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Schmitt a.k.a. Schmidt a.k.a. Smith Johann Peter, Sr[1, 2] 1788 - 1875

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• Birth	ca. 23 Feb 1788	Zuesch, Germany   [3]
  Christened	25 Feb 1788	Zusch, Germany
  Gender	Male
  Early Schooling	21 August 1850	6816 Ridge Ave, Ridgeville, Cook Co. Illinois
  	1850 Census...." Peter Sr & Maria are living next door to his married son Peter Jr. (living at 6816 N. Ridge in the two-story wooden frame house) while they are in the original log cabin at 6806 Ridge. Residing with them is Peter Jr's twin brother, Jacob who has taken his mother's name Bruck."
  	Agency: US Government
  	Cause: 10 year Census required by US Congress
  Died	7 Jun 1875	6836 N Ridge (Ridgeville), Chicago, Illinois USA   [4]
  	Burial Expenses of Peter Schmidt Sr: recorded on ledger page dated "1 Jul 1875" "funeral & expenses of Father (Peter I) $43.50" "for burial expenses:....................10.50" "July 10 Cash to Mother:................10.00" Cash for Lot:...................5.00" On a separate hand Receipt: "Received Evanston Ill July 10 1875" "of Peter Smith Esq. the sum of five dollars for lot in St. Henry's Burial ground in the Town of Lake View Cook County Il." Annie Murphy on an additional hand receipt: "Received of P. Schmitt for $19.00 on account of a Cemetery Lot No 4 J. N. Duluer additional receipt 1850's Mr. Wac. Glau??in and Edward Murphy worked out. Rcvd. Ctax in full. for Bishop O Regan in District 184 in the Town of Evanston on Lot #1: 77 acres $3.85 and lot # 2 40 ac $2.00 = $5.85 Jacob Philip Overseer of Highways in District Po.4 Evanston
  Buried	10 Jun 1875	St. Henry's Cemetery, Smith Plot, see Smith Monument , Chicago, Illinois USA
  Person ID	I015	Schmit(t)... Schmidt...Smith...Fortmann...Fortman....Bourcier...Boursier.....Morris
  Last Modified	12 Feb 2012

  
  

  Father	Schmitt Johann Peter, Sr.'s Father,   b. 24 Sep 1755, Zuesch, Germany ,   d. 5 Aug, 1827, Damflos, Germany
  Relationship	birth
  Mother	Longfils Anna Barbara,   b. 3 Jan 1761, Zuesch, Germany ,   d. 14 Sep 1839, Damflos, Germany
  Relationship	birth
  Married	26 Feb 1781	Zuesch, Germany
  Family ID	F005	Group Sheet

  
  

  Family	Bruck Anna Maria,   b. 1795, Roderbach, Germany ,   d. 5 Nov 1879, 6836 N Ridge (Ridgeville), Evanston (Chicago), Illinois USA
  Married	1 Jan 1810	Roderbach, Germany   [2, 5]
  	Age: 22
  	Address: Roderbach Germany
  Children	> 1. Schmitt Elizabetha Barbara,   b. 20 Nov 1812, Roderbach, Germany ,   d. 10 Apr 1888, Malborn, Rhineland, Germany   2. Schmitt Johann Peter,   b. 20 Apr 1815, Roderbach, Prussia, Germany ,   d. 1 Nov 1818, Roderbach, Prussia, Germany   3. Schmitt Anna Maria,   b. 2 Aug 1817, Roderbach, Prussia, Germany > 4. Schmitt a.k.a. Schmidt Maria Anna,   b. 21 Nov 1819, Damflos, Germany ,   d. 11 Dec 1891, Chicago, Illinois > 5. Schmitt a.k.a. Schmidt a.k.a. Bruck a.k.a. George Smith (Twin) Jacob,   b. 7 Jun 1824, Malborn, Prussia, Germany ,   d. 23 Aug 1882, Ashcroft, Pitkin County, Colorado > 6. Schmitt a.k.a. Schmidt a.k.a. Smith (Twin) Peter, Jr,   b. 7 Jun 1824, Malborn, Prussia, Germany ,   d. 7 Apr 1902, 6836 N Ridge, Chicago, IL   7. Schmitt Johann,   b. 4 Jun 1826, Malborn, Prussia, Germany ,   d. 17 Jul 1827, Malborn, Prussia, Germany
  Photos		The 1100 AD French City of Laon, birthplace of Jacques Marquette 1st White Man to see Chicago in 1673. Note who the painter was. Located Northeast of Paris. On the Schmidt route to LeHavre.
  		1840's German Log Cabin Johann Peter Schmitt, aka Schmidt aka Smith, Johann Zender, Rev. Henry Fortmann, and Peter Schmitt of Winnetkka (this is his house) built these log cabins along "the Ridge" and north for their families between 1835 and 1845. This log cabin was very common with the early Ridgeville residents on the sandy bluffs of Ridge Trail
  		1844 Sunday Dinner at the Schmitt (Schmidt)house on "the Ridge", prepared by Anna Maria Bruck Schmitt and daughter Maria Anna Schmitt..... Elizabeth Muno is visiting.
  		1842 Company on a Sunday at the Schmitt, Schmidt house on "the Ridge".
  Last Modified	27 Aug 2007
  Family ID	F008	Group Sheet

