I found this to be by far the best information based on the life of Jacob Waltz. It was taken from the last issue of the Superstition Mt. Museum Journal.
The Life of Jacob Waltz
by Matthew Roberts
Jacob Waltz, also known as, “the Dutchman”, is one of the most famous and at the same time, one of the most mysterious characters of the early American west. His famous Lost Dutchman Mine in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona is known around the world to millions of people who have read of the legend. Hundreds of people from around the world still seek to find his mine. Yet for all the notoriety of the legend and interest in the man known as, “the Dutchman”, the life of Jacob Waltz remains clouded in mystery, legend and myth.
Just who was Jacob Waltz the Dutchman? What do we really know about the man and his life? Many volumes of books and articles have been written about his life and his famous lost gold mine. Much has been speculated about his origins, his life and death and how he came to posses his rich gold mine and where it may be located. Yet for all that has been written, all that has been speculated upon, his life, and his secrets regarding his lost mine still largely remain a mystery. In the following pages we will attempt to answer some of these questions. To present the things we do know of the man based upon facts gleaned from public records, newspaper articles, and legal documents which remain to this day.
The exact date of the birth of Jacob Waltz, where he came from, and who his family was, remains unknown. We know for certain he was born in the year 1810. This we know from his statements on census, immigration records, and legal documents. The exact month and day of his birth is a mystery. We know he was born in the German principality of Wurttemberg. Again, we know this from statements Waltz made on census and immigration records. The exact town or city of his birth remains unknown. Some have speculated he may have resided near Oberschwandorf, Waldorf, Nagold, Abstatt, or the Horb areas, all parts of Wurttemberg within a 40 mile radius of each other and just a few miles from the world famous German Schwartzwald, the black forest. Waltz was not Prussian as has been reported in the past. Prussia and Wurttemberg were distinctly different principalities within Germany. Only one small area of Wurttemberg was ever considered to be a part of Prussia but not until years after Waltz had immigrated to America. Exactly who Waltz’s family was is also a mystery. Sims Ely wrote, “his parents were Karl and Judith Waltz”. Goetz Oertel wrote, “Waltz’s fathers name was Andreas and he had a brother named Fritz”. Others have offered similar family names. Jacob Waltz was said to have a sister who lived in Germany and a nephew who also immigrated to America, but none of these persons can positively be said to be the family of Jacob Waltz.
Even the name, Waltz, has been questioned. Many have speculated he may have changed his name from Walz, Wolz, Walzer, Walts or Von Waltzer upon arriving in America. We must assume however, his correct name was Waltz because that is how he himself spelled his name on legal documents over the course of some 43 years.
Without any positive information to the contrary, we are resigned to accept that the man was in fact, Jacob Waltz, born in Wurttemberg Germany in the year 1810.
Exactly when, where and how Jacob Waltz arrived in America is also uncertain. It must be accepted he arrived in America in the year 1839 because that is the year he gave as his arrival on his application for citizenship at Natchez, Mississippi in November of 1848.
However, some believe Waltz may have stretched his time in America on his application to make it appear he had been in the country longer and may have arrived as late as 1846. There is however, no definitive proof that may have occurred.
Many scholars, authors, researchers and genealogists have traced no fewer than 35 separate Jacob Waltz who immigrated to America from Germany in the 1839 – 1846 time period. If Waltz indeed had changed his name from Wolz, Walts, Wolz, Waltzer or Von Waltzer, the list of possibilities climbs well into the hundreds. Also speculated upon is the exact port of entry where Waltz arrived in America. Some have stated it was New York while others maintain it was Baltimore or New Orleans. It appears Waltz could have entered America at any one of several ports. New York, Baltimore, Boston, New Orleans, Charleston and Galveston were all open to German immigrants between the years 1839 and 1846. Although much has been speculated upon, Waltz arrival in America remains a mystery.
There are many stories about Jacob Waltz working in the goldfields of Georgia and North Carolina after he arrived in America but there seems to be no evidence that he was ever in either State. His whereabouts prior to November 1847 in America are at best speculation. In short, Waltz could have been anywhere in the time period between his arrival in 1839 and the time he filed for his application for citizenship at Natchez, Mississippi. It should be noted, November 1847 is the date Waltz gave on his citizenship application as the date he arrived within the State of Mississippi.
