Biography - WILLIAM G. BARTELS

Business interests of Carlinville find no more worthy representative than William G. Bartels, president of the Carlinville Coal Company, one of the important enterprises of this section, which has been developed through his energy and practical judgment. He was born at Carlinville, March 2, 1858, a son of Henry and Minnie (Lereke) Bartels, both of whom were natives of Hanover, Germany. In their family were eight children, two sons and six daughters, two of whom lived to maturity: Dora, who married John Stadler and is now deceased; and William G. The father of our subject was born and reared in Germany and became a millwright. He emigrated to America in 1854 and settled at Carlinville, Illinois, where he followed carpentering until 1869. He then opened a coal mine south of town which he operated successfully, retiring from active labor in 1883. He died in 1895, at the age of seventy-nine years, his wife having preceded him six months at the age of seventy-three. They were both consistent members of the German Evangelical church. The paternal grandfather of our subject spent his entire life in Germany. He was a carpenter by trade and served in the army in the war of 1848. The grandfather on the maternal side came to America and died at Carlinville, at the age of eighty-three years, his wife also passing away at an advanced age. They had three children: Frederick, a farmer in the American Bottom near Venice, who was murdered by negroes; Minnie, the mother of our subject; and a son who died in Germany.

William G. Bartels received his preliminary education in the public schools and later attended Blackburn University. At sixteen years of age he began working as a coal miner. He also mined coal at Virden for one year. He had charge of his father’s business until 1883 and in September of that year began business on his own account. He sank a shaft five blocks south of the public square, which he operated until 1891, when he entered into partnership with John C. Anderson and W. L. Mounts and purchased the Consolidated Coal Company’s mine at the north end of town. W. H. Behrens bought Mr. Mount’s interest and the mine is now conducted as the Carlinville Coal Company, Inc., with W. G. Bartels as president and general manager; W. H. Behrens, secretary, and John C. Anderson, treasurer. The company employs one hundred and fifty men when the mine is in full operation and is one of the highly flourishing concerns of the city. Mr. Bartels also owns a well improved farm of four hundred acres in Bird township, which he has been conducting for sixteen years, and is a stockholder in the Carlinville National Bank.

On the 13th of September, 1883, he was married to Miss Emma Singelmann, a native of Carlinville and a daughter of Henry and Louise Singelmann. To this union four children have been born: Ida, who married Louis Braun and died January 25, 1910, leaving a little daughter who died soon after birth; Leonora, who became the wife of Dr. Motley, of Virden, and has one son, Ernest G.; Lelia, who possesses unusual musical talent and is a fine violinist, performing most acceptably before large audiences; and Henry, who is now a student in the high school. The parents of Mrs. Bartels were horn in Hanover, Germany, and were early settlers of Carlinville. The father died in 1900, at the age of sixtysix, and the mother is also deceased. They had four children, Augusta, Amalia, Emma and Bernhard.

Mr. Bartels and his wife are members of the German Evangelical church and he is a liberal contributor to religious and all other worthy causes. In politics he is a republican and has served as a member of the city council three terms, school director two years and township collector one term. He is numbered among the prominent men of Macoupin county and in business affairs has shown a fairness and reliability that have gained for him the confidence of all with whom he has come into contact. On account of his genuine personal worth he is greatly esteemed and no history of Macoupin county would be complete without a record of his life.

Extracted 14 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from History of Macoupin County, Illinois: Biographical and Pictorial, by Charles A. Walker, published in 1911, Volume 2, pages 278-279.