  
  

• Photos		Crest: The SIMON SCHMITT Family Origin: 1550 Zuesch, Prussia, Germany located abt. 35 Km North of the Saarland and 50 Km West of the Rhine. .........Note the iron smelting furnace on the Crest. A Medievial Name implying steel production. .........The Schmitt's of 1700-1800 were woodsmen providing wood for the local woodcraft Trade Shops and the steel smelting furnaces. .........The oldest known document of Zeusch, written in 1025 AD refers to "the Knight of Zuesch."
  		Jan 1, 1810 Marriage Certificate of Anna Maria Bruck and Johann Peter Schmidt(Sr) Although the marriage took place in Maria's Village of Roderback, Germany this certificate resides in the Catholic Parish records of Zuesch, Germany. It is written in Latin by the German Catholic priest performing the ceremony. Johann Peter and Maria Bruck are the parents of Peter Schmidt(Jr) They immigrated to America in late May, 1840 Their Passport, issued May 2, 1840 in Trier, Germany is written in Gothic German and was issued 30 years after their marriage.
  		1840, May 2nd Issued in Trier, Germany the Cover Page 1 Prussian German Passport Issued to: Johann Peter Schmidt(Sr), age: 52 Maria Bruck (wife), age: 48 married 30 years Peter, age: 15 Jacob, age: 15 Anna (Maria Anna), age: 21 b. 21 Nov 1819 during passage discovers she is pregnant, unmarried, and Johannn Zender, Father of future Baby Jacob Zender is in Germany. Johann at 26 cannot leave Germany since Prussian Military regulations do not allow men 17 to 26 to leave without paying a punative tax. Four children are left in Damflos, Germany Elizabeth Barbara age: 28 married? Anna Maria, age: 23 married? Johannes, age: 13 deceased Johannes Peter, age: 3 deceased Departure is from LeHavre, France in late May or early June 1840 aboard the US Clipper Ship "France", landing 27 July 1840 at Castle Garden, New York (southwestern tip of Manhatten)
  		Page 2 of Johann Peter Schmidt's Passport. Issued to Johann Peter Schmidt(Sr). P.2 shows the age and physical attributes of wife, Maria, twin Sons: Peter and Jacob and daughter Anna (Maria Anna.) Note the significant height differences between Peter and Jacob-this suggests fraternal brothers since they have the same birth date.
  		Page 3 of Johnann Peter Schmidt's Passport Issued in Trier, Germany on 2 May 1840 to Johann Peter(Sr) and showing his wife Maria (Bruck), Twin Sons: Peter(Jr) and Jacob, and his daughter Anna (Maria Anna). It shows a 15 Grs Stamp and a 20 Grs "Passage Permit" fee. Additional stamps show departure stamps for LeHavre, France with French permissions. Departure was mid to late May or very early June. The 10,000 mile sea journey would take them to England, Calais, Brest, the Grand Canary Islands off Africa, the Cape Verde Islands also off Africa, thence 2500 miles across (21 days) to the southern Carribean in the vicinity of Puerto Rico, then Bermuda, landing in New York abt. 55 after deprature from LeHavre. Their route approximates that of hurricanes forming off Africa and moving toward the US and up its East Coast.
  		Port of LeHavre, France 1870
  		German, French, English and American Ports of Departure ca. 1800 Bremen, LeHavre, SouthHampton, Calais, Brest, Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, 2500NM to the Carribean, Bermuda, New York
  		Johann Peter Schmidt & J Heinrich Fortmann's Atlantic crossing from LeHavre & Bremen to America in 1840 & 1838? The Ports and Sailing route of Ships traversing the North Atlantic Ocean from Europe to New York in 1840. Ports: Bremen, LeHavre, Calais, Southhampton, Brest, Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, South Caribean, Bermuda, New York.
  		1840 United States Port of Entry: Castle Garden, New York Located on the Southwestern tip of Manhatten, Long Island, New York this is the port of entry through which Johann Peter Schmidt, his wife Maria Bruck, his sons, Peter and Jacob and his daughter Maria Anna entered the United States on July 27, 1840 from the US Clipper, "France". There was no immigration facility here in 1840 (it came into existence in 1851) and thus the gang-plank was lowered; an officer of the ship gave a US official the Passenger Manifest (Congress passed that legal requirement in 1830) and away the voyagers went into New York.
