His parents	Married 3/24/1809	Her parents
5GGF Johann Peter Schmitz	Germany -> WI	5GGM Anna Maria Jax-Schmitz
Ancestor 238 (11101110) 11/14/1784 - 12/01/1860	Their ancestral child	Ancestor 239 (11101111) 10/23/1791 - 7/28/1867

Johann Peter and Anna Maria were married in Welcherath, Germany. Their children were born in nearby Drees. Those children were Maria Elisabeth (1810), Catharina, Maria (infant death), Anna (infant death), Maria Catherine *, Johann, Anna Katharina, Servatius, and Maria Catharina (1833).

The family migrated to the US in the early 1850s, settling near Johnsburg, Fond du Lac County, WI. Johann Peter and Anna Maria had grandchildren by this time; it was a three-generational migration.

The Schmitzes attended St. Johann’s church, a mile north of the present St. John the Baptist, in the 1850’s. This was the first Catholic church in southeastern Wisconsin, established in 1843. A temporary church went up in the present location in 1854. Some members of the congregation wanted the new permanent church to be erected at the old location. This disagreement caused great dissension and literally split the community; some people left town over it! The new church was dedicated in 1857. The old churchyard continued to serve as a cemetery into the 1860s. A Johann and Anna Schmitz were buried at the Old St. Johann’s location, according to church records. I am presently waiting to confirm the dates to see if they are the right people. Some of the bodies were later relocated from the old location to the new one. Old St. Johann’s is now an empty field, with just a single sign to mark the spot. On June 18th, 2016, on the 175th anniversary celebration of St John the Baptist Church, a roadside service was held at this location. All of the names in this cemetery were read aloud.