Hi....thanks for taking the time to check this info. The Michael Schmitt's didn't change their name to Smith. Michael died in 1880 and his wife Anna Marie died in 1891. Both are buried at St. Mary Cemetery in Westphalia and share a tombstone as Michael and Anna M. Schmitt. I have a picture of the stone which I took a couple of years ago. There are also "Smith" buried in that cemetery. Michael's son Peter got married in Oct. of 1874. Have a Certified Copy of Record of Marriage which gives his name as Peter Schmitt, age 28 residing in Portland, MI. His brother Michael was his best man. Peter's sister Ann Gertrud who was 2 years younger than Peter got married in May of 1874. Her name is given as Anna Gertrud Schmitt. Peter was the first ot change the name of SMITH according to family members. They would have immigrated before 1852 as Peter was born in Michigan in 1847. Don't know of any connection with the John Mauer's. Also....Peter was only 13 years older than his wife. The book "The Story of St. Mary's Westphalia 1836 - 1986 tells that the first settlers to Westphalia in 1836 lead by Father Anton Kopp journeyed from Bremen to New York. They took the Erie Canal to Detroit. From Detriot they traveled the Old Chicago Road (now Michigan-US 12) as far as Ypsilanti. At this point they took the Dexter Trail - passing through Ann Arbor, Dester, Chelsea, Stockbridge, Mason, presently Lansing, Bengal and Dallas, and finally west into Ionia County. First to Lyons and then Ionia, where the Dexter Trail ended. Many others took this same route. There is a "First Family Registry in this book and it tells where they came from, when they arrived (1846), the names, ages of everyone in the family and that they settled in Section 18 or 19. It would seem easier to find this many family members in a group but maybe the ships records got distroyed? Jean >Hello Jean, >While some of the SCHMITT descendants stated on the 1900 census that they immigrated in >1846, none of the family members appear on the 1850 census and only John, 29 [b 1831], Adam >27, [b. 1833], Michael 70 [b 1810?] and wife Anna [45] appear on the 1860 census for >Westphalia Twp [all under "SMITH"]. What other place might they have lived before settling >in Westphalia Township? > >Re Peter SCHMITT b. Feb 1831 per 1900 census Westphalia Twp. [wife Mary, dau. Gertrud, son >John] says he came in 1852. >Are you saying that this Peter is different from the one who moved to Isabella Co after >marriage? > >What if any connection did the SCHMITTs have to neighbors John MAUER [b. 1854], his brother >Adam [b. 1848] and their mother Lucy [b. 1818]? The reason I'm asking is that Michael >SMITH/SCHMITT, age 70 and wife Anna 45, lived with the MAUER family in 1860. > > >Greetings, >Ursula from Michigan > > > >Jean Ludwig wrote: > > >> This Schmitt family immigrated toWestphalia, MI. Peter who was born >>in 1847 is my husbands g-grandfather. >> We have been to Westphalia, MI where most of the Schmitt's are buried. >>Peter moved to Isabella Co. Michigan >> after he married. He later changed Schmitt to Smith. >> >> >> >> >>>I KNOW A schimtt family which immigrated to Brazil... >>> >>> >>> >>>