Daughter of Valentine Schmitz and Catharine Blasen

THE KINSLEY GRAPHIC
Thursday, October 23, 1919
Page 12, Column 3

Mrs. Louis Brown died at her home Saturday. She had planned to come down town that day, but postponed the trip after dressing, said she did not feel very well. Her heart failed her and was not long until the end came. She was one of the early settlers and a highly respected citizen. The funeral was from St. Nicholas church. The services were conducted by Rev. Father Kramer. Interment was in the Garfield cemetery. A very large number of old friends gathered to pay their respect to the memory of this good woman.

Gertrude Schmitz was born September 7, 1848, at Eagle Germany. She graduated with high honors from the German school at Trier, at the age of fourteen years.

In the year 1862, with her mother, she came to America and located in Chicago, Ill. In 1865, April 10th, she was united in marriage to Louis Brown in St. Joseph church, Chicago, Ill. Mr. Brown was a soldier of the Civil War, Sergeant of Company K., 17th Wis. To this union was born 10 children, Katie, Nick, Anna, Frank, Christina, Eva, Joseph, Louise, Ada and Edward. Christina and Eva dying in infancy. Mother Brown, with her husband and family, came to Kansas and located in Garfield, where they resided a number of years, finally settling down on a soldiers claim in Logan township, Edwards Co., where in the pioneer days, suffering all the hardships known to other early pioneers. From a very small start, they finally established a beautiful home. In the year 1901, June the 19th, the husband and father preceded her to the great beyond. Mrs. Brown was a good Christian member of the Holy Catholic church all the days of her life and a loving and faithful mother, denying herself all pleasures for the sake of her children, devoting all her time and energy for them and her friends and neighbors. She was loved and praised by all who knew her. To know her was to love her. She departed this life Saturday, 1:35 a.m., October 18th, 1919.
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