Emil Schmitt (born 1853)

Bertha and Emil Schmidt Do you ever think who you are and from where you came? Do you know your father and his father before him? The past is not as vacant as it seems, when seen through your ancestors' eyes. For history comes alive, when seen from letters, diaries, journals and such. These artifacts make you think of times gone by, of those that made our life and honor their hardships, courage and hope for a better future. As daughters of Warren and Wilma Schmidt, granddaughters of Charlie and Naomi (Baker) Schmidt, and great-grandchildren of Emil and Eva Bertha (Schwab, Meyer) Schmidt, we often were told of the family relationship of the Schmidt family to the Baker, Knuth, Schwab and Meyer families; but found it difficult to understand all the family connections. Through the extensive research, which included trips to Germany and uncovering many legal documents, the relationship to the families became clearer and well defined. Bertha Schwab, barely two years old, arrived at the Port of New York on the ship, Bremen, from Bremen, Germany on June 10, 1869. She arrived with her grandfather, Johann Adam Schwab, and her mother, Anna Maria Katherina. Adam, Anna Maria Katherina and Bertha, traveled across this vast land heading to Central City in Gilpin County in the Territory of Colorado, to meet up with her uncle Johann L. Schwab. While living in Central City, Bertha’s mother, Anna Maria Katherina, married Johann Adam Michael Meyer on October 2, 1869. John, Anna Maria Katherina and their two daughters, Bertha, born in Untereichenbach, Germany on April 1, 1867 and Louisa, born in Central City, left Central City on October 6, 1870 to homestead in the Wet Mountain Valley. Bertha grew-up with eleven siblings in Antelope Creek and then at the JM Ranch in Gardner, Colorado. Bertha and Emil Schmidt On April 9, 1887 at Rosita, Bertha Schwab-Meyer married Emil Schmidt, who was living with the Schwab family on a nearby ranch. Emil Schmidt was born on November 24, 1856 in the Bayern (Bavaria) Region of Germany. The 1885 Census listed Emil Schmidt as a servant-laborer in the household of John L. and Eliese Schwab on Antelope Creek in Custer County. He continued to live with and work for them and it is our belief that John L. Schwab, having known Emil Schmidt in Germany, paid the passage for Emil’s journey to America and that Emil had to work for John until this debt was paid. Emigration records from Germany show Emil Schmidt leaving the Bavarian Region of Germany in 1881. Emil arrived in New York on November 11, 1881 on the ship Republic with an eight-year-old named Emil Schmidt, who died on the journey. No documentation has been found, to provide information on where and what Emil did from November 1881 until 1885, when he is located in the Custer County census. It is believed that Emil traveled the country, including Mexico before coming to the Colorado Territory. Bertha and Emil continued their residence on Antelope Creek until January 1894 when they bought land from Ebon Snow on Brough (Bruff) Creek near Gardner in Huerfano County. In 1908, Emil received Homestead patent for land adjacent to the south of the land he had purchased. In 1894, Emil was issued his brand E over lazy S. This place remained in the Schmidt family until the late 1950s. Emil, Amelia, Albert, Charlie and Bertha Schmidt Bruff Creek Ranch 1894 Emil and Bertha had seven children: Amelia Marie was born April 15, 1888 on Antelope Creek. In 1907, she married Johann Simon Schwab, who was the son of Johann Ernst Schwab. On May 14, 1909, John S. and Amelia Schwab welcomed their son, Arthur Cleveland, into the world. Amelia died at her home on Farr ranch on July 1, 1910, which must have been a tremendous shock for John S.. Grandparents, Emil and Bertha Schmidt, raised Arthur until his high school years when he went to live with his dad in Arizona. Ella Minnie was born October 29, 1889 on Antelope Creek and died August 24, 1890. Charles ‘Karl Johann’ John was born August 30, 1891 on Antelope Creek. Charlie married Naomi Gustina Baker on March 9, 1913 in Gardner, Colorado. Charlie died July 31, 1979 in Canon City, Colorado. Charlie was deputy sheriff for many years in Huerfano County. August Emil was born June 10, 1893 on Antelope