Smith Louisa aka Louise b. 6 Jul 1871 6836 N. Ridge Ave, Chicago, IL d. 1 Nov 1956 6836 N Ridge, Chicago, Illinois

1871 - 1956

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Birth	6 Jul 1871	6836 N. Ridge Ave, Chicago, IL
Gender	Female
Died	1 Nov 1956	6836 N Ridge, Chicago, Illinois [1]
Buried	5 Nov 1956	St. Henry's Cemetery, Smith Plot, see Smith Monument, Chicago, Illinois USA [2]
Person ID	I035	Schmit(t)... Schmidt...Smith...Fortmann...Fortman....Bourcier...Boursier.....Morris
Last Modified	18 May 2008

Father	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
Relationship	birth
Mother	Phillipp, aka Philippi Elizabeth, b. 3 Mar 1832, ?? Prussia, Germany , d. 6 Jan 1884, 6836 N Ridge, Chicago, IL
Relationship	birth
Married	29 Apr 1849	Ridgeville, (Chicago), IL
Histories		1871 Expenses of Building the Schmitt aka Schmidt aka Smith House recorded in 1871, original accounting document w/D.A. Fortman Carpenter Work:........Cash.............$750..... Mason Work:............Cash.............$600..... Plastering:............Cash.............$250..... Lumber:.................................$750..... Sash and Moulding:......................$150..... Lime and cement:........................$125..... Locks and Things:........................$75.... Paint and Painters:.....................$100.... Brick:..................................$675.... Lumber at Evanston:......................$75.... Freight:.................................$50.... Tinsmith:................................$63.... Stone Work:..............................$50.... Carpenter Cash:..........................$50.... Moulding Door:...........................$50.... Total:.................................$3813.... Other Cash payments:...................$1337.... Grand Total:...........................$5150.
Family ID	F010	Group Sheet

Family Fortmann Frederick, b. 30 Mar 1869, 4099 N Robie St, Evanston now 6710 N Seeley Ave Chicago, IL , d. 2 Jan 1955, St. Francis Hospital, Evanston, IL

Married 25 Apr 1894 St Henry's Church, Chicago, IL

Children

>	1. Fortman Frederick Peter, b. 20 Jun 1895, 6836 N. Ridge Blvd. Chicago, Illinois , d. 17 Jul 1969, Lincolnwood, Cook County, IL
>	2. Fortman Lawrence (Sr) Anthony, b. 17 Sep 1896, 6836 N. Ridge Blvd. Chicago, Illinois , d. 25 Dec 1969, Luthern General Hospital, Skokie, IL
	3. Fortman Edmund J., S.J., b. 21 Jul 1901, 6836 N. Ridge Blvd. Chicago, Illinois , d. 25 Jan 1990, Loyola Univ. Lake Shore Campus, Chicago, IL
>	4. Fortman Albert Joseph, b. 12 Aug 1905, 6836 N. Ridge Blvd. Chicago, Illinois , d. 7 Sep 1987, Wilmette, IL (daughter Denise's house)

