The Schmit Family

From Wellenstein, Luxembourg,
to
Nicollet County, Minnesota

- Julius Schmit and Margaret Morson (1898)

Anton Schmit, my great-grandfather, was born in Wellenstein, Luxembourg, on 3 March 1833 to Martin Schmit and Charlotta Mersch. Anton's father owned a tavern in Wellenstein, and Anton worked in the vineyards in the surrounding Moselle River valley. Anton had five siblings. Peter born in 1828, Anna Maria born in 1830, Johann born in 1836, Anna born in 1839, and Catharina born in 1842.

On 23 September 1863, Anton married Regina Glodt who was from Contern, Luxembourg. They had a baby girl, Anna Catharina, on 27 July 1864. They had another baby girl, Anna Regina, on 24 March 1866.

In 1866 tragedy struck the small town of Wellenstein. In that year the death rate increased by over 300%. Little Anna Regina, at the age of two months, died on 23 May 1866. Two months later at the age of 32, on 20 July 1866, Anton's wife died.

On 18 February 1867 Anton married Elizabeth Goergen. She lived across the Moselle River at Schloss Thorn, Germany. About a month after they were married, Anton's first born from his previous marriage, three year old Anna Catharina, died. In less than one year Anton had lost his entire first family.

In October of 1867 Anton and Elizabeth had a baby boy and named him Peter. The baby died when he was only eight days old. About two years after the death of Peter, Anton and Elizabeth moved to Paris, France. They were there for only a short period of time when the Franco-Prussian war broke out. They returned to Wellenstein and waited out the war.

In 1871 the war ended and Anton and Elizabeth returned to Paris. Anton found a job as a painter in a railroad shop. They had a baby boy on 2 July 1872 and named him Julius. They had a baby girl in 1875 and named her Regina Elizabeth. It is interesting to note that their little girl was named after Anton's first wife.

Anton's father died in 1876 at the age of seventy-four. Hearing of his father's death, Anton returned to Wellenstein with his family and never returned to Paris. He took over his father's tavern and worked it until 1882 when they left Wellenstein for good to go to America.

On 4 June 1879 Anton and Elizabeth had another baby boy and named him Nicolas. The baby died less than two months later. And the next year, on 30 March 1880, little Regina died at the age of five. Luxembourg death records do not include the cause of death, but the history of Luxembourg tells us that there was a cholera epidemic in 1866 and a typhus epidemic in 1879. So I believe it is safe to say that these two epidemics were the cause of most of these deaths.

Between the years 1866 and 1880, Anton Schmit had lost a wife and five children. It was less than two years after the death of five year old Regina that Anton, Elizabeth, and Julius were on a ship headed across the Atlantic to America.

In June of 1882 Anton Schmit and family arrived in the United States. They must have had some contacts in Minnesota because within three months they had purchased a farm in Belgrade Township in Nicollet County. Anton and Elizabeth lived out their lives on this same farm, as did their son Julius.

I have always been under the impression that the lives of our ancestors were so much better in America than in Europe, that they would never consider returning to their homeland. After all, they had to put up with epidemics, crop failures, and wars. So imagine my surprise when I read this paragraph from a letter written to Anton, Elizabeth, and Julius, from either a brother-in-law or a sister-in-law in Thorn, Germany. The letter was dated 15 March 1884, less than two years after Anton and his family arrived in America. The following paragraph is the translated text from that letter.

You write that if you had the opportunity again to sell the land, you would do so and come back to Germany. We don't want to give you advise, but you can't stay with us, you know that. You can do what you want. But I write you that when you sell your land, be careful how you do it and don't sign anything you can't read. And don't leave the money there and don't depend on them to send it because you wouldn't get it and as you know paper money doesn't have the value like gold any more.

Anton died on 17 December 1916, Elizabeth on 30 August 1925, Julius on 27 January 1941. They all rest in peace at St. Michael's Cemetery in Nicollet County, Minnesota.

Written by: David W. Schmit
24 November 1998

Last Modified: 05 August 2001