Ignatius was born in 1815, in a village named a Hopsten, north of Cologne and part of the control of the Bishop of Cologne, in Prussia, now Germany. Second son of Johann Bernard Schutte & Anna Maria Catharina Bessen.

There is a suspicion that maybe a Ignatius and Maria may have had a forbidden love, they were cousins of some sort, I don’t know as of yet how closely related. But what we do know is they left their village together. Somewhere along the way they married and arrived in America, settled in outskirts of Richmond, Virginia during the decade of 1830. By 1840, we find him on the Federal census in Manchester, Virginia, a city now defunct and now a neighborhood of Richmond.

Ignatius seemly arrived with his wife and several close cousins, later a younger brother Anthony arrived. Ignatius was a land owner of multiple properties around town, including two separate farms 100 acres in size, that ultimately was handed to his firstborn son, and second born son.

Ignatius was at the center of a group of German Catholics that petitioned for their own parish to be established here in Richmond. Ultimately called St. Mary’s German Catholic Church. Built on Marshall and 4th St, it continued to serve the community until sometime in the 1920s, when the need to have mass said in German began to lessen. Much of this community moved to the Benedictine Church, the Sacred Heart Cathedral and a smaller St Mary’s Church (built in the Manchester neighborhood).

— written by Dana Schutte, 3rd great grand daughter

Ignatius was born in 1815, in a village named a Hopsten, north of Cologne and part of the control of the Bishop of Cologne, in Prussia, now Germany. Second son of Johann Bernard Schutte & Anna Maria Catharina Bessen.

There is a suspicion that maybe a Ignatius and Maria may have had a forbidden love, they were cousins of some sort, I don’t know as of yet how closely related. But what we do know is they left their village together. Somewhere along the way they married and arrived in America, settled in outskirts of Richmond, Virginia during the decade of 1830. By 1840, we find him on the Federal census in Manchester, Virginia, a city now defunct and now a neighborhood of Richmond.

Ignatius seemly arrived with his wife and several close cousins, later a younger brother Anthony arrived. Ignatius was a land owner of multiple properties around town, including two separate farms 100 acres in size, that ultimately was handed to his firstborn son, and second born son.

Ignatius was at the center of a group of German Catholics that petitioned for their own parish to be established here in Richmond. Ultimately called St. Mary’s German Catholic Church. Built on Marshall and 4th St, it continued to serve the community until sometime in the 1920s, when the need to have mass said in German began to lessen. Much of this community moved to the Benedictine Church, the Sacred Heart Cathedral and a smaller St Mary’s Church (built in the Manchester neighborhood).

— written by Dana Schutte, 3rd great grand daughter