Oro Valley Historical Society: Oral History Series (Part 4)

Before written language, information and stories were passed generationally via word of mouth. Oral histories are sometimes used to complement artifacts and archeological research. Oral history often gives human details to otherwise lifeless data. Oral interviews can provide narratives, social meaning and context to collected records. It is important to keep in mind that oral histories are in most cases not considered factual historical records. They can often be exaggerated, dates might be inaccurate and they might also have the storytellers biases and personal perspectives. That being said, they are invaluable resources that give meaning and experiential reference to history.

The Oro Valley Historical Society was fortunate to obtain an oral history from Henry (Hank) G. Zipf, grandson of George and Mathilda Pusch, in 2006. This is Part 4 of a four part series of Hank’s oral history.
- - -
The Zellweger Family History
John Henry [Johann] Zellweger was born in 1851 in Zurich, Switzerland. His wife, Sofie Wilhelmina Sieling, was born May 29, 1855 in Hanover Germany. She was raised in Drockenberg. Sophie and Mathilda Feldman [Pusch] became girlhood friends since both their families were involved in farming in the same area.

Johann came to the United States in 1865 as a 14 year-old with his German-born friend 18-year old, George Pusch. The two teens worked their way across the United States in cities such as New York (where they docked by freighter), Baltimore, St. Louis and Sedalia, Missouri and Chetopa, Kansas.

The two companions ended up in San Francisco in 1874 when George decided to head into the Arizona Territory. George Pusch spent some time in Prescott and Phoenix before finally settling in Tucson.

Soon after that in 1874, Zellweger traveled by boat from San Francisco to San Diego which took three days. He boarded the stage in San Diego and traveled for 5 days and nights until he reached Tucson. The population of Tucson was about 3,000 citizens then.

In 1883 when Johann was 33 years old, he met and later married 29 year old Sophie Sieling. Sophie had been born in Germany and lived in the same village as Mrs. Pusch. Sophie had come to Tucson in 1883 by train from San Francisco . The couple were married on Christmas Eve 1884.

Sophie filed an Arizona Pioneer’s Historical Society biographical sketch on November 12, 1940 in which she listed two children: a daughter, Elsie (Mrs. Fred Pauli), born April 22, 1884 and John Henry, born September 24, 1885. Both children were born in Tucson. The senior Zellweger’s made their home at 288 N. Church Street, Tucson. (Note: This is now known as the Z Mansion.)

John Henry Zellweger died on March 3, 1924 at the age of 73 in Los Angeles, California. Sophie died at the age of 92 on May 22, 1948 at her home in Tucson.

In 1905 Johann and Sophie’s son, John Henry Zellweger Jr. took over operation of the Teacup Ranch that his father had filed a mining claim on. The property also had a small adobe house and well. The property was located west of Kelvin Arizona about 4 miles.

John Jr. had been born in 1885 in Tucson. He attended public school there, attended the University of Arizona, and later attended Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. He met and married Else DeWolf in 1909 and shortly thereafter, in 1911, their only child John Henry Zellweger III was born in Tucson.

John and Elsie lived at the Teacup where they built a large roomy house. They moved to Florence in 1920 because his son became of school age and the business interests grew to include ownership of the D Bar H, Gary Mountain, Teacup, A Diamond, Battle Axe, Rafter 6 and J-H Ranches. These ranches contained large desert pasture acreages. He also owned and managed extensive irrigated farmlands around Florence. The ranch stock included prize Hereford bulls from Colonel William C. Greene’s Cananea, Mexico RO stock. The horses were also from RO Ranch imported blood lines. John sold his interests in the Teacup Ranch in 1946.

John operated his businesses from Florence for nearly eleven years when he and his wife’s lives were suddenly stunned with the untimely death of their 21 year-old son, John III. The younger Zellweger died as a result of a severe head trauma sustained in a March 23, 1931 car wreck. The vehicle he was driving hit a mule on the Florence to Sacaton road.

John Jr.’s civic leadership was prominent. He was elected as an alderman serving on the town of Florence Town Council in May 1926. He was appointed mayor of Florence in September 1930 and served in that position for four years to complete the unexpired term of Ben F. Thum. For 35 years he served as a member of the Florence Union high School Board of Trustees. He was appointed Commissioner of the Arizona Power Authority during the administration of Governor Howard Pyle. Her served two, six year terms, however, he turned down a third reappointment. 

John Henry Zellweger Jr. died in 1966 at the age of 81 and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Tucson. 

Henry G. Zipf 
- - -
If you would like to learn more about local history visit the Pusch House History Museum at Steam Pump Ranch. The history museum is open on the 1st, 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month from 9 to Noon. Tours of the Historic Steam Pump Ranch Property are available from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on the third Saturday of each month. Suggested donation for the museum and tours is $5. The Historic Steam Pump Ranch is located at 10901 N. Oracle, Oro Valley. Visit ovhistory.org for more information about exhibits, tours and events!