Some years ago, a search was begun to locate and compile a list of all the known legal documents concerning Jacob Waltz that still exist. Searched were courthouse records, deeds, newspapers, census records, land records, tax rolls, will and probates, State and local registers, mining claims, court cases, voter registration lists, everything that could be found that officially documented the life of Jacob Waltz, the Dutchman. After decades of numerous individuals gathering every public document that could be located, everything was compiled into a consolidated record. I am certain, however, that among the mountains of public records, more documents remain hidden which would shed more light on the life of Jacob Waltz. Some of these documents have been misfiled and will surface one day, by luck or chance. Waltz’s citizenship application at Natchez was misfiled and hidden for many years until someone decided to look under the name, Maltz, and discovered the document. Some documents have been removed from the public records by researchers and remain hidden away, held in secret by the person(s) who found and removed the documents. In the Phoenix records alone, at least two pages have been torn from the record books which contain documentation concerning Jacob Waltz.
For now however, the most comprehensive list of documents concerning Jacob Waltz has been compiled and is henceforth presented in chronological order here for your review. This list represents the public and legal documentation of the life of Jacob Waltz, the Dutchman. Keep in mind, the hundreds of Dutchman books and articles, speculating upon his life and times, the tales and legends surrounding the man, the lore and stories told and retold around every campfire, kitchen table, back room and saloon, are not included here with this listing.
The Recorded Life of Jacob Waltz
1839. Jacob Waltz arrives in America from Wurttemberg Germany. We know this from the statement he made on his application for citizenship at the Adams County courthouse, Natchez, Mississippi on November 12, 1848.
November 1847. Jacob Waltz arrives in the State of Mississippi. The exact city, town or location is unknown. We know this from his statement on his application for citizenship filed at the Adams County courthouse in Natchez, Mississippi. On this document Waltz also states he was born in Wurttemberg Germany about 1810 and came to America in 1839 at the age of 29.
November 12, 1848. Jacob Waltz applies for his citizenship at Natchez, Mississippi. For unknown reasons, Waltz, after filing, does not follow through with the citizenship process.
1860 California census. J.W. Walls is listed on the 1860 California census as a laborer, age 50, place of birth is not listed. It is believed, based upon other names that appear along with Walls, that this man was in fact Jacob Waltz. The census taker did not talk directly with Waltz but took the information from someone who knew Waltz. This was common on the 1860 census. Researchers believe with 99% certainty, this man is Jacob Waltz, the Dutchman.
Note * Jacob Waltz did not appear on the 1852 California State census.
July 19, 1861. Jacob Waltz is granted his citizenship at Los Angeles California. A transcript copy of Waltz’s 1848 application for citizenship at Natchez, Mississippi was forwarded to the Los Angeles county courthouse and both documents of Waltz citizenship are on file there.
May 1862. Jacob Waltz is in the Arizona Territory at La Paz along the Colorado River. We know this from his statement made on the May 1864 Arizona Territorial census in which Waltz states he had been in Arizona for 2 years.
September 21, 1863. Jacob Waltz files a mining claim on, the Gross Lode, with partners, Antone Fisher, GR Black, William Gross and RG Brooke. The claim is recorded in the journal of the Pioneer and Walker mining districts of Prescott, AT on page 263.
March 11, 1864. Jacob Waltz signs his name to a petition asking Arizona Territorial Governor Goodwin to provide protection for the miners around Prescott from Indian attacks. Sharlott Hall Museum, Prescott.
September 10, 1864. Jacob Waltz name appears on the transfer of records for mining claims from the Pioneer District to the Turkey Creek mining district. Waltz and partners GR Black, W. Gross, A. Fischer and RG Brooke are listed on the Gross Lode mining claim and recorded on page 71. Sharlott Hall Museum, Prescott.
September 14, 1864. Jacob Waltz files on a mining claim called the Big Rebel Lode. The mine is located in the Walnut Grove mining district along the Hassayampa River. Waltz partners on the claim are, Joseph Smith, and Peter Backens. The Big Rebel Lode is recorded in Book B-1 page 45. This book lists Waltz on two claims, the Big Rebel and the Gross Lode. Book B-1 book of mining records at Prescott, AT.
October 1864. Jacob Waltz is listed on the 1864 Arizona Territorial census as number 1008 on the list. He is described as 54 years old, a miner by profession, and a native of Germany. Waltz states he has been in the Arizona Territory for 2 years. It should be noted, the 1864 Arizona Territorial census was complete on May18, 1864 and published in October 1864. Arizona Territory census 3rd Judicial District.
December 27, 1865. Jacob Waltz files on a mining claim at Prescott called the General Grant Lode. The mining claim is located in the Walnut Grove Mining District and Waltz is the only name that appears on the claim. Recorded in Book B-1 page 155 of the mining records at Prescott.
