John Schmidt

Lifespan: c. 1822 – ?

Summary

Father of Charles Frederick Schmidt (1864–1920). Born 1822 in Germany. Married Elizabeth Rabe. Five children. Lived in Cleveland, Le Sueur County, Minnesota (1880) and Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio (1910).

Relationships

• Wife: Elizabeth Rabe (Dec 12, 1846–1918, born Germany/Prussia) — 24-year age gap
• Children:
  • Elizabeth Schmidt (c. 1856–1918, born Illinois; not in 1880 household, likely married)
  • Mary Schmidt (Dec 15, 1859–Mar 28, 1909, born Illinois)
  • Charles Frederick Schmidt (Dec 13, 1864–May 16, 1920, born Joliet, IL)
  • Amelia Ann Schmidt (c. 1866–?, born Minnesota; age 14 in 1880 census)
  • Emilie Schmidt (1882–1966)

Sources

• 1880 US Census, Cleveland, Le Sueur County, Minnesota (line 39) — primary source
• FamilySearch (birth, residence, children list)
• 1910 US Census (Charles’s entry lists father born in Germany)

Research Notes

• Born 1822 in Mecklenburg (now Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, northeast Germany) — confirmed immigrant
• Trail: Germany → Illinois (by 1856, eldest daughter Elizabeth born) → Joliet, Will Co, IL (1864) → Cleveland, Le Sueur Co, MN (by 1866, Amelia born) → Columbus, Franklin Co, OH (1910)
• 1880 census household: John (58), Elizabeth (56), Mary (20), Charles (16), Amelia (14). Daughter Elizabeth not present — already married.
• Living in Columbus, Ohio in 1910 — age 88. Not in son Charles’s Minnesota household. May have relocated to be near one of his daughters.
• FamilySearch lists both “Emilie Schmidt (1882–1966)” and “Amelia Ann Schmidt (1882–Deceased)” — but 1880 census clearly shows Amelia age 14 (born c. 1866). FamilySearch’s 1882 birth year for Amelia Ann is wrong. Emilie is a separate, younger child born 1882 — a 16-year gap after Charles, when Elizabeth was 36.
• Source hierarchy: Census images read directly > original documents > FamilySearch computed data (multiple confirmed errors on this family: Elizabeth’s age, Amelia’s birth year)