The person of interest in this branch of my family is my great grandmother, Rosina Schmitt. Following the death of her husband, Karl Zang she emigrated from Germany to Walworth County, Wisconsin, with daughters Margaret Zang (b. 1858) and  Rozina Josephi Zang (b. 1863).

My bridge back into Germany was an a un-sourced Zang/Schmitt Family Group Sheet obtained from my cousin William Zarnstorff, who obtained it from his aunt Katherine (Kit) Rosa Amborn. It is not known who originally created it or how his Aunt obtained it.

It was part of the documentation I provided to German researcher Marcel Elias who obtained the birth records and provided the translations shown below. His conclusion was that the information on this Family Group Sheet was incorrect (see below for more information on why he reached his conclusion).

View the Family Group Sheet

Apollonia [Götz] Schmitt  (Mother or Kaspar Schmitt – see below) died on 21 September, 1813:

On Sep 21, 1813 at 1am died in Arnstein Apollonia Schmitt, a wife of Jörg Schmitt, a saltpeter-maker from Arnstein, house Nr. 243, aged 60 years old. (view image)

Kaspar Schmitt and Anna Keller, the parents of Rosina Schmitt, were married on January 7, 1817 in Arnstein, Germany.

Marriage record of Kaspar Schmitt and Anna Keller 

On Jan 7, 1817 were in Arnstein married Kaspar Schmitt, a catholic day-labourer from Arnstein, house Nr. 122, a son of Jörg Schmitt, producer of saltpeter (potassium nitrate for producing gunpowder) and Apollonia Götz, unmarried, born in 1779 (Arnstein is crossed out); and Anna Keller, a catholic miller’s daughter from Arnstein, a daughter of Kaspar Keller and Anna Maria Iff, unmarried, born on Sep 5, 1790 in Arnstein. Witnesses were Georg Leuser, ……, and Georg Deugel, miller from Öhle (most probably a name of a mill). (view image) 

Marcel Elias found discrepancies between the records and the Family Group Sheet at this point. To quote him:

“When I found the marriage record between Kaspar and Anna Keller, Anna’s birth date was different – Sep 5, 1790, her parents given as Kaspar and Anna Maria. And indeed, I found her birth record in Arnstein records. So your Ahnentafel seems to be wrong in that whole line. It seems that the Keller line were millers from Heugrumbach in that time and didn’t come from Essleben, at least for Anna Keller.

“As for Kaspar Schmitt and his parents, they weren’t from Arnstein. I spent one more hour to establish that indeed 4 oldest children of Georg Schmitt and Apollonia Götz weren’t born in Arnstein and from records is not clear where they came from. The only clue could be places of burial for Georg Schmitt and Johann Kaspar Schmitt – they were buried near Sondheim. But since there were more Sondheims in the area within 100 km around Arnstein, more time would be needed.”

Rosina Schmitt, the 5th child of  Kaspar Schmitt and Anna Keller, was born on March 18, 1825 in Arnstein, Germany. She was baptized in the Catholic church on March 19, 1825.

Birth record of Rosina Schmitt

On March 18, 1825 after 2 pm was in Arnstein born and on March 19 was in the church baptised Rosina, 5th child of Kaspar Schmitt, a catholic farmer, living in Arnstein, house Nr. 122, and his catholic wife Anna Keller, living at the same address. Godmother was Rosina Schederin, unmarried, from Arnstein. (view image)

Georg (Jörg) Schmitt died on 25 March, 1826:

On March 25, 1826 at 9pm died in Arnstein Georg Schmitt, saltpeter-maker, living in Arnstein, house Nr. 245, a widower, aged 75 years old. Cause of death pneumonia. He was buried on March 27 in …….. near Sondheim (most probably where they came from – ME). (view image)

Rosina Schmitt (b. 1825) married Karl Zang (b. 1824) in Arnstrin, Germany on 3 August 1852.

Marriage record of Karl Zang and Rosina Schmitt

On Aug 3, 1852 were in the church in Arnstein married Karl Zang, a catholic day-laborer from Arnstein, house Nr. 124, a son of Philipp Zang and Katharina Ackermann, unmarried, born on Dec 29, 1824 in Arnstein; and Rosina Schmitt, a catholic farmer’s daughter from Arnstein, a daughter of Kaspar Schmitt and Anna Keller, unmarried, born on March 18, 1825 in Arnstein. Witnesses were Karl Ackermann, a carpenter; and Michael Walter, a farmer, from Arnstein. (view image)

More about the Zang family from 4th cousin Thomas Hartmann

I received a fascinating document from 4th cousin Thomas Hartmann in February 2023.

