Bartholf Family -Early gold miners in Alaska .
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MY ATTEMPT TO UNTANGLE THE  BARTHOLF FAMILY TREE
WILLOW CREEK MINING DISTRICT  in ALASKA
Researched by Coleen Mielke

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At least five of John Debow Bartholf's  eight children were directly connected to the Willow Creek Mining District in Alaska: Frank G. Bartholf (born 1846), Byron Sundlon Bartholf (born 1850), Kitty Bartholf (born 1851), William Earl Bartholf (born 1857) and Eugene H. Bartholf (born 1859), as well as many of their children.
The first Bartholf's were in Knik by early 1905. Byron Sundlon Bartholf and his brother William Earl Bartholf found gold in the Willow Creek Mining District in 1907, naming their strike "Gold Bullion".  Charles Andrew Bartholf (son of Byron Sundlon Bartholf) established the Mabel Mine in 1911. Charles and his father Byron, established the Gold Cord Mine in 1912 and Charles established the Lucky Shot Mine in 1918.

By 1909, the "Bartholf Brothers" as they were known, had built a two stamp mill to process gold ore on Craigie Creek and a total of 6,300' of tramway to transport the ore to the mill. They also processed ore at their Mabel and Gold Cord mines, but their biggest enterprise was the Lucky Shot Mine.

While the Lucky Shot Mine produced the most gold; it was also the scene of a family tragedy. William Byron Bartholf, second son of Byron Sundlon Bartholf, got his pant leg tangled in some mining machinery and it cost him his life. An 8/22/1921 Anchorage Times article described the tragic accident: "W. B. Bartholf, age 44, died yesterday from the effects of an accident at the Lucky Shot mine in the Willow Creek quarts district. In stepping over the line shaft, his left trouser leg became entangled in the shaft connection and his entire left limb was badly twisted and mutilated and practically severed below the knee.  Harvey Bartholf, on the same shift, saw the accident and immediately shut off the mill and with his associates rendered every assistance possible.  The Lucky Shot Mine, of which the deceased was part owner and manager, is located on the west side of the Willow Creek divide on Craigy Creek, ten miles from the Fishhook Inn. The boys made a litter and started with the injured man for Fishhook Inn with the intention of securing an automobile to rush him to Wasilla where a special train had been sent by the Alaska Engineering Commission, to bring him to Anchorage for medical attention.  Before leaving, it was necessary to cut off the injured limb below the knee and also the flow of blood was stopped by a tourniquet. When about six miles from the mine, the injured man died from the shock of the accident; he was conscious up to within 15 minutes of death and suffered intense pain". He is buried in Anchorage.

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The parents of this gold mining dynasty were John Debow Bartholf (b. 1822 Batavia N.Y.) and Sarah Jane Barrett (b.1824).

 

JOHN DEBOW & SARAH BARTHOLF'S EIGHT CHILDREN: (4 are listed here, the other 4 are listed farther down)

1. JANE M. (or Jennie) BARTHOLF born 1842 -- 1925 (husband Erastus Emery Eastman)

2. FRANK GUILIAEM BARTHOLF 1846 -- 1923  Came to Alaska (wife Mariette Hildreth daughter of Roswell Hildreth)
       (family came to Alaska)    Children: James Harvey Bartholf 1868-1939 (wife Lelah Amy Cram)
                                                              Ella Bartholf 1871-1916 (husband Valentine Van Bramer) (Charles Hess)
                                                              Frank K. Bartholf 1873-1891 
                                                              Carl J. Bartholf 1874-1910 (wife Flora "Mimmie" Gibson) (no children)
                                                              Mark Bartholf 1876-1927 (wife Katherine Slater)
                              
3. CAROLINE BARTHOLF born 1847 --

4. BYRON SUNDLON BARTHOLF 1850 -- 1939 Family came to Alaska (First wife Lida Ella "Liddie" Church, daughter of Daniel Pike Church and Abigail Ann Fisher)  (Note: some records say "Liddie's" last name was Churchill).


