. Hartzell, 75 years old, 340 Lincoln street, died Wednesday. He was an oil driller by trade and had lived in Richmond 25 years.
He was a native of Kansas. He also was a veteran of the Spanish-American war.
Surviving are the widow, Mrs. Grace Hartzell; two sons, Clyde of Frankfort and Robert of South Bend; one daughter, Mrs. Mary Louise Gilman of Boston, Mass., one sister, Mrs. Lula Hanna of Kansas City; two brothers, Adam of Sedan, Kans.,, and Leland of Ellinwood, Kans."--8 Feb 1956, (Richmond IN) Paladium-Item
Notes
Note N1092
Index
Moved from Newport, Pa, to Harrisburg, to Reading. Then moved to Iowa in 1909 and was active in Masonic temple. Known as "Jack" to his family. Printer, railroad worker at Harrisburg, Pa; Singer Sewing Machine Co. at Reading, Pa; store and purchasing agency in Newport, Pa. Went west in 1909 and was connected with National Harvester Co. Alleged to have lived in Des Moines for 25 years (1917 - 1942); worked for Minneapolis-Moline Power Implement Co. as a sales representative in Creston, Iowa. Was found dead alone in a room at 1511 Center Street, Des Moines, of heart disease (coronary occlusion) at age 74. Was working in the receiving section of Fort Dodge, Iowa, at the time of death.
Notes
Note N1093
Index
Farm Laborer
Notes
Note N1094
Index
Keeps livery stable.
Notes
Note N1095
Index
"IOWA TOWNS. - NEWTON -Buildings, Business and Prospects. Hotels --J.W. Hartzell is the popular proprietor of the "Jasper House", located on the south side of the public square. A large barn and ample stables are also connected with the establishment..."--28 August 1868, Daily Iowa State Register (Des Moines, IA)
JW Hartzell came to Topeka in 1876 and for the next three years was the proprietor of the Tefft House, a hotel. In 1879 he bought the Topeka Omnibus Company and in 1880 bought Bolmars Freight City Line and incorporated the combination under the title of Topeka Transportation and Omnibus Company. J.W. was the president and general manager and H.F. was the secretary-treasurer. J.W. projected and built the Topeka City Street Railway. He established Hartzell Park which is now know as Garfield Park. J.W. was one of the charter members of the Waterworks Company and a member of the first board of directors. He and his brother moved to Wichita and from there to California.
"Hartzell's Street Line. Hartzell's street line will, after this date, call regularly at the following ticket offices for passengers every 20 minutes: Strahan & Neisley's grocery store, corner Tenth street and Kansas avenue; Taft, Emery & Co., old store; F.C. Bowen, between Laurent and Gordon streets, north side; T. Kellam's bookstore, north side; Tafft, Emery & Co. Tickets will be sold at each of the above offices, to be used to and from their store, at 2 1/2 cents each. Our regular street line tickets will also be on sale at the above offices. J. W. HARTZELL,"--23 October 1880, Commonwealth (Topeka, KS)
"HE LOST A FORTUNE -- HARD LUCK OF J.W. HARTZELL A FORMER TOPEKAN. Most Topeka people will remember J.W. Hartzell very well as the man who operated the first street cars in Topeka and for whom Hartzell (now Garfield) Park was named. He has just gone to pieces in California after losing a fortune. According to a San Francisco paper, he has been worth a quarter of a million while today all he owns in the world is in the hands of the sheriff.
He was the promoter of the San Francisco & San Mateo road. he had only been here a short time when he went across the San Mateo line, and he realized the money possibilities that were in those cheap corner lots if only a means of 5-cent rapid transit could be provided. He was from Chicago and had all the Chicago bustle in him. It didn't take him long to solve the transportation problem. He whispered in the ear of Behrend Jost, Georgt T. Smith and other men of money. The San Francisco & San Mateo Railway company sprang into life. They went over into San Mateo county and secured the selling rights to a few blocks of sandhills.
Those lots did not sell rapidly enough. Then the railroad people had trouble, and Joost froze Hartzell out, but the promoter told people afterward that by threatening to reveal business secrets he induced Joost to give him a block of railroad stock. This collateral Hartzel unloaded on other people and realized a handsome sum. With the money thus made he took a plunge on Pine street, and piled up the dollars so fast that he couldn't keep count of them. When he left "the street" he was worth almost $250,000.
Up at Ukiah Hartzell found sand into which he began digging for water. The people laughed at him when he said he was going to irrigate all the country below. They said he would not get enough water from that sand to fill a lady's thimble. But they were astonished when they saw a regular geyser spring up into the air. This was Hartzell's opportunity.
An artesian well corporation was formed. They dug more wells, they set up pumps, and they laid miles upon miles of pipe. They dropped thousands of dollars into those holes, and there they are yet. Somehow there was not as much water under that sand as they should have been, and what water they did get refused to be pumped down to the valleys below. Hartzell took himself away from Ukiah and bought a ranch near Santa Rosa, but farm life was too quiet for him so he gave it up and came back to San Francisco.
Hartzell left a lot of his own money up in the sand near Ukiah and he tried to dig it out of the Nevada mines again at long range from Pine street. This time luck was against him. When he was "long", the market was "short", every stock he bought went capering down the scale and finally he left "the street" with only a fraction of his fortune left.
Six months ago he became the landlord of the Oriel, but his bad luck still pursued him and now he finds himself with an empty purse to satisfy $6,726.50 worth of creditors."--27 September 1894, Topeka (KS) Weekly Capital.
Find-a-Grave entry for father -- Mr. J. Wesley Hartzell was born Oct. 6, 1839, in Iowa, but was brought up, attended school and graduated at Moline, Ill. He was engaged in farming, teaching school and in the livery business until 1877, when he emigrated to Kansas, settling at Topeka, where he remained until 1883, during which time he became proprietor of the Tefft House in that city, which was the political headquarters of the State. Selling out to the veteran landlord of Davenport Iowa-Mr. Burtis -Mr. Hartzell then became owner and manager of the Topeka Freight, Omnibus and Baggage Lines, working 40 horses, having charge of the consignment of all freight of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad at that point, and sale of the dead freight of that railroad between Colorado, New Mexico and the Missouri River. He then organized a company, and projected and built the street horse railroad in Topeka, his associates in that enterprise being S. W. Wheelock, of Moline, Ill. ; W. B. Strong, President; George O. Manchester, Assistant General Manager; and E. Wilder, Treasurer of the Santa Fe Railroad. In 1882 Mr. Hartzell obtained the franchise, organized a company and built the water works in Topeka, meantime laying off and establishing a beautiful park (bearing his name) in that city.
Within the space of 18 months he obtained franchises, organized companies, built and had in successful operation roads in Wichita, Emporia, Kan., and Carthage, Mo. He is now President of Wichita, McPherson & Denver Railroad, for which road bonds to the amount of $4,000 per mile is voted for 100 miles, from Wichita to Elmore. Just at present Mr. Hartzell is in Moline, Ill., energetically engaged in organizing a new street railroad to and between Moline and Rock Island, with excellent chances of success."