  		Johann Peter Schmidt, Immigration Record This is the Immigration Record of Johann Peter Schmidt and his arrival at Castle Garden, New York, United States on 27 July 1840 aboard the Clipper Ship "France".
  		1861 "Flower Map" Evanston......previously: "Ridgeville".......prior: "the Ridge" in 1842. Map shows Smith (Schmitt/Schmidt) and Fortmann Farms on "the Ridge".......a dusty Indian trail in 1842.
  		1871 House ........photo: March,1903........The Fortman Boys: Frederick Peter, Age 9, Lawrence Anthony, Age 7, Edmund Age 2..................Peter Schmidt's Victorian House built in 1871 at 6836 N. Ridge...it is 32 yrs. old in this photo...Peter died in the back bedroom here last year...the house now belongs to Louisa Schmidt Fortman and her husband Frederick. Married 8 yrs. Their Son Albert Joseph, not pictured will be born in 17 months. This Son will receive the house from his Mother in 1937. Albert Joseph will Will the house to his Son, David who will take title upon his father's death 7 Sep 1987. This house has thus been in the Schmidt Fortman lineage for 136 years................................................................................ Note the Greenhouses in the back, the carriage shed on the North side, the kerosene lamp in the bow window and the scalloped upstairs bedroom shade. The house does not yet have city sewers which will be laid in Ridge Ave. next year. The chimney cap is typical of the period as is the European grape-vine lattice a few feet south of the front porch. The bulkhead wooden-door can be seen to be open on the south side behind the large tree....................Louisa Smith Fortmann, Mistress of the house in this picture is age 32.
  		The 1871 Ancestral Home of Peter Schmidt(Jr), (b. 1824) July, 2001 6836 N Ridge Blvd, Chicago, Illinois 136 Year Old
  		1866 Weimeschkirch Undertakers.....served the German Community of Rogers Park from abt 1865. The Fortmann, Schmidt/Smith families were served by Weimeschkirch for the 100 years of its existence.
  		St.Henry's Catholic Church #3, the East Facade, Ridge & Devon, Chicago, IL. Completed,1905. Church # 1 was a single-room single-story wooden building built in 1851 by the Prussian Heritage German speaking Catholic Community. An examination of gravestone names confirms this Prussian Heritage. This Church served the growing Catholic Community for 20 years. Prior to this Church, Catholic Mass and services were celebrated by Fr. Fortmann, a traveling missionary priest, in the 2-story wooden frame home of Peter Schmidt Smith(Jr) at 6816 Ridge Trail, (a sandy Indian Trail leading to Green Bay Trail that went to Milwaukee). This house was about 1 mile North of the Church's location. Church # 2, a steepled wood Gothic style, was built in 1871, at a cost of $10,000 and utilized until Church #3 was completed in 1905. It served for 34 years. The Cemetery adjacent to Church #3 was established in 1863. Many of the early German residents rest here. A plot cost $6.00 then. Today the Church charges $1300 for decendents to open a grave on a 144 year old family site if one can overcome the bureaucratic hurdles and legalisns of today's Church. Burials prior to 1863 were either "on the farm" or in the City Cemetery that is now Lincoln Park. That City cemetery was closed and almost all residents were reinterred to Calvary Cemetery (Catholic) or Rosehill Cemetery if Protestant. It is also apparent that the recording of Children's Burials was not rigorously applied. The accuracy of Children's burials appears to have improved about 1960. Records prior to 1960 and earlier omit many children's burial records since they were probably performed by undertakers without a concern for Cemetery records. The recording of Adult Burial dates appears accurate since 1863 and correlation with Census data after about 1880 improves. Current Catholic burial records were moved