Dodge County, WI
Biography of John Hartl  - from genealogical research, and submitted by his great-great 
granddaughter  Claudia C. Schuman		


The Hartl families were early settlers of Dodge County, WI, arriving in the 1850’s from 
County Kelheim, Bavaria Germany. .  Four Hartl siblings, two brothers and two sisters, 
together with their families, all came to the US about the same time and settled in Beaver 
Dam;  John & Franziska (Illnseer) Hartl, Alois & Barbara (Forchammer) Hartl,  Theresa 
(Hartl) with husband Frank Roedl, and Frances (Hartl) with husband Michael Biersack.   
John, Alois, Frances and Theresa were the children of Josef and Theresa (Wagner) Hartl 
who remained in Germany.

John Hartl, born June 24, 1819 in Reichenstetten, County Kelheim, Bavaria Germany, 
arrived in Beaver Dam in 1854.  He was married to Franziska Illnseer on January 5, 1847 
in Painten, County Hemau, Germany, the daughter of Mathias Illnseer, a shoemaker, and 
Anna Maria Schmauss.  Franziska was born March 25, 1815 in Haugenried, Germany.  
They were a Catholic family, attended St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Beaver Dam, and 
were the parents of eight children.  The first three children were born in Germany under 
unusual circumstances.  In 1834 the German Government passed a law requiring all 
couples to apply for a permit to be married. If a man could not prove he had income or 
property, enough to make a living and support a family, they were not allowed to marry.  
This law did not deter couples from having children out of wedlock, and John and 
Franziska had three children before their marriage.  Franziska lived at home with her 
parents until they received permission to marry in 1847.  Their children were: John, born 
1840, Anna, born 1844, Joseph, 1845 Jacob, born 1849, Franz, born 1851, (died young?) 
George, born 1854, (died young?), Frank, born 1856, and George born 1858.  
John was a farmer all his life and provided well for his family in America.  Franziska 
Hartl died on July 18, 1892 and John died Dec 11, 1897. Both are buried in St. Peter’s 
cemetery in Beaver Dam with many other Hartl family members.

Authored & Submitted by: 
Claudia Schuman
© January 19, 2003