Creek. He died July 30, 1893. Albert Ernst was born October 3, 1894 on Bruff Creek, Colorado. He married Myrtle Dove Benson on May 21 1921 in Gardner, Colorado. Albert died July 9, 1970 in Gardner, Colorado. Mary Bertha was born April 28, 1899 on Bruff Creek, Colorado. Mary married Alva Adams Benson in February 14, 1917 in Gardner, Colorado. She died May 16, 1962 in Pueblo, Colorado. William Henry, Wilhelm Heinrich, was born November 8, 1901 on Bruff Creek, Colorado. He married Minah Watson and later Lula ‘Millie’ Vories. William died January 28, 1961 in Gardner, Colorado. Back Row Left to Right: Charlie, Emil, Bertha, William, Amelia Front Row: Left to Right: Albert (with dog) and Mary Many memories are connected to Bertha and Emil Schmidt. Many memorable stories relate to Bertha because of her independence, her spunky demeanor and her contributions as a midwife to so many families in the community. Bertha was a midwife and delivered many babies in the surrounding area. Everyone called her ‘Aunt Betty’, even now those who knew her years ago, still speak of her as ‘Aunt Betty’. Many who butchered hogs would bring the heads to ‘Aunt Betty’ so she could make head cheese, as many knew of her expertise in making this German delicacy. She rendered the fat, cut from the jowls, for her own use so her cupboard was always supplied with lard. Bertha would often walk the banks of the Muddy Creek at the home of Charlie and Naomi picking gooseberries growing along the creek to be used to make jam. A sight that many remember is of Bertha driving in the countryside in her 1923 Model T coupe. Often she would drive to the Gerk’s place in the Black Hills to pick pinion nuts. Bertha’s 1923 Model T Coupe Photo 2002 Bertha and Emil also trapped and shot coyotes in the Black Hills area to sell. Hide Buyers toured the country buying cowhides and furs. The picture is of Emil and Bertha with the coyote skins at the Gerk’s place. Bertha and Emil Schmidt With Coyote Skins at Gerk’s Place in the Black Hills Around 1925 Bertha kept and tended many hives of bees herself. She seemed to have a special touch never wearing gloves or smoke. She would gently move the bees aside with her hands until she located the queen that she wanted to move to a new hive. Finding a swarm out in a tree, she would move it to one of her hives. Because of her unique talent, the family ate lots of comb honey and she also rendered it. The beeswax had its own uses in her household such as for lubrication. Emil was one who did not talk a lot, a quiet person but a friend to all. Emil was the camp cook for a number of years for the Round-up crew who gathered cattle in the fall from the open range. On April 21, 1938, at the age of 81, Emil Schmidt died at his home in Gardner, Colorado. He was a pioneer, farmer and rancher. He had been in poor health for a number of years due to heart trouble. Bertha continued to live in Gardner until her death on September 8, 1954. Bertha Schmidt, pioneer Gardner resident passed way in a Pueblo hospital, after an extended illness. We find it fascinating that one family’s family tree carries back to include such a multitude of connections to so many pioneers who helped settle the Wet Mountain Valley in Custer County, at that time included Fremont County, and Huerfano County. Charlie Schmidt married Naomi Baker, which carries our heritage back to George Washington Baker, who was Naomi’s father and to Daniel and Niome Baker, her grandparents. Also, it takes us back to Hulda Knuth Baker, who was her mother, and to her maternal grandparents, Wilhelm and Wilhelmina Knuth, who came with their family to Fremont County with the German Colony in March 1870. Charlie ’s mom and dad were Emil and Bertha Schmidt. His maternal grandparents were Maria and John Meyer. Uncles were John L. Schwab and Johann Ernst Schwab. His great grandfather was Adam Schwab, all emigrating from Germany. Extended families of Hulda’s sisters and brothers included Koch, Eikelman and Elze connections. These families were close knit kin whose activities together included Sunday dinners and visiting at each other’s homes, picnics and church functions. Emil and Bertha Schmidt’s family connections are precious things woven through the years with love, courage, hardship, struggles