Viva Las Vegas, part 3

In Viva Las Vegas, part 1, I shared some views of the masonic cemetery in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Part 2 featured the photos of the Hayward grave stones I came to see.

The reason there is a part 3 to this tale is because right next to the Hayward stones, there is this one for Asmus Christian Schmidt.


Hmm...my great-great grandmother's death certificate says her maiden name is Schmitz. Robert Hayward, her second husband, is buried next to this Schmidt. Could it be a coincidence?

One of the questions I have about my great-great grandmother was how she went from a married mother of one in 1892 Chicago to being married to another person in 1900 New Mexico. What happened to her first husband, and what brought her out west?

If she was widowed young in Chicago and had Schmidt/Schmitz family in Las Vegas, that's a good reason for relocation. What are the chances of two unrelated families named Schmidt/Schmitz in 1900's Las Vegas, New Mexico?

The math also adds up, so this could possibly be her father (and my ggg grandfather):

On the back of the memorial is another on for Louise E. Schmidt. I think this may be a second (or even third) wife for A. C. Schmidt, as the wagonmaker was known in Las Vegas.

Buried next to A.C. and Louise is George Schmitt. Again, the math fits. This could be A.C.'s son, and even my great-great grandmother's brother.

Carolina Schmitt could be George's wife.

Further investigation is needed to determine if these Schmidts are any connection to my Schmitz. I just think there are too many coincidences.

I have begun the slow process of ordering and perusing Las Vegas & San Miguel county microfilms at the Family History Center.

Never in a million years would I have thought I had so many roots in New Mexico, yet here I am digging them up.