Finding A Grave

My French third great grandmother Marie Anne Schmitt (née Gury) died sometime between June 1860 and June 1870. According to the 1860 census, Marie Anne (called Mary here), her husband Nicolaus (recorded as Nick) and eight of their children lived in Cincinnati, presumably in the Over the Rhine neighborhood. Their youngest children Joseph (5) and…

In Loving Memory

Recently I compared the lives of my third great-grandmother Elisabeth (nee Schmitt) and her sister Christina Kirchheiner. While drafting that post, a document inside Christina’s file caught my eye; a receipt for her funeral arrangements. Three obituary notices were listed. Why hadn’t I followed up on these leads? Immediately I sent a request to the Cincinnati Public Library. The very…

His Success is Written in Stone

John Kauffman’s daughter Maria Elizabeth married my 2nd great-grandmother’s brother Emile Schmitt in the 19th century. Emile became an executive in John’s business, the Kauffman Brewery. The brewery flourished making John, his partner, and many others in the business very wealthy men. John Kauffman rests in Cincinnati’s historic Spring Grove Cemetery across the plot from his former business…

Side-tracked Genealogy

At some point I’ll have to return to researching my direct line ancestors. But for now, my interest lies with Emile Schmitt, my second great-grandmother’s brother. After my last Emile-related post, a genealogical angel (I’ll call her Betty) sent me a baker’s dozen of Cincinnati Enquirer articles written about Emile and his wife. Thank you again…

Cincinnati Birth and Death Records

My genealogical research is often challenging because of three courthouse fires that occurred in Cincinnati Ohio. So I was thrilled to stumble upon Cincinnati Birth and Death Records, 1865-1912 in the Digital Collections at the University of Cincinnati. Death certificates are available through the Ohio Historical Society from December 20, 1908 through 1953, but my French Schmitt…