BERTHA (KRAUSE) BERNHARDT BY JOHN C. ENGEL - UPDATED MARCH 17, 2024.

This entire article is Copyright ©2012, 2024 by John C. Engel. Please contact [email protected] to request permission to reproduce it.

Bertha Krause Bernhardt's maternal DNA haplogroup appears to be T2b. Bertha's surname is variously found as Bernhardt, Bernhart, Barnhardt, and Barnhart. In the 1930s the newspaper correspondants from Forestville sometimes referred to her as Grandma Barnhardt.

On July 10, 1856, Bertha, her parents, and her baby sister, Emelia, arrived at New York on the ship Republik from Bremen. The ship passenger list showed the family's last residence as Kluetzkow (then in Pomerania). The present name of the village is Kluczkowo, in the administrative district of Gmina Swidwin, within Swidwin County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland.

On July 29, 1863, 16-year-old Bertha Krause was married to Robert Bernhardt, a 34-year-old farmer from Forestville. According to family stories, it was an arranged marriage.

Bertha and Robert had 11 children. Ten lived to adulthood, but a son, Louis, died as an infant. Robert was Catholic, but Bertha raised the children in the Lutheran church. She was a member of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Forestville for virtually her entire married life.

On March 2, 1868 Bertha Bernhardt was issued a School Land Grant by the State of Wisconsin for the 80 acres in the N 1/2 of the NE 1/4 of Sec. 7 Township 26 N, Range 25 E, in Forestville. This was about 4 1/2 miles northeast of Bertha's and Robert's homestead. More details are provided at the end of this article.

Bertha was a midwife in the Forestville area. Her nephew, Julius F. Krause (born 1891), was one of the children whose birth certificate bore Bertha's name as the midwife.

In 1898, Robert bought a small house and 20 acres from Jos. Meyer, across the street from the Bernhardt homestead. The couple retired to that home. In 1903 Robert had an asthma attack while sitting on the porch, went inside, and died.

Bertha would live as a widow for over 32 years. She was known to many in Forestville as Grandma Bernhardt.

One of Bertha's own grandchildren who came for visits was Martha (Wedewart) Poh. Many years later Martha recalled getting scolded by Bertha. Just a small girl at the time, Martha had fallen down, happening to fall on top of a young chick and killing it. As a little girl, Martha hadn't thought the loss of a little chick was anything for her Grandma to be upset about. Reflecting on it many decades later, Martha concluded that the incident was more significant - it deprived Grandma Bernhardt of a future chicken dinner.

In November 1911, old tales of a lost Native American lead mine circulated once again in Forestville. The deathbed story of an old pioneer, Daniel Rose, fixed the location in a creek bed just north of the village. A prospector from Kodan named Jacob Knopp bought up options on lands in the area. The deals would have split the rights in any minerals discovered 50-50 between Knopp and the landowner. The first site drilled, on or about Nov. 20, 1911, was the farmstead of Mrs. Robert Bernhardt.

A month later, the Algoma Record reported, "From present indications we are inclined to believe that it will be some time before another lead mine is discovered hereabouts." And so, alas, even today we Bernhardt descendants must toil away to earn our daily bread!

The April 25, 1913 Algoma Record reported that Bertha sold her farm to Mr. Meyer. In May 1913, Bertha and her daughter Eleanor moved from Forestville to Algoma, staying in the second floor of the Gericke residence in the Third Ward. In April 1915 they moved back to Forestville to stay with Bertha's son, August, who had recently built a large new residence in the village. Bertha rented rooms to the female teachers of the Forestville graded school. A 1915 Door County directory lists three.

Bertha generally remained in good health as she aged according to newspaper items. She was was vey sick in 1930 but recovered and resumed her normal activities. She suffered a stroke on or about March 3, 1936 and was attended through March 5 by Dr. John G. Hirschboeck of Forestville. She died on March 17th. Dr. Hirschboeck listed the cause of death as artereosclerosis.

When Bertha Bernhardt died at her Forestville home in 1936, she was reported to be the longest surviving charter member of St. Peter's Lutheran Church, where she was also a member of the Ladies Aid Society.

Clarence Haucke of Algoma was the undertaker. Funeral services were held from the home at 1:30 and St. Peter's Lutheran church, Forestville, conducted by the Rev. R. Stuth.

Services were opened by a male quartet from Two Rivers. The Ladies Aid Society of also sang. The sermon text was her confirmation memory verse, Rev. Chapter 21, 6-7, requested by her, as was the song, "Jerusalem Thou City Far and High."

Burial was at the Brockhausen cemetery. The following concluded the services at the grave:

Mother, the world above you

Is very fair today.

And all things seem to love you

In that good old-fashioned way.