April 1868. Jacob Waltz arrives in the Salt River Valley at a place which will later become part of the city of Phoenix, Arizona. The area is being cleared for agriculture by the cleaning out of several ancient Hohokam indian irrigation ditches. Waltz settles on a 160 acre homestead described as the Northeast quarter of Section 16, Township 1 North, Range 3 east. His quarter section is bounded on the north by what will become Henshaw Road (today Buckeye Road), on the East by what will become 16th Street, on the West by what will become 12th Street and on the South by the Salt River. Waltz files his application to homestead his quarter section under the National Homestead Act of 1862.
On October 7, 1868 he files this intent at the Pima County courthouse in Florence, AT.
Waltz files his intent to homestead at Florence because in October 1868 Maricopa County had not yet come into existence and the Federal land office at Prescott did not exist until December 1870. Note that in October 1868, Florence was in Pima County. Pinal County where Florence is located today, was not formed until February 1875.
Jacob Waltz stated he came to the Salt River Valley in April 1868 in the Property Valuation Records Report for 1869.
Waltz is listed on page 53 as claiming improvements on 160 acres land. Reference the Dr. Benjamin Sacks files at the Hayden Library of Arizona State University Tempe.
Note that Waltz’s 160 acre homestead did not become designated as school land until after Maricopa County was formed in February 1871. From the Maricopa County tax rolls. Jacob Waltz’s adobe home sat alongside the west bank of the Dutch Ditch Southwest Extension canal, which cut across Waltz’s homestead from the Northeast to the Southwest. His home was located approximately 500 feet south of Henshaw Road and 600 feet East of 16th Street. This is where the intersection of 14th Street and Yuma Street is located today. From the Maricopa County land plat of 1890 and private title insurance records.
August 30, 1870. Jacob Waltz appears on the 1870 Federal Census for the Territory of Arizona, Yavapai County, Salt River valley. He is listed on page 2, his name is number 1 on the list, he is 60 years old, a farmer and a native of Germany. Note that the Salt River Valley and Phoenix were a part of Yavapai County until February 12, 1871 when Maricopa County was formed.
March 1871. Jacob Waltz files a claim to improve and settle the Northeast quarter of Section 16, Township 1 North, Range 3 east at the Federal land office in Prescott, Yavapai County AT. Sharlott Hall Museum records.
March 21, 1872. Jacob Waltz files a property affidavit on his homestead, the NE ¼ Sec16, T1N, R3E in the Book of Miscellaneous Records for Maricopa County. The affidavit deals with a dispute over the south half of Waltz’s homestead with a man named James Chenowith whom Waltz accuses of trespassing and jumping his homestead claim. Waltz swears in the affidavit he told Chenowith to get off his land and stay off.
April 1872. Jacob Waltz is listed on the Maricopa County census roll and the Tax roll. The tax document shows Waltz paid property taxes in the amount of $112
October 1872. Jacob Waltz is recorded on the October, 1872 Arizona Territorial Census of Maricopa County, Salt River Valley. Waltz is the 22nd name to appear on page 27.
October 1874. Jacob Waltz appears on the 1874 Arizona Territorial Census for Maricopa County, Salt River Valley under the heading, Name of Heads of Families and as a single person over 21 years of age. The 1874 Tax rolls show Jacob Waltz paid taxes on his 160 acre homestead.
April 1875. Jacob Waltz appears on the Maricopa County 1875 Tax roll list as having been assessed property valued at $250 and a payment made by Waltz of $6.25
September 4, 1876. Jacob Waltz is listed on the Great Register for Maricopa County, Salt River Valley as age 66.
October 1876. Jacob Waltz is listed on the Maricopa County Tax assessment roll as owing property taxes in the amount of $240 for one horse and 160 acres of land. Waltz is recorded as paying taxes on his property in the amount of $6. Property consisting of one horse is noted with the $6 payment.
May 1877. The Maricopa County Tax assessment rolls record Jacob Waltz as being assessed personal property valued at $200. Waltz’s property is listed as 80 acres of land. Note that this is an error by the recorder, the amount of acres should have read, 160. This tax record shows Waltz as having made a payment of $6.27
September 8, 1877. Jacob Waltz is recorded on pages 62 and 63 of the Maricopa County Probate Court Records Book A. Waltz is listed as the sole heir to the estate and will of Ferdinand Magdeberg of Phoenix, AT. Waltz is later recorded on August 5, 1878 and again on September 7, 1878 as having signed receipts for various items probated from the Magdeberg estate. Ferdinand Magdeberg was the neighbor of Jacob Waltz, living directly west of Waltz’s quarter section on a quarter section owned by Andrew Starrar. From the Maricopa County Tax Rolls and plat map for Andrew Starrar, Jacob Starrar and Ferdinand Magdeberg.
