Memorials › William Joseph Schmitz

William Joseph Schmitz

12 Feb 1860 – 9 Jul 1946

Birth12 Feb 1860
Death9 Jul 1946
CemeterySaint Peter's Cemetery
Lindsay , Cooke County , Texas , USA
Added bysue on 01 Dec 2013
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/50837737

Bio

Occupation: Farmer Wilhelm Joseph Schmitz was born in Pinn near Neunkirchen (which means a village of nine churches), Cologne County, Cologne, Germany. Married 12 Feb 1883 Roselle, Carroll, Iowa, USA note from family: One hundred and eighteen years ago, February 12, 1860, a baby boy was born in Cologne, Germany. He was named William Joseph Schmitz, and he was the youngest of three brothers and two sisters. In 1876, at the age of sixteen, soon after the death of his parents, he left Germany to join his sister, Eva, and brothers, Peter, John, and Henry in America. When he arrived in the United States, he spoke only the German language, and so attended school for one year learning the English Language. On October 2, 1884, he became a citizen of the United States of America at Carroll, Iowa. Grandfather, Joeseph Schmitz is born... On August 9, 1885, their first son, Joseph was born, followed by: John, Margaret, Mary, Theodore, William Jr., Henry, Frank, Frances, Josephine, and last a daughter, Catherine. The Schmitz family migrates to Texas.... Because of the severe winter weather, they moved to a newly formed German, Catholic colony in Texas. On December 23, 1898, they arrived by train, in Lindsay, Texas. Traveling along the way with them were nine of their children and two of Catherine's brothers., William and Joe Neu, and their families, making up a party of six adults, and about thirty children. They had 54 grandchildren, 234 great- grandchildren, 234 great great-grandchildren, and 2 great great great grandchildren, making a total of 529 living descendants. Grandma Schmitz liked to tell the story of nearing Gainesville. The conductor walked up and down the aisle calling out, "Gainesville, Gainesville, pick up your packages and don't leave any of those kids behind". They were met at the Myra depot in Myra, Texas, by Conrad and Eva Walterscheid, brother-in-law and sister of Grandpa Schmitz. They spent their first night in Texas with the Walterscheids in their home near Myra and recall their first meal consisted of Potato pancakes. On Christmas Day, a younger brother of Grandma, John Neu, all of their household goods and all of their machinery arrived by rail from Iowa, and they set up housekeeping in a two-room house belonging to J. M. Lindsay, three miles south of Lindsay. Grandpa went to work immediately buying about 197 acres of land, for the large sum of $2,600. He paid $1,000 initial payment and borrowed $1,600 at 10% interest with the entire debt to be paid in full in three years. He also started to build a house and barns, and soon had his family settled. The family likes to tell of February 1899, as the coldest ever in Texas. For five days the temperature stayed at 14 degrees below zero and Grandpa told the story that the kerosene froze in the lamps. Uncle John recalls they used all their fire wood and then had to burn the fence posts for heat. With the family settled, Grandpa became active in community and church affairs, and served in many ways helping the community grow. He served as one of the committee men building the new church in 1903. It was destroyed by a cyclone on May 31, 1917.

Photos

Family

Spouse

Children

Export GEDCOM

This person only · Entire connected family