Joseph Schmitt, 1901 Obituary

SCHMITT

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 10/11/2004 at 01:02:46

I translated the following obituary from Der Carroll Demokrat, a German-language newspaper published in Carroll, Iowa, between about 1874 and 1920. The obituary did not have a date, but was probably published the first week of August 1901. I have not changed the name or place spellings, and have added some information in brackets and notes at the end. It reads as follows:

[Joseph Schmitt]

Joseph Schmitt, who resided a few miles south of Carroll, died last week and was buried on Saturday with a large number of people in attendance at Saints Peter and Paul Church. The deceased was born on 6 July 1826 in Karbach, near Marktheidenfeld, provincial court district of Rothenfels, Bavaria. On 22 August 1854, he married his wife, who survives him. This marriage produced the following children: Katharina, Barbara, Johann Bonifazius, Georg Joseph, and Joseph Eduard. All the children except Johann Bonifazius are married and all are in good circumstances. The family came to America in 1871, and lived for two years in New York. They then came to Carroll County in the summer of 1873, and they have lived since then in Roselle Township. Through hard work and the thriftiness of the children, they achieved prosperity. Due to the difficulties of old age, the deceased seldom came out in public during the last few years. His wife and the above-named children mourn at his grave.

NOTES: I do not have an exact date of publication for this obituary. Carroll cemetery records show Joseph Schmitt, 6 July 1826 to 25 July 1901. The Bavarian towns listed are all located about 15 miles northwest of Wuerzburg, Germany.