 CHILDREN:

               1.JOHN TYLER BARTHOLF  (family came to Alaska) born 12/18/1875 in Colorado died 1945 California
                       He married Lola Leora Smith, the daughter of his step-mother "Addie" Hohanshelt Smith Bartholf
                                          Children:
                                                      *Edith May Bartholf 1899-1954 (husband Lester Allen Townsend)
                                                      *Chester Earl Bartholf 1901-1999 (wife 1 Nellie May Barnard) (wife Florence Leeds)
                                                      *Pearl Adean Bartholf 1905-1977 (husband Isaac Clarence Gibson) (William Ordis Crawford)
                                                      *Mabel Ruth Bartholf 1907-1993 (husband Rexford L. Hunsacker) (Harry Miller)
                                                      *Marjory Lola Bartholf 1909-1923
                                                                                                       

               2.WILLIAM BYRON BARTHOLF (came to Alaska) born 5/31/1876 Colorado died 8/22/1921  wife Marie                                                                           Kauzauck. He died in mining accident at Lucky Shot Mine in 1921.

                      3.CHARLES ANDREW BARTHOLF    born 7/4/1877 died 1948   (family came to Alaska)
                                                    (wife Eva Frost 1882-1944 daughter of Frank Frost & Jennet Smith)
                                                    Charles and Eva had 6 sons:
                                                                 *Clarence Bartholf born 11/3/1900 Washington died 1964
                                                    *Walter Lee Bartholf born 1907 Colorado died 1955
                                                    *Richard D. Bartholf born 9/22/1914 Alaska died 5/25/1967 California
                                                    *Carroll Richard Bartholf 1915 Alaska died 1919 Alaska
                                                     *Stanley Bartholf born 7/8/1916 Alaska  died 1956 California
                                                 
                                                  Note: Charles Andrew Bartholf applied for a passport on 12/13/1920 from his home in California.
                                                   He was going to Mexico on mining business.

BYRON SUNDLON BARTHOLF was in the mining business before coming to Alaska. He and four other partners (Enos and Monette Hotchkiss, James Sparling and Ben Hall) staked the Golden Fleece Mine, in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado in 1874; it turned out to be extremely profitable. When the five partners sold the mine, Bartholf's share was $8,000. (a ton money in 1874).


Byron S. Bartholf's wife (Liddie) died in 1885. His second wife was  AMELIA AMANDA "Addie" Hohanshelt. "Addie" had been married once before (to Azariah Smith of Colorado) and had 2 children with him. According to the US Census for Colville Indian Reservation, Ferry  County, Washington (where Byron Bartholf and Addie were living in 1900), they list a 19 year old daughter named Lu Lu (real name Lola Leora) and a 12 year old son named Roy William.

Byron Sundlon Bartholf and Amelia Amanda "Addie" Hohanshelt had one son together:

                     4.RALPH SUNDLON BARTHOLF: 5/3/1900-1991  (came to Alaska)
                                                    (wife Mary Kauzlarich) They had three children:
                                                     *Byron "Bunn" Bartholf 1926-2002 (wife Melba Nadine Hawkins)
                                                     *Ralph Sundlon Bartholf Jr. bon 1928 (wife Jewell Marie Tennison)
                                                     *Loren William Bartholf born 1935  (wife Marie Pfeiffer)

The youngest 4 children of John Debow Bartholf and his wife Sarah Jane were:

 5.     KITTY BARTHOLF 1851 --  (came to Alaska) (husband John Henry Finley)
                                  Had at least one son, named John born 1879
                                
6.     JOHN DEBOW BARTHOLF 1854 --

7.     WILLIAM EARL BARTHOLF born Morristown,Illinois 1857--1928     (came to Alaska)
                        (wife Eva Canright 1854-1928)
                                 *Had a daughter named Kitty Bartholf born 1887
                                 *Had a daughter named Pearl Bartholf born 1891
                                 *Had a son named Dorr Bartholf born 5/3/1896 Grand Junction, Colorado
                                 *Had a daughter named Myrtle Bartholf 1898-1992
                                 *Note: The 1885 Colorado State Census shows a 10 year old stepdaughter named Ola Rogers.

8.     EUGENE H. BARTHOLF 1859 --   (came to Alaska)


A special thank you to Lewis Bartholf for his help.


KEEP IN MIND THAT MANY OF THESE DATES ARE "CALCULATED DATES" WHICH
MEANS THEY WERE TAKEN FROM DOCUMENTS THAT ONLY STATED A YEAR (NOT A day/month/year)
THEREFORE, THE ACTUAL DATE MAY VARY A YEAR ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.   THE DATES THAT ARE COMPLETE 
day/month/year ARE ACTUAL  DATES TAKEN FROM DOCUMENTS AND ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE ACCURATE.

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