Michael the RebelAA  A 

 

We don't really know whether the Nail Signer's eldest son, Johann Michael, was in fact a rebel.  But we know with some certainty that he was the first descendant of Hans the Master Tailor to spell his surname "Schmitt" instead of "Schmidt".  The earliest example we have is in 1742 when, at the age of sixteen, he witnessed a parishioner's baptism.

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Anyone who has studied the 18th or early 19th century knows that spellings were not yet uniform, even among relatively educated people.  This was true of names and common words as well.  In the small towns of Alsace, many people were still illiterate and the most educated people were generally the clergy.

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Michael came of age when the pastor at the Hatten church was one Rev. Champfort (tenure 1736-1740), who took exception to the usual spelling "Schmidt" and spelled both the name and the occupation "Schmitt".  Champfort's influence, therefore seems the most likely reason that Michael and his brother adopted the alternate spelling.  See the article History of the spelling of the Schmitt name in our Family History Scrapbook for more discussion and examples.

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Michael's birth in 1726 is the earliest known birth record among descendants of Hans the Master Tailor.  Michael joined his father in the nailsmith's trade, and on February 4, 1755 married Margaretha Hohenadel of the nearby town of Niederbetschdorf.  Like so many parents of the time, Michael and Margaretha lost four of their six children before age 6.  Ironically, their first surviving son, Jacob, was born just three days after the death of his grandfather, Jacob the Nail Signer.

 

Michael died at the age of 56, while Margaretha would go on to live another 19 years.

 

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