in 2004 from St Boniface Cemetery to Calvary Cemetery in Evanston, IL. The original "Books of Record" for funerals, (the accuracy responsibility beng that of Pastors until about 1930), has since been taken over by Archdiocosean Personnel. These original records were of course in German until about 1920 and then a "translation" transpired in the '30's and of course the error factor immediately grew. Finding and obtaining access to a "Book of Original Record" can be a daunting task. The whereabouts of these original records of St. Henry's is at this time an open question. In about 1928 Cardinal Mundeline gave Church #3 to the Angel Guardian Orphanage. This infuriated the Congregation. The Pastor, Fr. Rittersoph, asked for and received reassignment, stating he could "no longer hold up my head" to his parishoners in light of this heavy handed action. The parishoners had just finished paying off the mortgage the previous year. The parishoners were given a small piece of land a block west on Hoyne Ave to construct the current two story fortress style Church. The second floor was the grammar school. This Church #4, a small stone block building, served as St Henry's Church from 1928 to today. It's parishoners grew but peaked in 1952. With middle-class flight to the suburbs beginning in the 60's; the parish stagnated in the 80's; declined in the 90's and is currently utilized by a small Catholic Vietnamese Congregation and Pastor. It's school is closed. The fruits of "multiculturism" in Rogers Park have decimated a once vibrant Catholic Church. A sad ending to a great beginning.
  		Crest..... Village of Zusch, Germany Until 1716 the "Lehen Zuesch" ("Lehen" meaning Zuesch was not a free town but owned by nobility) was a condominuim made up of the Estate of COUNT SPONHEIM and the Imperial Knighthood and Nobility from HUNOLSTEIN-and-SOTERN. This linkage ended in 1716 with the Nobility of ECKBRECHT VON DUERCKEIM considering themselves the rightful heirs. This dispute was put to rest by an Imperial Court decree on May 31, 1720, when ownership, including all the SOETERN estates were granted to them and DAMFLOS became a part of the greater estate of ZUESCH. The Crest shows in the rear of the field the "Wolfsangel" (wolf or fox trap) of the SOETERN DYNASTY. The earliest known written document is from 1025 AD and refers to the "KNIGHT OF ZUESCH".
  		1834 "Thaler", a German Silver Coin. Used for 400 years, this coin is a one "Thaler" coin and = to 30 Silver "Groschen" ( Sgr. means silbergroschen or silver penny). In 1834 one day's farm labor was paid 1 1/2 Silvergr. A farm laborer earned 450 Silvergr. or 15 Thaler a year. A simple farm hand would earn 9 Thaler a year. A boy 5 Thaler a year. A servant 3 Thaler a year. Johann Peter would have carried a pouch or tin box of these as he left Germany. Johann's Passport shows "15 Sgr" or 1/2 a "Thaler" for the "tax stamp". And, "20 Sgr" for "passage permission". Thus, his 35 Sgr fees represented about 24 work days or 4 weeks of work.
  		Crest........at main Road into Malborn, Germany The Johann Peter Schmidt(Sr)and Maria Bruck children were all born in this villiage between 1812 and 1826. These children were: Elizabeth Barbara, Johannes Peter, Anna Maria, Maria Anna, Jacob, Peter(Jr), and Johannes. In late May 1840, Maria Anna, Jacob and Peter would depart with their parents from here for LeHavre, New York and settle in Chicago in May 1842
  		Catholic Church in the Village of Malborn, Germany This is the Marlborn Village Catholic Church in which the Johann Peter Schmidt(Sr) and Maria Bruck children were most probably baptized between 1812 and 1826. The Church of 195 years ago undoubtedly looked different than this building.
  		Trier Germany Cathederal
  		Trier Germany Cathederal
  		1890 Karthauser Saloon....Zender Saloon, 1845-1885?...
  		1890 Clark Street at Lunt, Chicago
  		1866 Weimeschkirch Undertaker, Clark Street, Ridgeville
  		1880 Phillip Bank, Clark Street, 1st location
  		1854 Weimishkirch Funeral Services founded. 1920's Hand Bill of Weimishkirch Funeral Services

