Schmitz in Kesternich, Aachen

[nuke126]

I recently found an emigration list for my Schmitz family that left Prussia in late 1848 and arrived in New York, USA in January 1849. Before finding this I had zero clues to where this family came from in Prussia. On the emigration record it states, "Origin: Kesternich, Prussia". I am very excited to know this now and hope to find records of my family. I looked on FamilySearch.org, there are records for this town but they are not available online or digitized yet so I hope someone here has access to the town records. Below is the family that left Kesternich, I don't know if they were born, or got married there; perhaps in a neighboring village.

Father: Peter Joseph Schmitz (last name might have slightly different spelling) born 1793-1794
Mother: Sybilla Kreusch / Krysch born 1794

Children:
Jacob Peter Schmitz b. 1823
Anna Schmitz b. 1829
Henry Schmitz b. 1832
Elisabeth Schmitz b. 1832-35?
Nicholas Joseph Schmitz b. 1838

[noisette]

Good day,
could you send a document to see how the names were written.
Greetings
Françoise

[nuke126]

Good day,
could you send a document to see how the names were written.
Greetings
Françoise

I believe these are the only documents I have that show the name, it was pretty consistently written as Schmitz in censuses in the USA from around 1870-1900 and beyond. Attachments show passenger list and 1850 and 1860 censuses. Looks like the person writing the name down just did the best they could trying to understand their German accent. It looks like it was written Smidt, Smith, Smidz, until they decided on Schmitz.

I hope someone can find records for this family, most likely in Kesternich or neighboring towns because I've hit a brick wall in my research.

[noisette]

How do you do?
I have not forgotten you. Do you get on well with the German language?
Kesternich belonged to Simmerath. If Schmitz was Catholic, you can find both places at https://data.matricula-online.eu/de/suchen/. Where the word “ORT” appears, write Simmerath or Kesternich. I couldn't find what I was looking for. In 1815 there is a Schmitz Peter Joseph but the wife is not correct. Otherwise the name Schmitz is almost non-existent. I'll keep trying.
Greetings
Françoise

[noisette]

Good day,
I don't forget anyone, but I need something more from you. The list of the family that Peter Schmitt is said to be 67 years old. What is the date of this list, when was it drawn up?
Greetings
Françoise

[nuke126]

Good day,
I don't forget anyone, but I need something more from you. The list of the family that Peter Schmitt is said to be 67 years old. What is the date of this list, when was it drawn up?
Greetings
Françoise

that was an 1860 United States census, when Peter was 67 years old.

[nuke126]

How do you do?
I have not forgotten you. Do you get on well with the German language?
Kesternich belonged to Simmerath. If Schmitz was Catholic, you can find both places at https://data.matricula-online.eu/de/suchen/. Where the word “ORT” appears, write Simmerath or Kesternich. I couldn't find what I was looking for. In 1815 there is a Schmitz Peter Joseph but the wife is not correct. Otherwise the name Schmitz is almost non-existent. I'll keep trying.
Greetings
Françoise

I am interested in seeing that 1815 record you are referring to where the wife is not correct. Was it a marriage record? Which city?

[nuke126]

I made a big discovery about this family and this whole thread.

I found out that this couple: Peter Joseph Schmitz & Sibilla Joanna Kreusch were married in Eupen, Liege, Belgium in 1822, and not in Germany/Prussia like I was expecting. The only other hint to where they were from before coming to America was "Kesternich, Germany" from the late 1840s.

Their marriage record in Eupen in 1822 also stated that the groom, Peter Schmitz, was born in Heimbach (Germany) which is just on the other side of the current border between Belgium and Germany. And Heimbach and Kesternich are about 12km apart.

I've found a bunch of records for Sibilla Kreusch's parents and grandparents in Eupen on familsearch.org, and if I have questions I will post in the Liege, Belgium thread in the forum. I haven't found any records for the Schmitz family yet in Heimbach, Germany.

I do still want to find a birth record for their daughter, Elizabeth Schmitz, which would be in the Heimbach / Kesternich area, I believe she was born 06 May 1832 (could be a year or two off). Seems as though Peter went to Eupen to marry Sibilla in her hometown and they they went to live in the Heimbach area, had some kids and then went to America in 1849.

Peter Joseph Schmitz was the son of Heinrich Schmitz & Elisabeth Breuer.
Sibilla Kreusch was the daughter of Jacob Kreusch & Maria Catharina Mostert.