This obituary contains a lot of useful information, but unfortunately there also seems to be a few mistakes.

I love that it tells all about Caroline’s last days and a great story about her life. The problem is that there seems to be some errors when it comes to some of the names and dates.

Some of discrepancies could be correct in the obituary and wrong in the multiple sources I have (due to their types), but I kind of doubt it. My information comes from resources covering several decades and are rather consistent with each other. 

This obituary feels like it was written by one family member who may have thought that he/she got it close enough…

Bottom line… the verdict is honestly still out.

First, you will find a copy of the obituary word-for-word. Second, I will address the discrepancies; and third, you will find Caroline’s vital statistics as I know them.

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Beecher Herald, Beecher, Will Co., IL

05 Mar 1909
Obituary

Mrs. Fred Schutte. Sr.

The death of Mrs. Fred Schutte, Sr. occurred at 6 o’clock, Monday 1, at the home of her daughter, Nas, Henry Stolzenburg, at Homewood. She had been ill for two weeks with a complication of bronchial asthma and pneumonia, but had recovered, and on Monday was feeling fine, until in the afternoon, while sitting in a chair, she was stricken with heart failure and expired a short time afterward.

The remains were brought to this village, yesterday afternoon, and were conveyed to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, where Rev. A.H. Brauer conducted funeral services.

Caroline Braedemeyer was born April 9, 1832, in Buckeberg, Lippe, Germany. In 1852, at the home of her birth, she was married to Fred Schutte. They came to America in September 1860, and settled at Eagle Lake, Ill. where they lived for five years. They then moved to the town of Will, and after a residence there of nineteen years, came back to the town of Washington, taking up their abode near Beecher, where, in 1897, Mr. Schutte died. Thirteen children were born to this union, eight of whom are living: Henry and Fred of Beecher; Mrs. Henry Stolzenburg, Hamewood; Mrs. Fred Lindeman, Mrs. Echart Stoltzenburg, Mrs. Wm. Meyer, Sr. near Beecher; Mrs. John Piepenbrink, Eagle Lake; Henry Smith, near Creamburg. Besides these, ___? grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren survive.

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Caroline passed away at her daughter Anna’s house. She and her husband Henry (Adam Heinrich) Stolzenbach lived in Homewood. Their last name was not Stolesnburg and the name of their town was printed correctly the first time in the obituary and incorrectly the second time. I do not know what “Nas” was supposed to mean. Anna’s full given name was Anna Sophie Dorothee Schütte.

Caroline’s maiden name was actually spelled Breimeier and not Braedemeyer. She was born April 9, 1833, in Meerbeck, Schaumburg, Niedersachsen, Germany (not in 1832 in Buckeberg, Lippe, Germany).

Caroline and Fred Schütte were married in Lauenhagen, Schaumburg, Niedersachsen, Germany (not in Buckeberg, Lippe, Germany).

I do not believe that she came to American in 1860, because she apparently was still having children in Germany as late as September 1861. By December 1863, she was giving birth in Illinois. According to census records, though, she (or someone) was stating that she arrived in America in 1853. Maybe she said 1863 and they wrote 1853. That would make sense with what we know about census takers.  Who knows?

It looks like the obituary says that she had 21 grandchildren living or at least some two digit number ending with a one.

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My third great-grandmother on my “official father’s side”, Caroline Philippine BREIMEIER, was born April 9, 1833 to Friedrich Gottlieb BREIMEIER (1781-1845) and Engel Marie BARTELS (1795-1860) in Meerbeck, Schaumburg, Niedersachsen, Germany. Caroline died March 1, 1909 in Homewood, Cook County, Illinois, at the home of her oldest daughter, Anna Sophie Dorothee Schütte in Homewood, Illinois.

* For clarification about what I mean by my “official father’s side”, you can read the 4th and 5th little paragraphs introducing this blog here.

Caroline married Friedrich Ernst Gottlieb Schütte (1832-1897) on May 13, 1852 in Lauehagen, Schaumburt, Niedersachsen, Germany.

Their thirteen children were as follows: Friedrich Wilhelm Schütte (1857-1859), Anna Sophie Dorothee Schütte (1859-1914), Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm Schütte (1860-1946), Sophie Catharine Dorothee Schütte (1861-1940), Caroline Schütte (1863-1941) ~ Caroline was the first child born in the United States, Lena Schütte (1864-?), Marie Schütte 91865-1944), Christine Schütte (1866-1877), Augusta Schütte (1868-1954), Fred Schütte (1870-1959), Marie Sophie Mathilde Schütte (1871-1871), Emma Schütte (1872-1940), William August Schütte (1874-1874)

Where does Caroline fit into our family tree?

Caroline Philippine BREIMEIER was the mother of  Caroline SCHUTTE.

Eckhardt STOLZENBACH and Caroline SCHUTTE were the parents of Marie STOLZENBACH.

John Henry HERZ and Marie STOLZENBACH were the parents of Elsie Rose HERZ.

Irvin Henry SCHROEDER and Elsie Rose HERZ were the parents of Donald Irvin SCHROEDER.

Donald Irvin SCHROEDER was the father listed on my original birth certificate and married to my mom when I was born.  I have since heard that he is not my biological father, but I am not sure. We definitely look very similar and nobody living seems to know who my biological father is… if he is not.