Michael Schmit (1855 - 1931)

Born 30 Apr 1855 in Grosbous, Luxembourg

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 31 Jul 1931 at age 76 in North Andover, Wisconsin

Biography

history

From email to Darrel Schmit from Emil Schmit, dated Mon, Apr 21 2003 7:30pm

Dear Darrel (djschmit@sio.midco.net),

Great to hear from you! Sorry to say, I did not become interested in this sort of thing early enough. My mother's family came from Alsace in Europe, & I know quite a bit about them. But I never bothered to ask my father a lot about his background. And now it is too late...he & all of his brothers & sisters are gone.

I recently was given a small tack hammer that supposedly belonged to my grandfather, Michael Schmit. I have four stepchildren, but only one child of my own, a son, Peter. I gave him the hammer & wrote up the following story for him. It contains most of what I know about the family.

THE SCHMIT FAMILY HAMMER

Peter:

I received this little hammer from your "step-cousin," Joe Meoska (stepson of my late Uncle Ed. P. Schmit) on Sep 29, 2001. He told me that it is a cobbler's hammer, & was owned & used by my grandfather, Michael Schmit, in his work as a shoemaker. Shoe making was apparently our family craft.

Michael Schmit was born on Apr 30, 1855. Sorry to say, I don't know just where. He was of Luxembourg descent &, as a young man, lived in Dubuque, IA area. He married Elizabeth Greiner (born Dec 15, 1862).

The Schmits 1st lived in a number of different locations in IA. One story has it that Grandpa once tried to establish a shoe business in a western IA town, but with no success. Someone finally pointed out to him that his failure was due to his not being a Freemason. So Grandpa ignored the (then) strict Catholic rules & joined the Masons. When he had built up the business, he sold it & moved on (and forgot all about his Masonic affiliation).

Michael & Elizabeth decided to try their hand at farming, & moved west to SD & NE. At 1 point, they rented farmland on an Indian reservation at Niobrara, NE. It was there that Mike met & became a close friend of a Santee chief whose "white-man's name" was Dan Graham. The Schmits later bought & paid for a farm in the Niobrara area.

They had 8 children: Elizabeth, who died as a child & is buried in the church cemetery at Niobrara; Anna (who married John Gengler) (Anna & John were married & their children were both either in SD or NE, before they came back here to farm in WI); Bertha (who married John "Jack" Errthum) (I think Bertha came back here to IA before getting married. Jack became quite a prosperous farmer here in the Bloomington, WI area); Catherine "Kate" (who married Andrew "Andy" Hoffman) (Andy also came from somewhere in northwestern IA, most likely not far from Dubuque, IA): William (who married Anna Ellerbach) (my parents also were farmers) (your grandparents); Edward (who married Clara Splinter, & later Leona Ulbrich-Meoska) (Ed farmed & later sold tombstones; Matilda "Tillie" (who married Paul Anthony) (Paul was from the Sherrill's Mound area not far from Dubuque, IA. He was a detective with the Dubuque police department); & Michael "Mike" who married Agnes Zimmer (Mike farmed & later worked in a Dubuque window & door factory.

At retirement, Michael & Elizabeth moved back east, to a new home at North Andover, WI. They rented out their NE farm to a family named Anders (or Andres) (& a number of years later sold it to them). Most of the Schmits' children lived & farmed in the Bloomington-North Andover area. Tillie lived in Dubuque, where her husband, Paul Anthony, was a prominent detective on the Dubuque Police Force. Paul was a very strong man. He once entered the ring with Dubuque's premier professional wrestler, "Heinie" Engel (a cousin of Paul's). Ads for the event read: "See Heinie Engel Flop the Cop!"

Michael Schmit had two cousins (I may have made a mistake here. John & Pierre were more likely 1st cousins of my father, William, & nephews of my grandfather, Michael.) that I knew of. John, "Johnny Schmit of Chicago," lived on Clark St in the Windy City & ran a successful shoe store & shoe repair business. His wife's name was Mary. They both spoke with a thick "Chicago-German" accent. They had 1 son, Peter. "Petey" was a standout high school football player. His team played (& lost) a post season game on the West Coast. He was recruited by a number of big schools, including WI. He enrolled at IA, but WW II interfered with his career. I think he went on to become a teacher & athletic coach, & is still living in Chicago or one or its suburbs.

Johnny Schmit had a brother, Pierre. I don't know much about "Pe'ery," except for the fact that he was considered by some to be quite a "good time Charley" & a "rolling stone."

Grandpa died at his North Andover home Jul 31 1931. Elizabeth sold the home & purchased 1 in Bloomington, where she lived until her death Oct 12 1940. As a farm wife in NE, Grandma was quite successful at raising chickens. And was known to do quite well at bartering chickens & eggs for other household & farm necessities. In a land where doctors were now always available, she was quite well known as an emergency midwife. And for many, many years she (on the sly) smoked a pipe. Michael & Elizabeth Schmit are both buried in the Goeckel Cemetery at Glen Haven, WI.

William & Anna (Ellerbach) Schmit (my parents) had 4 children: Stella (deceased) (married to Raymond Schildgen); Emil (married to Gloria Harris-Deininger); Doris (married to Loren Wood): & William E "Bill" Schmit (unmarried, deceased).

Gloria Harris Deininger (my wife) is the mother of Michael Elroy Deininger (married to Brenda Probst, & later to B L Dumar); Joseph Lynn Deninger (married to Peggy French); Regina Christine (married to Dana Fleming); & Pamela Sue (married to Jeffrey Buttikofer).

Emil Schmit & Gloria Harris-Deininger have 1 son, Peter Jon Schmit (married to Jill Lynn Jones). Peter is now the owner of the picture of Grandpa's friend, "The Old Indian," Dan Graham, & also owns Grandpa's Shoemaker's Hammer.

And now for your pictures:

"Four Generations," this is Andy Hoffman who married Kate Schmit on the left. Next, I assume is his mother. The man holding the small child is Andy's oldest son, Clarence, holding his oldest son, Bob.

"Clarence & Luella," the same fellow mentioned above, on his wedding day. He married Luella Bausch of Cassville, WI.

"This is our baby, Jeanette," Jeanette Hoffman, youngest child & only daughter of Andy & Kate (Schmit) Hoffman.

"Untitled picture," this is Jeanette Hoffman & her husband, Leonard Schier. All of these Hoffman pictures appear to have been taken on the Hoffman farm.

"Paul Anthony family in Dubuque, Iowa," The couple on the left are Tillie (Schmit) Anthony & her husband Paul Anthony (with straw hat). I am almost certain the couple on the right are Bertha (Schmit) Errthum & her husband Jack Errthum. The larger boy with the cap does not appear to be the oldest Anthony boy, Paul. I am quite sure it is my cousin, Johnny Errthum. The girl is Rosemary Anthony & the smaller boy is most likely Donny Anthony.

"Mary, Peter, & John Schmit," look much as I remember them. They drove out from Chicogo every few years to visit their Schmit relatives here in WI & Dubuque, IA. I remember John as quite a stern man & always well-dressed. I haven't seen Peter Schmit in more than 60 years. I don't remember ever seeing John's brother, Pierre, but I remember my parents & other relatives talking about him.

I hope this has answered a few of your questions, Darrel. Don't be afraid to keep in touch. If you have some sort of a family tree, I would appreciate a copy. Just an email outline is OK. And thanks for the pictures!

Thanks, again,...Emil Schmit (emilpoet@tds.net)

Sources

• 1920 & 1930 census Grant Co., WI