Felix Walter Hartwig

Felix Walter Hartwig

• Father: William A. Hartwig b. July 1847, d. between 1910 and 1920
• Mother: Henriette Wilhelmine Caroline Ziehl b. 2 January 1857

• Felix Walter Hartwig was born on 9 February 1896 in North Tonawanda, Niagara County, New York.
• William A. Hartwig and Henriette Wilhelmine Caroline Ziehl appeared in the US federal census of 1 June 1900 in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, New York, at 1149 Ontario Avenue. Other members of the household included Felix Walter Hartwig, Charles Frederick Hartwig, John C. Hartwig, Ella N. Hartwig, Gertrude R. Hartwig, Anna Hartwig, Hugo Marcus Hartwig and Wilhelmina Gatz.
• William A. Hartwig and Henriette Wilhelmine Caroline Ziehl appeared in the US federal census of 15 April 1910 in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, New York, at 823 Ashland Avenue. Other members of the household included Felix Walter Hartwig, Charles Frederick Hartwig, Ella N. Hartwig, Anna Hartwig and Hugo Marcus Hartwig.
• Felix Walter Hartwig registered for the draft on 1 June 1917 in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, New York, while employed as a draftsman with S. M. Ryder & Son, and living at 825 Ashland Avenue in Niagara Falls.
• He married Marie P. Hertel, daughter of Herman C. Hertel and Mary Kraft, circa 1919, date estimated.
• Felix Walter Hartwig and Marie P. Hertel appeared in the US federal census of 1 January 1920 in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, New York, at 1838 Willow Avenue.
• He was a draftsman in a machine shop, according to the 1920 census.
• The following appeared on 23 December 1922 in The Niagara Falls Gazette: How Christmas Will Be Observed in the Churches.  Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Michigan avenue and Tenth street. Herman Brezing, pastor; Karl Kammerer, organist; Felix Hartwig, chorister, Walter Baum, chimer. . . . 
• The following appeared on December 1923 in The Niagara Falls Gazette: Through the Courtesy of Messersmith's of this city, WGR at Hotel Statler [Buffalo] will broadcast an all-local program at 9 o'clock tonight, under the direction of Edgar Messersmith. Zion Evangelical church choir will be featured and arrangements have been made for the reception of this concert at the Zion Evangelical church this evening, which will be attended by radio fans generally.  
  [:TAB: From accompanying advertisement:  (1) Contatta--46th Psalm, by Choir of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Niagara Falls, directed by Felix W. Hartwig, accompanied by Carl Kammerer;  (2) Soprano Solo by Mrs. Charles Woolcock;  (3) Alto Solo by Miss Ida Wagner;  (4) Tenor Solo by Sylvester Hannigan;  (5) Baritone Solo by Felix W. Hartwig. . . 
• Felix Walter Hartwig and Marie P. Hertel appeared in the US federal census of 1 April 1930 in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, New York, at 737 Pierce Avenue. Other members of the household included William Herman Hartwig, Jeanette Carolyn Hartwig and Pauline K. Hertel.
• He was a draftsman, according to the 1930 census.
• The following appeared on circa 19 January 1941 in the Buffalo Courier-Express: (Niagara Falls, Jan. 18) One of the busiest career women in this city is Miss Elsa Vorwerk of Ontario Avenue.
       Daytime she is purchasing agent at the Niagara Falls Wall Paper Company, one of the large plants here. Evenings she frequently devotes to mimeographing of church bulletins and other material. Week-ends she is choir director and soprano at Pierce Avenue Presbyterian Church. /P/ And at the moment, in addition to all this, she has a special project to command attention. It is the massed choir concert to be given at the Pierce Avenue Church Tuesday night, February 11th, under auspices of the Falls branch of the Buffalo Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
       She is program chairman for the event, and is arranging to brigh together that night several units, such as the choir of the First Baptist Church, which is under direction of Florence Tschabold Smith; that at St. James Methodist Church, of which Eleanore Schweitzer is leader; First Evangelical, where Miss Olive Eberling is musical director; Bacon Memorial Presbyterian Church, Felix Hartwig; First Methodist, Robert Pearsonk, and Zion Evangelical Lutheran, Carl Heywang. The individual directors will lead in their own presentations, and Helen Clement Martin in the group offering of Haydn's The Heavens are Telling. Robert W. Stirling will be accompanist.
       There are family musical traditions surrounding Miss Vorwerk. Not unusual is it therefore, she insists, that she not only sings but plays the organ and composes sacred melodies.
• Felix Walter Hartwig died on 15 February 1958 at age 62.
• Marie P. Hertel became a widow at his death.
• The following appeared on 17 February 1958 in the Niagara Falls Gazette:
       Felix W. Hartwig, 62, of 1711 Forbes St., North Tonawanda, a former Niagara Falls resident for 50 years and former chief engineer with the Chisholm Ryder Corp. here, died Saturday (Feb. 15, 1958) of a heart ailment at DeGraff Memorial Hospital, North Tonawanda.
       Mr. Hartwig was employed in the engineering department of the Ross Heater Exchange Division of the American Standard Co. in Buffalo. He was born in North Tonawanda and was employed by the Chisholm Ryder Corp. in this city for 38 years. Mr. Hartwig moved to North Tonawanda five years ago.
       Mr. Hartwig is a former choir director for the Zion Lutheran Church here and was a member of the Niagara Falls Kiwanis Club and past master of the Niagara River Lodge No. 785, F & AM.
       Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Marie P. Hartwig; two daughters, Mrs. John M. Koch, this city, and Mrs. Jeanette Haseley, Thurmont, Md; a son, Dr. William H. Hartwig, Austin, Tex; three brothers, C. Fred, John C. and Hugo M. Hartwig, all of this city; two sisters, Mrs. Ella Maggs, this city, and Mrs. Gertrude Holland, Kenmore, and six grandchildren.
       Members of the Niagara River Lodge will conduct memorial services at the Gridley Funeral Home at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
       Funeral services will be held at the funeral home at 2 p.m. Wednesday with the Rev. Herman B. Miller, pastor of the Grace Lutheran Church, North Tonawanda, officiating. Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery, this city.
       The family said that donations to the Heart Fund will be acceptable as tributes.
• He was interred on 19 February 1958 at Oakwood Cemetery, Niagara Falls, Niagara County, New York.
• A single grave marker identifies the graves of Felix Walter Hartwig and Marie P. Hertel.

• Last Edited: 30 Nov 2014