The Descendants of Gotlieb Bartch and Christiana Kisner

CHRISTIANA KISNER (William Kisner, Sr.) born October 9, 1839; died November 6, 1887. Married Gotlieb Bartch on April 29, 1858. He was born August 26, 1828 in Sullivan County, PA; died January 3, 1900 in Washington state.

The children of Christian and Gotlieb Bartch were:

1. Emanuel Theodore Bartch born March 26, 1862; died June 1939 in Missouri; he moved to Missouri on June 2, 1884
2. William Franklin Bartch born September 17, 1865
3. Philena Almeda Bartch born August 26, 1870
4. Sarah A. Bartch born about 1873
5. Adda E. Bartch born October 28, 1876
6. John Godlip Bartch born July 28, 1878
7. Fredrich James Bartch born November 8, 1880

The Sullivan Review
January 1882

Gotleib Bartch, of Cherry, left this place about two weeks ago, and it is reported that he does not intend to return. His family consisting of a wife and seven children are thus thrown on their own resources for a livelihood.

The Sullivan Gazette
November 10, 1887

Mrs. Christina Bartch, of Cherry township, aged 48 years, committed suicide on Sunday, between the hours of 11 o'clock, a.m., and 4 o'clock, p.m., by hanging herself with a rope from a joice in the second story of the house. The particulars are as follows:

Seven years ago Mrs. Bartch, her husband Godleib Bartch and seven children lived on a farm in Cherry township, about four miles east of Dushore. Mr. Bartch had a fine farm and good buildings and was in good circumstances. He borrowed large sums of money and went west seven years ago next December leaving his wife and seven children some of whom where very young at the time.

It is reported that he is now living in Missouri with a woman who left her husband in the same locality at about the same time that Bartch left.

The property was sold to pay the money Bartch had borrowed before leaving. This left the family nearly destitute. The oldest son went west soon afterward, since which time Mrs. Bartch has tried to keep the remainder of the family together and support them with the assistance of her neighbors, her oldest daughter, and relief from the overseers of the poor.

About two years ago, three of the younger children aged at that time about 5, 7, and 9 years, respectively, were taken from her by her oldest son [Editor's Note: This would have been Emanuel T. Bartch], and taken West to their father, leaving her with but one child, a girl now about 14 years of age, who is a cripple with a feeble mind. Her son Will having gone to work for himself, and her oldest daughter was working out doing what she could toward her mother's support. The loss of her younger children prayed heavily upon the fond mother's heart. Of late she has been living in a house on one of the farms of George Albert, about one mile north of her former home, with the daughter above spoken of.

On last Thursday she came to town with some of her neighbors and on her return spoke of her troubles; on Friday she went to the residence of Adam Dieffenbach who lives in sight and within 80 rods of her house, and asked of Mrs. Dieffenbach permission to come into the house and after entering she showed strong evidences of insanity. She stated to Mrs. Dieffenbach that if at any time on arising in the morning they saw her curtains down and no smoke coming from the chimney, they should look after her as they might expect something wrong. On Sunday morning several of the neighbors called to see her and found her insane. Amos Kisner, her brother, was the last one to leave the house. As he left at about 11 o'clock a.m., she said to him that he never would ever see her again.

At about four 'clock her son, Wm. F. Bartch, entered the house and found the feeble minded girl alone, crying, He asked her about her mother but could get no information from her. He went upstairs to look for her and found her as above stated. The child was taken to the neighbors and cared for. Whether she saw her mother or not and whether she would realize the situation, in her condition of mind, are questions that cannot be answered.

Coroner Waddell was summoned who impaneled a jury and held an inquest on Monday morning. Their verdict was in accordance with the facts here given.

Mrs. Bartch was the daughter of the late Wm. Kisner, of Cherry and leaves a large number of relatives in this section. Suicide is not justifiable under any circumstances, yet it is not surprising that Mrs. Bartch sought to relieve her terrible agonies by taking her own life.

The remains were interred in Bahr's cemetery Tuesday.

Emanuel T. Bartch settled in Texas County, MO, as noted above. There, he fathered eleven children. At one point, he owned a steam engine that was used to grade the streets of the town of Houston, MO. This information comes to us from Carol Novak Beverlin.

The Yakima Herald
State of Washington
January 4, 1900

G. Bartch aged 72 living near the mouth of the Tietan died on the 3d inst.of pneumonia. He leaves a wife and child.

We don't know why Gottlieb was in Washington state when he died, or whether his third family was with him. It was not uncommon for laborers from the eastern United States, particularly miners and lumberjacks, but also farmers, to migrate there for opportunity. There are many examples from Sullivan County attesting to this pattern.

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