  
  

  Headstones		1875 a. Smith, aka Schmidt, aka Schmitt Monument in St.Henry's Cemetery Chicago … Status:
  		1875 a. Smith, Schmidt Burial Plot at St.Henry's … Status:
  		1875 d. Smith Monument Plate … Status:
  		1863 Summer First wooden St Henry's German Catholic Kirche, North Side of Devon Ave at "the Ridge". …

  
  

  Histories		1884 WAR AMONG THE SMITHS The Trouble on Rock Creek Last Tuesday Published by: Aspen Weekly Times May 31, 1884 …
  		1837 "Early Settlers" of 8 miles north of Chicago on Lake Michigan....1837 to 1845....."the Ridge"....."Indian Boundary Trail" According to John Muno, and recorded by Albert Joseph Fortman about 1980........ "Peter Muno came with Peter Phillips father in 1842. Took 5 days (more like 65) to cross the ocean. At that time (meaning 1840's?) Philip Rogers owned from Kedzie to Lake and south of Touhy to Pratt." (actual title search shows Peter Schmidt Sr bought 42.65 acres from John Smith and his Wife on May 9, 1842....an area from Morse to Pratt....Ridge to Western). "Phillips owned 60 acres north of Touhy from Western to Ridge." "Father (Muno) bought 40 acres south of Touhy from Western to Kedzie." "Zender founded (Tavern probably) 1845" "1st settlers on Indian Boundary Trail (oldest in Chicago)" This is Rogers Ave now. "Peter Phillip - President Rogers Park Bank" this is probably the Phillips Bank of Rogers Park. "His mother was a Petery" "(Luxemburg)"

  
  