Kilian_Zang_Family_History_1934_Germany_for_WebsiteDownload

Karl Zang and Rosina Schmitt reportedly had three children:

  • Philipp Josef Zang (b. 12 November 1854)
  • Margaret Zang (b. 15 February 1858)
  • Rozina Josephi Zang (b. 27 December 1863)

This is the certificate recording the smallpox vaccination given to Margaretha Zang… it confirms her date of birth as 15 February 1858 (thanks to a quick translation from Ute Brandenburg):

Kaspar Schmitt died on 20 December, 1864 :

On Dec 20, 1864 at 3pm died in Büchold Johann Kaspar Schmitt, a catholic farmer, widower, aged 85 and ¼ years old. Cause of death old age. He was buried on Dec 23, 1864 in Sondheim. (view image)

Karl Zang died 14 October 1871 in Arnstein

Margaret Zang (b. 1858) emigrated to the United States, probably sometime between 1880 and 1883 (see below).

Rosina Josephi Schmitt (b. 1825) and Rozina Josephi Zang (b. 1863) reportedly emigrated together, probably sometime between 1884 and 1888 (see below).

When did they emigrate?

Exactly when Rosina Josephi Schmitt (b. 1825) and daughters Margaret Zang (b. 1858)  and  Rozina Josephi Zang (b. 1863) emigrated to Wisconsin and settled in Walworth county is a bit of a mystery….

Margaret Zang (b. 1858) apparently arrived first: She would marry Simon Schulz (b. 1850) on 29 November 1883.

  • Her 1900 census record states that she emigrated in 1868 and that she had been in the United States for 32 years.
  • Her 1910 census records states that she emigrated in 1875.
  • Her 1920 census just says ‘Na’.
  • She died 5 March 1930.

Her obituary says:

“Margaret Zang was born Feb. 15, 1858 in Bavaria, Germany, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Zang. When a young woman she immigrated to America. She lived in Chicago and Wheaton, Ill., for sometime then later came to Wisconsin. In 1883 she was married to Simon Schulz at St. Francis de Sales church, Lake Geneva. She and her husband took up their residence on their farm near Lyons and she had lived there since.”

Source: Lake Geneva News Tribune, LAKE GENEVA, WISCONSIN, Thursday, March 13, 1930, Page 8, Column 2, Obituary

She probably arrived after the 1880 census (since she does not appear to have been enumerated)  and  before 1883 (when she got married).

A possible match was revealed on MyHeritage.com in a February 2020 search:

  • Margarethe Zang: Female, Born Circa 1860, Departed Bremen on the Ship Sailer as a Steerage passenger, arriving in New York on 15 May 1880.
  • The above corresponds with information on the Statue of Liberty website, which indexes the name as Zang.
  • Ancestry.com also has the manifest, but she is indexed as Margaret Lang
  • I have identified one person with that name who was close in age and arrived in the US about the same time. However, after detailing her life I have concluded that she is a separate person (born in October 1863 and immigrated between 1884 and 1888, married to Paul Schadt and lived in New York).

I now (16 November 2024) believe that she arrived on 15 May 1880 on the Salier.

Rozina Josephi Zang (b. 1863) and her mother Rosina Josephi Schmitt Zang (b. 1825) reportedly traveled to the United States together. Here are the facts that are known:

Rozina Josephi Zang (b. 1863) married Henry Curran (b. 1838) on 9 November, 1890 in Walworth county, Wisconsin, and gave birth to James H Curran in December 1890, so it can be inferred that she was in the area as early as March, 1890.

  • Her entry in the 1900 census states that she emigrated in 1867 and that she had been in the United States for 33 years (at which time she would have been about 4 years old).
  • Her 1910 census form states that she emigrated in 1888.
  • Her 1920 census just says ‘Na’.
  • Her 1930 census says 1884.
  • She died 29 November 1951. Her obituary (Lake Geneva Regional News, 29 Nov 1951, page 1) states that she emigrated in 1884.