and triumphs. Bertha and Emil Schmidt Do you ever think who you are and from where you came? Do you know your father and his father before him? The past is not as vacant as it seems, when seen through your ancestors' eyes. For history comes alive, when seen from letters, diaries, journals and such. These artifacts make you think of times gone by, of those that made our life and honor their hardships, courage and hope for a better future. As daughters of Warren and Wilma Schmidt, granddaughters of Charlie and Naomi (Baker) Schmidt, and great-grandchildren of Emil and Eva Bertha (Schwab, Meyer) Schmidt, we often were told of the family relationship of the Schmidt family to the Baker, Knuth, Schwab and Meyer families; but found it difficult to understand all the family connections. Through the extensive research, which included trips to Germany and uncovering many legal documents, the relationship to the families became clearer and well defined. Bertha Schwab, barely two years old, arrived at the Port of New York on the ship, Bremen, from Bremen, Germany on June 10, 1869. She arrived with her grandfather, Johann Adam Schwab, and her mother, Anna Maria Katherina. Adam, Anna Maria Katherina and Bertha, traveled across this vast land heading to Central City in Gilpin County in the Territory of Colorado, to meet up with her uncle Johann L. Schwab. While living in Central City, Bertha’s mother, Anna Maria Katherina, married Johann Adam Michael Meyer on October 2, 1869. John, Anna Maria Katherina and their two daughters, Bertha, born in Untereichenbach, Germany on April 1, 1867 and Louisa, born in Central City, left Central City on October 6, 1870 to homestead in the Wet Mountain Valley. Bertha grew-up with eleven siblings in Antelope Creek and then at the JM Ranch in Gardner, Colorado. Bertha and Emil Schmidt On April 9, 1887 at Rosita, Bertha Schwab-Meyer married Emil Schmidt, who was living with the Schwab family on a nearby ranch. Emil Schmidt was born on November 24, 1856 in the Bayern (Bavaria) Region of Germany. The 1885 Census listed Emil Schmidt as a servant-laborer in the household of John L. and Eliese Schwab on Antelope Creek in Custer County. He continued to live with and work for them and it is our belief that John L. Schwab, having known Emil Schmidt in Germany, paid the passage for Emil’s journey to America and that Emil had to work for John until this debt was paid. Emigration records from Germany show Emil Schmidt leaving the Bavarian Region of Germany in 1881. Emil arrived in New York on November 11, 1881 on the ship Republic with an eight-year-old named Emil Schmidt, who died on the journey. No documentation has been found, to provide information on where and what Emil did from November 1881 until 1885, when he is located in the Custer County census. It is believed that Emil traveled the country, including Mexico before coming to the Colorado Territory. Bertha and Emil continued their residence on Antelope Creek until January 1894 when they bought land from Ebon Snow on Brough (Bruff) Creek near Gardner in Huerfano County. In 1908, Emil received Homestead patent for land adjacent to the south of the land he had purchased. In 1894, Emil was issued his brand E over lazy S. This place remained in the Schmidt family until the late 1950s. Emil, Amelia, Albert, Charlie and Bertha Schmidt Bruff Creek Ranch 1894 Emil and Bertha had seven children: Amelia Marie was born April 15, 1888 on Antelope Creek. In 1907, she married Johann Simon Schwab, who was the son of Johann Ernst Schwab. On May 14, 1909, John S. and Amelia Schwab welcomed their son, Arthur Cleveland, into the world. Amelia died at her home on Farr ranch on July 1, 1910, which must have been a tremendous shock for John S.. Grandparents, Emil and Bertha Schmidt, raised Arthur until his high school years when he went to live with his dad in Arizona. Ella Minnie was born October 29, 1889 on Antelope Creek and died August 24, 1890. Charles ‘Karl Johann’ John was born August 30, 1891 on Antelope Creek. Charlie married Naomi Gustina Baker on March 9, 1913 in Gardner, Colorado. Charlie died July 31, 1979 in Canon City, Colorado. Charlie was deputy sheriff for many years in Huerfano County. August Emil was born June 10, 1893 on Antelope Creek. He died