• Notes

  Sailed from Le Havre, France in late May or early June 1840 aboard the Bath, Maine, 440 ton Clipper "France", Master: John H. Marshall. Arrived New York 27 July, 1840, (age 52), with his wife, Anna Maria Bruck, (age 48), and three of his seven children, Peter Jr.,(age 16), his twin brother, Jacob, and their sister, Maria Anna,(age 21). Daughters: Elizabeth Barbara Schmidt, (b. 20 Nov 1812) and Anna Maria Schmidt, (b. 2 Aug 1817) are not on the ship's manifest or the passport of May 2, 1840. At age 28, it is reasonable to assume that Elizabeth Barbara is married and remains in Germany with her husband. Her spouce's name remains unknown. At age 23, it is also reasonable to assume the same for Anna Maria Schmidt. A son, Johannes Peter, having died in infancy at age <1, 1815, Malborn)and his brother Johannes (dying at birth, 1826, Malborn, no baptismal record,) are no longer part of the family. Documents show Johann Peter Schmidt's name as Schmitt, Schmit, and Schmidt. He Americanized the name to Smith. 1850 Census:...Ridgeville, Cook Co., Illinois: Johann Peter Sr, (age 62), and Anna Maria, (age 58), are living in the original log cabin at abt. 6806 N Ridge Rd. next door to Peter Jr and wife Elizabeth in their new 2-story wooden frame house at abt. 6816 N. Ridge Rd. Johann Peter Sr and Anna Maria's Son (Peter Jr's twin brother) Jacob Bruck Schmidt (26)(he has taken his mother's maiden name)...he is Jacob Bruck on the Census, Jacob Schmidt on the passport...is living with his Father & Mother in the log cabin. (see Jacob Smith for the story of a tragic death in the wild west of Aspen Colorado.) In Peter Jr.'s big new house little Peter K. (III)(1850) is in his mother Elizabeth's (age 18)arms and she pregnant with the future Baby Jacob (1851)....13 more to come. Things must be going well on the farm 9 miles north of Chicago {population 29,963 and growing rapidly.} Peter Jr., (age 26), has just last year on May 18th, purchased from his father the farm of 45.63 acres for $400.00...wages at this time are $4.00 per week or $200 per year. [6] 1860 Census: Johann Peter Sr & Anna Maria have left the log cabin and are residing in Dubuque Co, Iowa with now married Jacob and his wife and family. Appears that Mother Anna Maria and son Jacob are close. Twin Brother Peter Jr. is a very independent farmer businessman and will shortly (31 Mar 1864 and 18 Aug 1870) buy 2 additional 25 acre plots of land east of Ridge between Pratt and Toughy. He buys these two plots from the Railroad now that it has determined its right-of-way need for the tracks to Milwaukee. Peter Jr's sons in later years would climb the big poplar tree in the back of the 1871 - 6836 N Ridge - house to enter their 2nd story bedrooms; thus avoiding their awaiting Father states Louisa Smith, his daughter. May 1840, the Port of LeHavre, France, the Port Emmigration Officer records on Johann Peter Schmidt's Passport that he is carrying 6,000 French Francs. At the then prevailig foreign exchange rate of $0.193 franc = $1.00, Johann Peter is carrying $1158.00 US dollars. The inflation rate from 1840 to 2007 being approximately 300 times the 1840 dollar, Peter is carrying approximately $347,400 in 2007 dollars. Peter and family shall spend $40 for passage across the Great Lakes, $100 for land in Chicago, with the rest going to ship passage across the Atlantic, living expenses in New York, and enough to develop the farm on Ridge Trail. 1870 Census: Johann Peter Sr, (age 82), and wife Anna Maria, (age 78), are back at the 6816 Ridge 2-story wooden frame house with Peter Jr & Elizabeth and their 10 children (some of whom are about to marry.) Peter Jr. is in the process of building the new Victorian brick house just a few hundred yards north at 6836 Ridge. (still standing today and still in the family) The mason's have just dug the 100 ft long trench (3ft wide and 2ft deep) so the wagons can dump the lime for mortar-making that will take a year to work before construction begins. The carpenter has quoted and will build for $106.00 (about 6 months work.) The Georgian marble for the fireplace was ordered a year ago but the Civil War has eliminated that source in Georgia and so Michigan veined-white marble will be used instead to create the Paris apartment style fireplace in the front parlor. The 2 Eisenglass stoves, for heating the upstairs and downstairs, will come later. Heating stones on them to place at the foot of your feather-bed will help with the winter nightly cold. The population of rabid foxes is up this August and so the men keep their 45 caliber Colt "Peacemakers" close with the rifles in the kitchen "just in case." The family dog was bitten last