My Genealogy Hound

Christ Schmidt, brick and stone mason and contractor of Washington, Mo. was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1837, the son of John Schmidt, and one of a family of eight children. He grew to manhood on a farm, and at the age of twenty commenced learning the stone-mason’s trade. In 1865 he left his home and crossed the ocean to the United States, where for the first six months he worked in Chicago, after which he came to Washington, Mo., and has since been working at his trade. In 1881 Mr. Schmidt and Mr. Rusche purchased two acres of land, and commenced the manufacture of brick, and made 500,000. Owing to too much business they were compelled to give it up, and accordingly they leased their yard to Joseph Barber and F. Forster for five years and in 1887, leased it again for five years. Mr. Schmidt is a first-class workman and very reliable. In 1872 he married Miss Augusta Vendt, who was born in Franklin County, Mo. She died in 1874, and the following year our subject married Miss Louise Meyer, daughter of Frederick Meyer. She was born in Germany, in 1854, and by her marriage became the mother of seven children: Minnie, Oswald, Emil, Tillie, Martha, Arthur and Lena. Politically, he is very conservative, but rather favors the Republican party. He and wife are members of the Emmanuel Lutheran Church.