May 1878. Jacob Waltz is recorded in the 1878 Maricopa County Tax Rolls as having personal property valued at $250 property described as 160 acres of land. Waltz is recorded as making a payment of $7.12
August 8, 1878. Book 3 pages 222, 223, and 224 of the Maricopa County Recorders Book of Deeds, records Jacob Waltz and his neighbor, Andrew Starrar as entering into an agreement whereby Andrew Starrar promises to take care of Waltz and see to his needs should Waltz become incapacitated and unable to care for himself. In return, should the time ever come, Waltz promises to relinquish to Starrar, all of his worldly possessions plus the sum of $50.
October 1880. Jacob Waltz appears on the 1880 Federal Census for Maricopa County, Phoenix AT. Waltz is listed as 70 years of age, a native of Germany and a farmer. The census also lists Waltz as being single and in ill health.
October 1882. Jacob Waltz appears on the Great Register of Maricopa County age 72.
May 28, 1883. Jacob Waltz signs his name as a witness on a Maricopa County Recorders document involving the transfer of a mining claim from Andrew Starrar to Andrew’s brother, Jacob Starrar. The document appears in the Maricopa County Recorders Book of Deeds number 7 for the year 1883. The mining claim was the Ducharty Mine, recorded in Book 1 Deed of mines, Pima County AT.
June 18, 1884. The Arizona Gazette and the Phoenix Daily Herald, both run articles entitled, Foul Murder, and, A Mexican Murdered, respectively. The articles relate the murder of Pedro Ortega, allegedly by a Mexican named Selso Grijalva. The murder occurred 30 feet from the front door of the home of Jacob Waltz and on Waltz’s land. Waltz’s shotgun was found to be the murder weapon. Waltz made a statement to Deputy Sheriff Richards that he was in back of the house when he heard arguing and the sound of a gun being fired. When Waltz ran to the scene, he saw Ortega laying dead just outside his house. Waltz was not aware his shotgun had been used to murder Ortega. The deputy deduced the murderer, allegedly Grijalva, took Waltz shotgun from inside the front door, shot Ortega, then returned the shotgun to it’s original place and made his escape. Waltz was not charged in connection with the murder and no one was ever caught and brought to justice for the death of Ortega. Many questions concerning this murder went unanswered.
September 27, 1884. Jacob Waltz appears on the Great Register for Maricopa County age 74.
March 17, 1886. The property which Jacob Waltz promised to Andrew Starrar in the event Waltz ever became indigent and needed Starrar to care for him, is sold by the Sheriff for non payment of taxes. However Waltz is not evicted from his property and no further action is taken against him. He continues to live on his homestead until a flood destroys his home on the night of February 19, 1891.
October 1886. Jacob Waltz appears on the Great Register of Maricopa County, age 76.
1890 Note * Both the Federal and the Arizona Territorial Census for the year 1890 were destroyed. The Federal census was burned in a fire and the Arizona Territory census was destroyed in a flood. Along with it was lost the Arizona Territory Voter Registration records for 1871 – 1891. They are not the same as the Great Register.
September 14, 1890. Jacob Waltz appears on the Great Register for Maricopa County, age 80.
February 20, 1891. Jacob Waltz name (Walts) appears in an article which appeared in the Phoenix Daily Herald entitled, After the High Tide. The article deals with the great Salt River flood of February 1891 that destroyed much of Phoenix between Harrison Street and the Salt River. The article in part reads, ……. “Several adobes, not having been embanked, fell, including those of Beckett, Pesquiern, butcher Grijalba and Jake Walts (Jacob Waltz). One belonging to four Swedes and two Mexican houses back of Starrs (Jacob Starrar) …………..”
October 25, 1891. Jacob Waltz dies in Phoenix on Sunday morning October 25, 1891 at 6:00 AM. From his obituary appearing on the 26th of October 1891. Waltz’s death certificate has yet to be brought forward. It is commonly believed Waltz died from complications of pneumonia.
