Today’s birthday girl is Martha Wilhelmine Bertha Schmdtke, who, according to a transcription of her German baptism record below, was born on November 12, 1867.

Bertha’s later gravestone says she was born on that date in 1868. Her death certificate says she was born on January 17, 1866. I happen to think that she was born in 1867 because a church record also uses that date. Bertha was the daughter of Friedrich and Wilhelmina (Nehm) Schmidtke. When Bertha came to America aboard the ship, Dresden, in 1892, she was said to be 24 years old. Her passenger list says she was from Konigsberg and headed towards Illinois.

Bertha’s ship arrived in Baltimore on July 15, 1892, and she got married on August 12, 1892, so I think she knew her husband before she made the voyage, and that couple had their wedding planned before she left Germany. Let’s take a look at the man who would become Bertha’s husband.

Ernst Hartwig was born in the same vicinity as Bertha in Germany on January 17, 1866. Ernst was the son of August and Louise (Gronert) Hartwig. I was not able to locate baptism information for him. Later census entries say that Ernst came to America in either 1890 or 1891. I failed to find immigration documentation for him either.

Ernst Hartwig married Bertha Schmidtke on August 12, 1892 at Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob, Illinois. One of those very detailed church marriage records written by Rev. Estel for this couple is displayed below. Martha’s birth date of November 12, 1867 agrees with the date on her baptism record from Germany.

Family Search says this pair had 10 children. The first 3 children have baptism records in the books of Christ, Jacob. However, when we find this couple in the 1900 census, they must have migrated across the river into Perry County, Missouri. They were living in the Brazeau Township with 5 children. Ernst was a farmer. Included in the entry were Herman Hartwig and Emil Schmidtke, who I believe were brothers of Ernst and Bertha. They were helping Ernst on his farm.

During the next decade, the Hartwig’s made a move to Cleveland. It was not the big city in Ohio, but a tiny unincorporated area in Arkansas. The latest census says there are 76 people living in Cleveland, Arkansas. A child born in 1905 was said to be born in Arkansas. In the 1910 census, there were 9 children in the Hartwig household. Ernst was still farming. Ernst’s brother, Herman, was still living with them.

Bertha Hartwig died in 1926 at the age of 58. We can view her Arkansas death certificate here. This document says she was born on January 17, 1866, but the line for that date is right below her husband’s name, and that is his date of birth. I think someone got confused filling out this form.

I managed to locate this obituary for Bertha. I have to display it in 2 images. You may have to click the images to read them.

Ernst was a widower when the 1930 census was taken. He was living with 4 of his children, his brother, Herman, and a young school teacher, Harry Talbott.

Ernst Hartwig died in 1933 at the age of 67. I find it interesting that someone wrote Ernst’s date of birth, January 17, 1866 on the wrong line and crossed it out on his Arkansas death certificate.

Ernst and Bertha Hartwing are buried together in the Williams Cemetery in Corning, Arkansas.

I guess one of the surprising things about this Hartwig story is that there were 2 children born while this couple lived in Perry County, Missouri, and we do not find evidence of those 2 being baptized at one of the local churches. Based on Bertha’s obituary which mentioned a German Lutheran minister being involved in her funeral, I would think they would have been connected to a Lutheran church when they lived in Missouri.

One more personal note. When I became a teacher/principal in North Morristown, Minnesota, that congregation had a bunch of Schmidtke’s who were members. In fact, the principal who I came after was named Bev Schmidtke. There was even a time when the church treasurer made the mistake of writing my name as Warren Schmidtke on my paycheck. I guess her fingers were just used to putting that extra “ke” after typing the word Schmidt.