A Schmidt baby girl was born on this day, but this Schmidt is not related to any of the Schmidt clans that arrived on the ships that were part of the Gesellschaft in 1839. This girl only shows up for a short time in Perry County and spends most of her life in Granite City, Illinois.

Louise Johanna Schmidt was born on September 26, 1893, so today would be her 130th birthday. Louise was the daughter of Johann and Margaret (Schmidt) Schmidt. Evidence points to the fact that Louise’s Schmidt parents came to America in about 1887. When her father applied for citizenship in 1893, the same year as Louise’s birth, he stated that he had been in the United States for 5 years.

Louise makes her way into our German Family Tree because she was baptized at Cross Lutheran Congregation, which was located near Longtown for just a short time in the late 1800’s. We can view a transcription of her baptism record from a binder that we have for that church in our research library.

Someone in the Schmidt family must have later requested her

baptism information from a pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Crosstown. This letter can be found on Ancestry.com. attached to Louise in a family tree. It contains the same information about Louise’s baptism.

When she was just 3 years old, Louise’s mother died in 1896, not long after she gave birth to another child. Her father then married Sophia Ermer in 1897. That couple had one more child, but then early in 1900, Sophia died. So, when the 1900 census was taken, we see her father as a widower. Johann was a farmer in the Salem Township. His family was quite large and included his mother.

It was about this time that the photo shown below was taken of quite a few members of the extended family of Johann Schmidt. He is the one standing against the house in the black derby hat. Right in front of him is his daughter, Louise, who would have been around 7 years old at the time.

When the 1910 census was taken, we no longer find Louise living in Missouri. She is found living with her sister and her family in Granite City, Illinois. She was working as a wrapper in a stamping company.

Later in 1910, Louise got married, so we will turn our attention to the man she would marry. His name was George W. Daniel, who was born on March 26, 1887. George was the son of James William and Elizabeth (Shaffer) Daniel. In the 1900 census, we find George at the age of 13, living in Pearl, Illinois where his father was a laborer.

In the 1910 census, George was living in Granite City, Illinois where he was working as a press man at a stamping company. I figure he was likely working at the same place as Louise.

George Daniel married Louise Schmidt on August 17, 1910. On the marriage license shown below, we see that they were married by a justice of the peace.

George had his World War I draft registration completed in 1917. It says he was a cement worker in Granite City.

George and Louise had 2 children, a girl and a boy. When the 1920 census was taken, this couple had just one child. George was called a cement finisher.

Louise was still fairly young when she had this photograph taken.

Their son was born in 1922, but then George died in 1926 at the age of 38. Louise married again in 1928. Her second husband was Carl Grizzle. He had been married previously, and all indications are that he was divorced. Carl and Louise were married on October 28, 1928. No more children were born to this couple. We find the Grizzle’s in the 1930 census living in Granite City where Carl was a pan runner for a glucose factory.

This marriage did not last long, In 1938, they were divorced. I cannot display the exact documentation, but a family tree on Ancestry.com gives the following details. I must say that it strikes me as ironic that a couple would get divorced on February 14th, Valentine’s Day.

Louise is found in the 1940 census using the surname, Daniel. Just her teenage son, Leroy, lived with her.

Later in 1940, Louise married again. Her 3rd husband was Leo Pinkerton. These two were married on November 9, 1940. An image of their marriage certificate is pictured here. It is another marriage performed by a justice of the peace.

I am not sure how long this marriage lasted, but it, too, did not last long. I was not successful at finding Louise in the 1950 census, but I did find Leo Pinkerton, and his entry said that he was divorced.

Later in her life, Louise gathered with some of her siblings and a photo was taken. Louise is standing in the back on the right.

Another photo was taken of Louise and her two children.

Louise Daniel died in 1981 at the age of 87. She and her first husband, George Daniel, are buried in the St. John’s Cemetery in Granite City.

Louise was born a Schmidt. Later on, she became Louise Daniel, Louise Grizzle, and Louise Pinkerton. After all those different names, she settled on Louise Daniel after each of her divorces. She seemed to have more attachment to her first husband, the father of her children.