The daughter of Karl and Rosina Zang, she was born Dec. 27, 1863, in Arnstein, Bavaria, Germany. She was educated in Bavaria and came to this country with her mother [and sister, Margaret Zang Schultz] in 1884. Since that year, she had been a resident of the Geneva area. She would have observed her 88th birthday next month.

Source: Lake Geneva Regional News, 29 Nov 1951, page 1

The first record discovered for Rosina Josephi Schmitt (b. 1825) is her entry on the 1900 census, living with daughter Margaret Zang (b. 1858) and son in law Simon Schulz (b. 1850). That entry indicates that she emigrated in 1868 and that she had been in the United States for 32 years (the same dates were reported for her daughter Rozina Josephi Zang). She died 18 June 1903 at age 77. No obituary has been located.

The probable arrival date ranges Rozina Josephi Zang or her mother Rosina Josephi Schmitt Zang can be estimaged based on the following facts:

  • There is no doubt that Rozina Josephi Zang Curran was in the United States in March 1890 when her son James was conceived.
  • The information provided on the 1900 census (arrival in 1867 or 1868) should be viewed as the most accurate based on the fact that it was presumably reported by people with direct knowledge of the event and is (albeit 32 years after the alleged event) the record created closest to the occurrence of the event.
    • The arrival date reported by Margaret Zang Schultz (1868) collaborates this information
    • If correct, it means that Rosina Josephi Schmitt Zang left her husband and young (13 – 14 year old) son Philip Josef in Germany.
  • An 1888 arrival date was recorded for Rozina Josephi Zang Curran in the 1910 census.
  • The 1884 date reported in Rosina Josephi Schmitt Zang‘s obituary in 1903 agrees with the arrival date Rozina Josephi Zang Curran reported for herself on the 1930 census.
    • It is possible and maybe even probable that she was the informant for the obituary.

February 2020 update:

I initially rejected the 1867 – 1868 emigration time-frame as being unlikely. I had (and still haven’t) found any indication that Rosina Josephi Schmitt Zang’s husband (George Karl Zang b. 1824, d. 1871)) or her son (Phillip Josef Zang, b. 1854, d. 1905) came to the United States, and I viewed it as unlikely that the mother and two daughters would leave them behind when they emigrated. This view was somewhat supported by my inability to find any record of their presence in the United Stated prior to 1890.

However, I have exhaustively research the 1884 – 1888 time-frame for any records documenting their presence or of their journey to the United States with negative results. I also just discovered Margaret Zang’s obituary, with its reference to having lived in the Chicago area prior to moving to Wisconsin.

In reviewing the above information it is probably necessary to view the 1867 – 1868 dates provided in the 1900 census as being much more likely.

Philipp Josef Zang (b. 1854) married Anna Maria Hartmann (b. 1866) in Arnstein on 25 May 1896. They had one known child, Karl Josef Zang (b. 1898), and both died in Arnstein.

Arnstein:

View genealogical information about Georg Karl Zang on my RootsWeb family tree.

Research Questions:

  • When did Margaret Zang (b. 1858) leave Germany?
  • When did Rosina Josephi Schmitt (b. 1825) leave Germany?
  • When did Rozina Josephi Zang (b. 1863) leave Germany?
  • Where was Johann Kaspar Schmitt born? According to his marriage record, he was born in 1779: the place of birth was initially recorded as “Arnstein”, but that was subsequently crossed out.
  • More information about Georg Schmitt may be available: He was involved in the production of potassium nitrate, possibly in Sondheim (located about 40 miles North of Arnstein).
  • More information about Kaspar Keller may be available. He was reportedly a miller from Heugrumbach (located about 1 mile West of Arnstein).
  • How many children? The 1900 census record for Rosina indicates that she had 7 children, 5 of whom were still living. I have only documented 3 children (Phillip, Margaret and Rosina).

Year: 1900; Census Place: Lyons, Walworth, Wisconsin; Roll: 1821; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 0094

Notes:

  • The Kirchenbuch, 1858-1929: Evangelisch Lutherische St. Johannis Gemeinde (Slades Corner, Wisconsin) Contains history, members, baptisms, communicants 1867-1924, confirmations 1867-1929, meeting reports 1867-1899, marriages, deaths 1863-1929, collections 1869-1897, and misc. newspaper clippings. This is on FamilySearch Film 1404984 Items 1-2. This may document some events related to the Zang and the Zang/Curran families. A copy was ordered on 13 June 2017: it will be sent to the Dallas Public Library.