Germans were the largest ethnic group to settle in Wisconsin and Manitowoc County during the 19th century.
German surnames are common. Stories of Germans leaving family and friends, trans-Atlantic journeys and arrival in America are preserved in diaries, memoirs, and other written accounts at local and state archives.
The life stories of many early Manitowoc German immigrants are known — Frederick Borcherdt (first German settler in the county in 1841), John Schuette (general store proprietor), Henry Burger (shipbuilder), Henry Vits (tanner and aluminum manufacturer), A.M. Richter (vinegar manufacturer) and Edward Salomon (lawyer who became Wisconsin governor in 1862), to name a few.
Henry Baetz was another prominent Manitowoc resident of German descent. Born July 27, 1830, in Stockhausen, Hesse-Darmstadt (modern-day Germany), Henry received a common school education and served two years in military service before emigrating to America in 1852.
He came to Wisconsin and first settled at Two Rivers, where his brother Andrew opened a blacksmith and wagon shop. In 1856, Henry moved to Manitowoc, where he was a real estate and insurance agent. In 1859, he became a naturalized citizen and married Emma Lindemann of Prussia.
Henry Baetz held many public offices. He was elected Manitowoc County register of deeds in 1858 and 1860, and was a village trustee from Manitowoc’s First Ward in 1859 and 1861.
In 1856, Henry was one of many German Republicans who supported the Free Soil movement, which was against the extension of slavery in the newly acquired Western territories. He became treasurer of a local group that promoted candidates for office, including John C. Fremont, presidential candidate of the newly organized Republican Party. During the presidential election of 1860, Henry supported Abraham Lincoln.
Henry was elected Manitowoc County treasurer in 1866 and 1868, and served two years as Manitowoc village president in 1867 and 1868. In 1868, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Chicago that nominated Ulysses S. Grant for president.
When the Civil War began, Henry entered the Union Army as a captain (later promoted to major) of Company F, 26th Wisconsin Regiment, composed mostly of German immigrants. At the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, he was wounded and unable to perform further active service. He resigned and returned home.
Henry Baetz was active in Manitowoc civic, social and business affairs. He was a member of the Turnverein (German gymnastic association) and Frier Saengerbund (German singing society). In 1859, he was part of a group (many were German immigrants) that formed the “Manitowoc Library and Scientific Association” — the first attempt to start a public circulating library. In 1870, he helped organize the Manitowoc and Kiel Plank Road and Turnpike Company. In 1873, he purchased Manitowoc’s Zeitung German newspaper, selling it two years later.
In 1869, Henry Baetz was elected the sixth Wisconsin state treasurer and moved to Madison. He was re-elected two years later. In 1872, he ran for a seat in Congress from Wisconsin’s 5th District (Dodge, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties), but lost by 83 votes.
In 1875, Henry moved to Milwaukee, where he engaged in newspaper work. From 1878 to 1880, he was the first chief librarian of the Milwaukee Public Library. He resigned this position to become secretary of the State Board of Immigration from 1880 to 1883.
From 1884 until his retirement in 1904, Henry was a purchasing agent for the Phillip Best Brewing Company of Milwaukee, renamed the Pabst Brewing Company in 1889.
Henry Baetz, 79, died at his Milwaukee residence on Jan. 2, 1910. In accordance with his wishes, he was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Manitowoc.
Bob Fay is a retired historian and former executive director of the Manitowoc County Historical Society.
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