Emma Anita Bartz

GEDCOM Note

Biography

Burial: Evergreen Cemetery
Skidmore, Bee County, Texas, USA

Sources

<references />* Family Ancestry book, Federal Census: 1920, 1930, 1940; Texas Death Index, 1903-2000; U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current; U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007; Web: Corpus Christi, Texas, Obituary Index, 1940-2010.

Author: Chris Sprangers Emma born 1918, Grand Prairie Texas, was the 13th child of Adolph and Etta Bartz. At 18 months, during the flu epidemic of WW1 she stayed with her Great Aunt Emma Mayerhoff, as her mother and the others in the family had the flu and were unable to care for her. Emma remembered while being left at home to care for her nephew Alvin McNabb, she pushed her baby buggy to the fields where the family was working. <p>Emma was christened at the Lutheran Church in Thrall, Texas on April 8th 1923. When moving in the fall of 1923, Emma remembered the trip by car having to be pulled by a mule team due to heavy rainfall and unpaved roads with deep mud holes. At the end of the day stayed in a hotel which was her first experience staying in a hotel. While living in St Paul, Dad played in the Sinton Band. Sometimes Emma would get to go with him when he played or practiced. Emma entered her first year of school in St Paul, the fall of 1924. When the teacher found out she was not yet 7 years of age, she had to discontinue until the next semester. When Emma started the next semester, she was in second grade, as she had studied even though not able to attend. She continued through the 3rd grade, and in the fall of 1927, the family moved to Taft Texas on a farm known as the Jones Farm. She went to country school for 4th and 5th grades. Then she went to Taft Grammar. The first term rode to school with the Bayless boys. Emma and Frieda roomed in Taft for school. During 7th grade, Emma lived wih Annie and Earl on a farm. She was on the school soft ball team in her last year and went to the county meet in Sinton, Texas. In the fall of 1938, Emma moved with Mother and Dad to Skidmore on a farm which Dad had purchased. She and Mother milked cows for grocery money and clothes; Dad did the farming with the help of hired hands. She met Frank Duge in the spring of 1939. They were married by the Justice of the Peace in Alice Texas C.W. Stribbling on Dec 18 1939. They farmed several years at Skidmore and Olmos, Texas. The moved to San Antonio where Frank worked as a carpenter. Emma's first position was a cashier at Greyhound Bus Terminal. After a couple of years, she worked for San Antonio Laundry abd Cleaners as a claims clerk, then payroll clerk. In 1953 they moved to Corpus Christi. She went to work for the City of Corpus Christi in 1955. First as a file clerk, than as a Card Punch Operator, and after one year became the supervisor. For 3 years, Frank when to work in Omaha, Nebraska. Emma would make the trip by car when the train service to Corpus Christi was discontinued. In 1968, Frank retired. Frank became ill in Jan 1973, had surgery in 1973. He had cancerous tumors and passed away on March 24 1073. His burial was at Evergreen Cemetery in Skidmore. Emma was a member of the Aldegate Methodist Church in Corpus Christi. She continued working until she took a medical leave Sept 21 1973 when she took sick and had to quit working. She retired in Jan 1974. </p>