Joseph Wittmann

~• a good account of Joseph and his later entry into a dam building effort in AZ is in Arizona's Worst Mining Disaster • The Hassayampa Story 1886-2009 by Jim Liggett Joseph only became part of this in the 1904 when he married Eleanor Cecelia Van Beuren, the only child of the soon to be deceased president of the WGWSC.

the following (and many other accounts) has many inaccuracies

"In the late 1880's, Joseph bought a 23 mile stretch† of the river that was part of the Walnut Grove group. His romance with Eleanor soon led to marriage. Their land holdings spread east to include the area around present day Morristown.π" ~• ed.note: The purchase would explain the ownership of some 7000 acres that Joseph II owned in the 20th century, land that was an issue in his attempt to start another dam project" < ~• vague and inaccurate!" read instead: https://www.newspapers.com/image/116804045/?terms=Wickenburg%2Bvan%... .. and it is even more complicated that that..
THE NADABURG SAGA 
Dreams, Glittering & Green 
A mighty dam & promises of riches, lure Joe Wittmann to the west also known as THE WALNUT GROVE DAM DISASTER “the fish must carry canteens” ~~ the Arizona mining/flood disaster. ~• This whole account is suspect as Joseph was born in 1873 and his father's name was John'. also, there is no evidence of anyone by the name of Wittmann being in Maricopa or Yavapai counties before Joseph married Eleanor in the fall of 1904.

NOTES:

1. "present day Morristown".π This refers to Morristown, Maricopa County, AZ, named for Morristown NJ
2. †: ~• curator note: parcel mapping of the Hassayampa is available online.

“a dam 80 feet high, with a storage capacity of 1,306,800,000 cubic feet of water was built. The water company in which Joseph Wittmann was a principal††, decided to raise the dam's height to 110 feet. Construction began in 1886 and was completed in October 1887…. “By the afternoon of February 21, (1890) a torrent of water 3 feet high had crested the dam “The final death tally would never be known."
(†† a principal? No. It was his father-in-law who was the principal. Joseph became a principal over twenty years later)

NADABURG WAS RENAMED WITTMANN 
TO HONOR A MAN WITH PROMISES to make things right after the disaster (but)“by 1946, there was still no dam and no irrigation water. Arizona's 1890 dam disaster killed 60-100 people
see also Wittmann, AZ on wikipedia

Third trial on 1890 dam disaster again exonerates owners

from: Arizona Disasters

(edited for accuracy)

"Among the survivors are Miss Mary Hanlon, (a relative) of H.S. Van B(e)uren, president of the Walnut Grove Water Storage Company; James Redington, hydraulic engineer; Paul Lansing, bookkeeper; Robert Brow, merchant, and all his assistants. Edmund Silabee, Henry .S. Van B(e)uren and his daughter, with Lieutenant A. (O). Brodie, superintendent, were in Phoenix, having left for there on Tuesday preceding the disaster.

Will of Eleanor van Beuren Wittmann contested

• said to be a capitalist of Morristown New Jersey Spend much of his energies in Arizona and died there, without achieving success. cash poor.
• Joseph was indebted to the estate of his wife who died long before him. He administered her estate to the benefit of himself, his step-daughter and his son.
• the efforts of Eleanor "Nell" and Joseph were for naught. The projects failed and decimated the financial resources of the family. The son J. VB. Wittmann was left with much less in terms financial resources
• The Towers Farm in Morris County NJ was sold in 1929 FBO the estate of Eleanor C. VB Wittmann
• his last address was in Phoenix, "On or about May 8, 1941, certain real property, known as 33-33 Manor Drive, Phoenix, Arizona, was purchased "
• https://kids.kiddle.co/Wittmann,_Arizona

Research

Morristown Property = https://morrisgisapps.co.morris.nj.us/apps/parcelsearcher/ Wittman property was 30+ acres on Spring Valley Road (NJ 601). To the north it intersects /van Beuren road. This is all in Chatham and Harding townships. The Towers estate was in Harding. Tax searches at https://morrisgisapps.co.morris.nj.us/