October 26, 1891. Jacob Waltz is buried at 10:00 AM in the Phoenix City Cemetery. Today that cemetery is called the Pioneer and Military Memorial Cemetery. The cemetery is located on Harrison and 17th avenue in Phoenix and is sometime referred to as the Loosely cemetery. Waltz is buried in Block 19 Lot 37 Grave 4 of that cemetery. His grave is one grave east of the grave of 13 year old George Petrasch, who is buried in grave number 3. Hermann Petrasch, the brother of George Petrasch, verified the site of Waltz’s grave in a letter to the Pioneer Cemetery Association dated March 18, 1940. There was no grave marker for Waltz that survived into the 20th century. In 1969, Lester Holtzen commissioned Vance Howe to carve a gravestone for Waltz’s grave. In 1969 the exact location of Waltz’s grave was uncertain because the surrounding grave markers were gone and the original cemetery boundary fence had been moved. Thus, Holtzen’s original placement of Waltz’s grave marker was off by several yards. In 1992, the Phoenix Pioneer Cemetery Association re-surveyed the original cemetery, re-establishing the Block, Lot and Grave number locations. Mark Lamm, working with the cemetery association, completed a ground penetrating radar research survey to locate the exact grave placements in the cemetery. Jacob Waltz grave was located exactly where Hermann Petrasch had indicated it was and Lester Holtzen’s stone marker was moved to where you see it today at the head of Jacob Waltz grave.
October 26, 1891. Jacob Waltz obituary appears in the Phoenix Daily Herald on page 3 column 1. The obituary reads as follows,
Jacob Waltz, aged 81 years, died at 6:00 AM Sunday October 25, 1891, and was buried at 10 o’clock this morning from the residence of Mrs. JE Thomas, who had kindly nursed him through his last sickness. Deceased was a native of Germany and spent the last thirty years time, ranching and raising chickens. His honest, industrious, amicable character led Mrs. Thomas to care for him during his final days on earth and he died with a blessing for her on his lips.
October 27, 1891. Jacob Waltz death notice appears in the Arizona Daily Gazette on page 4, column 1. The death notice reads as follows,
Jacob Waltz died Sunday evening at the residence of Mrs. JE Thomas and was buried yesterday. Deceased was a native of Germany and was 81 years old.
Note that it was obvious the Arizona Daily Gazette reporter had not been aware of Waltz death until he read about it in the Herald the day before, and hurriedly copied pieces of the Herald’s obituary to make the last page of the Gazette on the 27th. In his haste he made two errors in reporting Waltz’s death.
Here ends the official documentation of the life of Jacob Waltz, the Dutchman. Born 1810 in Wurttemberg Germany and died in Phoenix Arizona Territory 1891. In several of these years, Waltz is missing from all documentations. Were these the times and years he visited his gold mine in the Superstition mountains ?
The life of Jacob Waltz is both well documented and clouded in mystery at the same time. And this is how one would expect it to be. Every one of us lead lives that include many things we do and accomplish which go unrecorded, undocumented, unseen and unnoticed, except perhaps in the memories of those who were involved with us or knew us personally. The life of Jacob Waltz was no different. The things concerning Waltz which are recorded and documented, we can rely on even though some of those things may be open for individual interpretation. The millions of words written about his undocumented life, the mountain of stories, legends, lore, tales and rumors are for all of us to enjoy, to read and decide how we interpret them and what we care to believe or not believe. What we can be sure about the man, Jacob Waltz, is that he was a real life individual, an immigrant, a pioneer, a miner, Indian fighter, farmer, rancher and neighbor in a wild and growing land. Everyone is free to believe what they want to believe about the man and whether or not he had a rich gold mine in the Superstition Mountains and a fortune in gold when he died. Personally, I believe Jacob Waltz did indeed have a rich gold mine, that it was located somewhere within the rugged Superstition Mountains of Arizona, and that he had some of that gold with him when he died in Phoenix. But that is my interpretation based upon my own experiences and what I have read and been able to learn over the years. Everyone has their own opinions, interpretations and theories, and no one is right or wrong. Jacob Waltz took the secret of the location of his mine with him to his grave, leaving behind only a precious few clues to that secret for us to follow.
Jacob Waltz rests peacefully today in a forgotten corner of a dusty cemetery in Phoenix Arizona, and somewhere in the wild and rugged Superstition Mountains, rests a fabulously rich gold mine, hidden and waiting to be re-awakened. That is the stuff of dreams, the stuff of legends and lore, of danger, fortune and wild adventure. In every sense of those words, it is the same stuff that was the very life of Jacob Waltz, the Dutchman.