July 30, 1893. Albert Ernst was born October 3, 1894 on Bruff Creek, Colorado. He married Myrtle Dove Benson on May 21 1921 in Gardner, Colorado. Albert died July 9, 1970 in Gardner, Colorado. Mary Bertha was born April 28, 1899 on Bruff Creek, Colorado. Mary married Alva Adams Benson in February 14, 1917 in Gardner, Colorado. She died May 16, 1962 in Pueblo, Colorado. William Henry, Wilhelm Heinrich, was born November 8, 1901 on Bruff Creek, Colorado. He married Minah Watson and later Lula ‘Millie’ Vories. William died January 28, 1961 in Gardner, Colorado. Back Row Left to Right: Charlie, Emil, Bertha, William, Amelia Front Row: Left to Right: Albert (with dog) and Mary Many memories are connected to Bertha and Emil Schmidt. Many memorable stories relate to Bertha because of her independence, her spunky demeanor and her contributions as a midwife to so many families in the community. Bertha was a midwife and delivered many babies in the surrounding area. Everyone called her ‘Aunt Betty’, even now those who knew her years ago, still speak of her as ‘Aunt Betty’. Many who butchered hogs would bring the heads to ‘Aunt Betty’ so she could make head cheese, as many knew of her expertise in making this German delicacy. She rendered the fat, cut from the jowls, for her own use so her cupboard was always supplied with lard. Bertha would often walk the banks of the Muddy Creek at the home of Charlie and Naomi picking gooseberries growing along the creek to be used to make jam. A sight that many remember is of Bertha driving in the countryside in her 1923 Model T coupe. Often she would drive to the Gerk’s place in the Black Hills to pick pinion nuts. Bertha’s 1923 Model T Coupe Photo 2002 Bertha and Emil also trapped and shot coyotes in the Black Hills area to sell. Hide Buyers toured the country buying cowhides and furs. The picture is of Emil and Bertha with the coyote skins at the Gerk’s place. Bertha and Emil Schmidt With Coyote Skins at Gerk’s Place in the Black Hills Around 1925 Bertha kept and tended many hives of bees herself. She seemed to have a special touch never wearing gloves or smoke. She would gently move the bees aside with her hands until she located the queen that she wanted to move to a new hive. Finding a swarm out in a tree, she would move it to one of her hives. Because of her unique talent, the family ate lots of comb honey and she also rendered it. The beeswax had its own uses in her household such as for lubrication. Emil was one who did not talk a lot, a quiet person but a friend to all. Emil was the camp cook for a number of years for the Round-up crew who gathered cattle in the fall from the open range. On April 21, 1938, at the age of 81, Emil Schmidt died at his home in Gardner, Colorado. He was a pioneer, farmer and rancher. He had been in poor health for a number of years due to heart trouble. Bertha continued to live in Gardner until her death on September 8, 1954. Bertha Schmidt, pioneer Gardner resident passed way in a Pueblo hospital, after an extended illness. We find it fascinating that one family’s family tree carries back to include such a multitude of connections to so many pioneers who helped settle the Wet Mountain Valley in Custer County, at that time included Fremont County, and Huerfano County. Charlie Schmidt married Naomi Baker, which carries our heritage back to George Washington Baker, who was Naomi’s father and to Daniel and Niome Baker, her grandparents. Also, it takes us back to Hulda Knuth Baker, who was her mother, and to her maternal grandparents, Wilhelm and Wilhelmina Knuth, who came with their family to Fremont County with the German Colony in March 1870. Charlie ’s mom and dad were Emil and Bertha Schmidt. His maternal grandparents were Maria and John Meyer. Uncles were John L. Schwab and Johann Ernst Schwab. His great grandfather was Adam Schwab, all emigrating from Germany. Extended families of Hulda’s sisters and brothers included Koch, Eikelman and Elze connections. These families were close knit kin whose activities together included Sunday dinners and visiting at each other’s homes, picnics and church functions. Emil and Bertha Schmidt’s family connections are precious things woven through the years with love, courage, hardship, struggles and triumphs.