Last Modified 13 Feb 2007

Family ID F013 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."
		1887.....Louisa Schmidt Smith....age 16....daughter of Peter Schmidt Jr and Elizabeth Phillips......teenager, sophisticated, future wife of Frederick Fortmann......in 2 years, 1889, she will sail to France to visit and climb the Eiffel Tower and then travel to visit German relatives in the Damflos, Germany area. She is chaperoned by Peter Muno ( to old to climb the Eiffel Tower) who is also accompanying a niece of his.
		1930's........Louisa Schmidt Smith Fortman.......age 66........next to the Poplar Tree on the south side of the Ridge house
		April 25, 1894 Photo .............Fredrick Fortmann, age 25, takes Louisa Schmidt, age 23, as his bride.......their marriage shall see Louisa bear 4 sons and last 61 years until Fred's death in 1955.
		1921, June....Frederick Fortmann, (age 52) Louisa Smith Fortman (age 50) and standing, Fred, (age 26) Edmund, (age 20) Lawrence, (age 25) seated Albert Joseph (age 16) on south lawn of 6836 N. Ridge, Chicago
		1936.......Frederick Fortmann,.......age 67 and Sons, Frederick Peter,....age 41.....Fr. Edmund......age 35....Albert Joseph......age 31.....Lawrence Anthony......age 40......on the south lawn of the Ridge House.
		June 1 1944 photo........Fred and Louisa's 50th Wedding Anniversary
		June 1, 1954 photo.....Fred and Louisa's 60th Wedding Anniversary in front of St. Henry's Catholic Church on Hoyne Ave. Chicago
		1883.......Elizabeth Phillips.......age 51........wife of Peter Schmidt Smith Jr..........daughter of Jacob Phillip of Damflos,Germany and Katherina Kohlass........Mother of 15 children......daughter: Louisa Schmidt Fortman
		1883..... Peter Schmidt Smith Jr,.......age 59....................husband of Elizabeth Phillips............. and Son of Johann Peter Schmidt Sr. (original Prussian German migrant to US in 1840.)..........builder of 6836 N. Ridge in 1871, the year of the Great Chicago Fire...........land speculator and owner of 145.63 acres of Rogers Park on Ridge Avenue by 1860.
		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
		1895......Frederick Peter........age 3-4 months.....1st Son of Frederick Fortmann and Louisa Schmidt Smith
		1903......Edmund Fortman.....age 20 months....third Son of Frederick Fortman and Louisa Schmidt Smith.
		1880.......Peter Muno......age 63......and his wife, Anna Maria Pinck.....age 59...............In 1889 Peter will sail with his neice and Louisa Schmidt.......18 years old......to France where they will explore the new Eiffel Tower before proceeding on to the Damflos Germany area. Although the legend says Peter Muno and Catherine Schmidt.....this is not feasible as this Peter was b. in 1807 and died in 1871. Thus this picture must be that of his Cousin, Peter Muno, b. 1817. The woman is most probably his wife, Anna Maria Pinck.
		1931.....Rev. Edmund Fortman, SJ
		1909...November..Albert Joseph Fortman, (age 4) racking leaves on southeast corner of 6836 N Ridge in front of grape vine trellis
		Albert Joseph Fortman 1930, age:25 Fourth Son of Frederick Fortmann and Louisa Schmidt Smith Future Husband of Mary Madeline Morris Future Father of David Alan, Denise Louise, and Barbara Lee
		1888 "Boots & Shoes" Western Ave Rogers Park, IL.
		1888 The Shoe Store, Western Avenue at Lunt
		1890 Karthauser Saloon....Zender Saloon, 1845-1885?...
		1890 Ebert's Tavern...."Ridge Inn" A block south of the Schmitt/Schmidt Farm on Ridge Ave. Just East of Heinrich (I)Fortmann's House on Robie St.
		1890 Clark Street at Lunt, Chicago
		1885 The "Meat Market" Western Ave & Touhy....Evanston, IL
		1880 Phillip Bank, Clark Street, 1st location
		1866 Phillip State Bank.....Roger's Park.......Lunt & Clark...formed by the Phillip Family of Peter Schmidt aka Smith's wife Elizabeth Phillip.
		1866 Weimeschkirch Undertaker, Clark Street, Ridgeville
		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.
		1860 Muno House, Ridgeville
		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 Damflos, Germany The Village lies near the head waters of the "Prims" (a small creek or small river) The earliest recorded settlers inhabitating the area before 1600 were called iron smelters or "Stucken" in German. The name Schmidt comes from this period and refers to an iron worker in the smelters. The origins of the Town can be traced to 1700 when charcoal production was the main source of income for the iron smelting industry of the Saarland (35 miles south). The early inhabitants of the "Waldhuttendorf" (village in the woods with huts) lived a frugal life. They supplemented their income with home-based manufacturing of wooden household products such as spoons and pegs. As geneologist Walter Petto in his work "Einwohner von Zusch, Damflos, 1574-1820" shows, many inhabitants left the area for Hungry and North America. The Coat of Arms shows the two crossed Wooden Spoons in gold on blue and a red "Wolfangel" (a trap for catching wolves and foxes) on gold beneath the equal red and white, the symbology of the COUNT OF SPONHEIM.
		Catholic Church in the Village of Damflos, Germany
		Catholic Church in the Village of Damflos, Germany
		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".
		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.
		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.

Headstones		1875 b. Smith Monument Plate … Status:
		1875 a. Smith, Schmidt Burial Plot at St.Henry's … Status:
		1875 a. Smith, aka Schmidt, aka Schmitt Monument in St.Henry's Cemetery Chicago … Status:

Histories

1884 WAR AMONG THE SMITHS The Trouble on Rock Creek Last Tuesday Published by: Aspen Weekly Times May 31, 1884
…

Sources

[S2265] David A. Fortman, records at 6836 N Ridge Chicago, IL davidfortman@hotmail.com.
Louisa died of old age in her bed about 4PM with her sons, their wives and grandchildren David, Denise and Barbara Fortman in attendance. She was 85.
[S5344] St Henry's Baptisms Marriages Deaths Communion Confirmations Accounts Lists of Pastors and Assistants 1863-1985 , Pastor, St Henry's Catholic Church, (St Henry's Church) (Reliability: 3).