Here in this lovely weather

In springtime's arms a rest

Sweet memories still linger

In hearts that loved you best.

The pallbearers were John Bucholtz, Ralph Kohl, Milton Wedewart, Ruben Mueller, Carl Saubert, Robert John Gericke.

*****

BERTHA BERNHARDT PURCHASES SCHOOL LANDS FROM THE STATE OF WISCONSIN

Bertha Bernhardt was only 21 years old when a "Commissioner's Certificate" was issued to her on January 22, 1868 by the State of Wisconsin's Commissioners of School and University Lands. This granted her the right to purchase a 40 acre parcel of land from the State for $48.78, which she paid immediately. As a result the State issued her a land patent, awarding her ownership.

Despite her young age, Bertha had already been married for 4½ years when she purchased the land. When Bertha was 16 years old her parents, August and Minnie Krause of Ahnapee, are said to have arranged her marriage to 34-year old Robert Bernhardt, of Forestville, against her will. Both husband and wife were German immigrants who had arrived in the 1850s.

Robert and Bertha already had a large farm in the town of Forestville in southern Door County. But when the State of Wisconsin put land up for sale to the public at a low price, Bertha grabbed the opportunity. This was very similar to a purchase her father, August Krause, had made 11 years earlier.

But, whereas August had taken 18 months to pay for his 40 acre parcel of land, Bertha paid in full immediately. She avoided a 7% annual interest charge and received her land patent about five weeks later. August filed a preemption claim to get his land cheaper by actually settling on it. Bertha didn't qualify for a preemption claim since she and her family were not living on their parcel.

The essential details of the sale, other than the preemption rights, are spelled out the first document but are rather difficult to read. The complete text is provided here, but line breaks and bullet points are added to make it easier to read.

[Start]

Drainage Fund.

GRANT OF CONGRESS

28TH SEPTEMBER 1850.

No. 1650

Door County.

State of Wisconsin,

Commissioners' Certificate.

Office of Commissioners of School and University Lands.

Madison, Jany 22nd 1868

At a sale of LANDS GRANTED BY CONGRESS, by the Act of Congress of 28th of September, 1850, in said County, Bertha Bernhart purchased the North East quarter of the North East quarter of Section No. Seven (7) in Township No. Twenty six (26) North of Range No. Twenty five (25), East as appears from the plats of said Lands, now of record in the office of the Secretary of State, containing Forty (40) acres, and ----------- hundredths, amounting to the sum of Forty eight Dollars and Seventy eight cents, of which amount the said purchaser paid at the time of purchase, the sum of Forty eight Dollars and Seventy eight cents, on account of the purchase money, and ---------- Dollars and ---------- Cents, being the interest on the amount unpaid to the first day of January next, at the rate of seven per cent. per annum.

Now, if the said purchaser, -------- heirs, assigns or other legal representatives, shall pay to the State Treasurer, at his Office, the further sum of ---------- Dollars and --------- Cents being the amount unpaid of the purchase money, in one or more instalments, at any time within Ten years from the date hereof; and also the interest annually, in advance, on the first day of January, in each and every year, at the rate of seven per cent. per annum, on said unpaid amount, and shall also pay to the proper officer all taxes which may be levied upon said Lot, as the same shall become due; and also all taxes which have heretofore been legally assessed and levied upon said premised and now remain unpaid; then, and in that event only, will the said purchaser --------- heirs, assigns or other legal representatives, be entitled to a Patent for the Land herein described:

But in case of the non-payment into the State Treasury of the purchase money aforesaid, as it shall become due, or of the interest thereon, by the first day of January, or within the time prescribed by law, in each and every year, and in case of the non-payment of any taxes as aforesaid, by the said purchaser, or by any person claiming under ---------- then this CERTIFICATE, from the time of such failure, SHALL BE UTTERLY VOID AND OF NO EFFECT, and the Commissioners may take possession of said Land and resell the same.

In Witness Whereof, We the undersigned, Commissioners of School and University Lands, have hereunto set our hands at the time and place first above written.

Countersigned, .......................... Signed,

Tho. (?) Allen .............................. Wm. E. Smith

Secretary of State. ..................... State Treasurer.

..................................... Chas R. Gill

..................................... Attorney General.

IN PRESENCE OF

B. ?. ????m

H. Borchsenius

STATE OF WISCONSIN ) SS.

DANE COUNTY ) Be it Remembered, That, at this Twenty-second day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty Eight before me, the subscriber, a Notary Public, personally came the above named Commissioners of the School and University Lands, and acknowledged that they voluntarily executed the above Certificate as Commissioners aforesaid, for the uses and purposes therein mentioned.

............................. H Borchsenius

............................. Notary Public