year and went mad in the orchard and hung himself with his chain. Brother Mike grabbed little sister Louisa when the dog first showed foam, shoved her in the house, grabbed his rifle and chained the dog. Those "Dog Days" of August!!! The ice-house, in August, still has blocks from the February cutting of inland-lake-ice and if you are a good kid you can get a shaving to cool you in all this heat. Good times are here and the relocation from Malborn/Damflos was worth it all. Elizabeth will yet have 2 more children in the new house, Louisa and Mathias, before she dies in 14 years at age 52 in 1884 leaving Louisa, age 13, as woman of the house. Elizabeth's Mother-in-Law, Anna Maria Bruck, has died in the house 5 years earlier and is at rest in St. Henry's Cemetery with her husband Peter Sr. The Cemetary is just 4 block's south on sandy old Ridge Trail. Louisa never knew her three older sisters Mary, who died at age 4 (1857), Catherine who died in her 1st year (1855)and sister Elizabeth who also died when she was 1, (1857). Sister Anna is 22,(1862), married and thus consummed with her family's needs. The deaths of these sisters is during the cholera epidemic of the 1850's that took thousands of Chicagoans. But being 9 miles north of the City it is doubtful the Girls were victims of Cholera. Unless? Contageous? Could a father or brother have carried it? Louisa shall provide for her Dad, Peter Jr., who sends her to Paris in 1889. She was the apple of her father's eye. She visits relatives in Damflos/Malborn. She climbs the newly built Eifel Tower...no elevators in those days...and returns with the news of relatives. Her chaperone was 60 year old Herr Muno a relative also escorting his teenage neice. When her mother Elizabeth dies Louisa's house has Father, Peter Jr, age 60, brother's: Mathias, age 10, Charles, age 15, Andrew, age 17, and Phillip age 19. She marries at age 24 and 10 years after her Mother's death Frederick Fortmann (from the 2nd farm on Robie St just south of Henry Fortman's farm which abuts their own) on 25 April 1894 in St. Henry's Catholic Church (the second wooden Church...after its predecessor the original 1850 small wood Church). Frederick joins her in her father's house on Ridge. There are only her Father, herself and her husband in the house when she marries. Her father will be with her another 8 years. (He dies intestate in 1902 leaving a legal nightmare.) She will have 4 sons, Fredrick, Lawrence, Edmund (these 3 would know with faint memory their Grandpa)and Joseph in the house. Four boy's is enough...Frederick Fortmann is moved into the new Sun-Room in 1909. It has just been added to the house on the south-side. No pills in those days. Louisa is 35. Name: A woodsman/farmer from Damflos, Prussia, Germany The earliest known written record available of Johann Peter's name is his Jan 1, 1810 marriage certificate showing his marriage to Anna Maria Bruck. (see Photo 67) His name is spelled Johann Peter SCHMITT. The next document, his May 2, 1840 Passport, he signs as SCHMIT. (see photo 48, lower left corner.) On this same Passport, issued by a clerk in Trier, Germany his name is written by the clerk as SCHMIDT. (see photo 48, top right.) The Clipper ship FRANCE's passenger manifest shows SCHMIDT, indicating it was copied by the ship's burser from Johann Peter's passport. Walter Petto, German Geneologist, lists Johann Peter's name as SCHMITT, in his book "Einwohner von Zusch, Neuhutten, Damflos 1574 - 1820." Petto's source was probably Johann's 25 Feb 1788 christening record in the Catholic Church of Zusch, Germany. His actual birth date was probably 1 to 5 days earlier. And being a home birth unrecorded and remembered only by his Mother, Anna Barbara Longfils. The weight of evidence therefore suggests the German Family name was SCHMITT although United States Family history from 1850 to the present records the name as Schmidt, which was taken from the Passport. Johann Peter Americanized the name to SMITH around 1850. [7]




• Sources

  [S2265] David A. Fortman, records at 6836 N Ridge Chicago, IL davidfortman@hotmail.com (Reliability: 3), 24 Aug 2007. [S5323] LDS Film 1859263, Katholische Kirche Malborn (Kr. Bernkastel), (Later Day Saints), 1859263. (Reliability: 3). [S4879] jeanine Scholz, New Hope, PA scholzje@/yahoo.com, Jeanine Scholtzje. [S2265] David A. Fortman, records at 6836 N Ridge Chicago, IL davidfortman@hotmail.com (Reliability: 3). [S4879] jeanine Scholz, New Hope, PA scholzje@/yahoo.com, Jeanine Scholtzje, 24 Oct 2005. [S2265] David A. Fortman, records at 6836 N Ridge Chicago, IL davidfortman@hotmail.com. [S5319] Schmidts in Damflos, Walter Petto, (Walter Petto) (Reliability: 3).