US Bauerschmidts

This is not a complete listing of all Bauerschmidts currently living in the U.S. Rather, it is a summary of research regarding historical Bauerschmidt clans. Hopefully, this list can help save you time searching for ancestors in a particular state.

If a state is not listed here, then there are no "Bauerschmidts" listed in any of the indexes for the 1850 to 1920 US census. That does not mean that no Bauerschmidts ever lived there; they just don't appear in the census index. You may still find Bauerschmidts listed in marriage, death or naturalization records for those states (for example see entry for Nebraska), so don't be discouraged from looking.

If you have information on other Bauerschmidt families, either current or historical, that you would like to add to this webpage, send an e-mail and we will include them.

If you are interested in seeing the distribution of Bauerschmidt families currently living in the U.S, here are maps for the two most common spellings based on listings in phone directories.

California

Bauerschmidts begin to show up in California records in the 1870s. Joseph Bauerschmidt, age 26, an iron worker from Prussia is listed on the 1870 census as living in Anaheim. Joseph and his family are difficult to find in the 1880 census since they are listed as "Bennerscheidt" or "Bennerschmidt" on most indexes. Frederick Bauerschmidt of Hanover, Germany appears in California naturalization records in 1871. It is not known whether either Joseph or Frederick have any living descendants. No California Bauerschmidt families are listed in the soundex indexes for the 1900, 1910 or 1920 census.

Colorado

William F. Bauersmith, age 21, shows up in the 1900 census as an inmate in the Gunnison County jail. Although it is not clear that William is really a Bauerschmidt, his place of birth is given as Pennsylvania, where many Bauerschmidt families can be found. So if you are missing a Pennsylvania relative named William, you might want to check him out to see if there is a match. We have no further information on William.

Florida

There are no Bauerschmidts listed in the 1880, 1900 or 1920 census indexes for the state of Florida. However, there are several Bauerschmidt families currently living in Florida in the Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Vero Beach areas. To the best of our knowledge, all are retirees who have relocated to Florida from northern states.

Illinois

One of the earliest records of Bauerschmidts in Illinois is for George Bauernschmidt, who was naturlized in Clinton County in 1878. Although George was living in Illinois at the time, no Bauerschmidts are listed in the 1880 census indexes for the state of Illinois. George and his family do show up in the 1900 and 1910 census living in Lake County. John Baurensmith, age 35, also shows up with his family in the 1900 census living in the City of Chicago. Max Bauerschmidt was naturalized in Cook County in October of 1894 and was married in June of 1897. Although he was living in Chicago at the time, Max is not listed on the 1900 census index; but he shows up Chicago city directories. Max and his family can be found in the 1910 census index living in Chicago. Although, both George and Max had more than one son, it is not known whether either has any living descendants.

Boberschmidts show up in the state of Illinois beginning with the 1910 census. The Bauerschmitz spelling can be found in the 1920 census used by a family living near Springfield in Sangamon County. There are also several Bauerschmidts currently living in the greater Chicago area that are from families originally from Ohio (see Ohio Bauerschmidts).

Iowa

Albert Bauernschmit, a laborer from Bavaria, shows up in the 1870, 1880 and 1900 census with his wife and daughter living in Dubuque County, Iowa. It's unknown whether he has any living descendants. There is also a family of Beierschmitts from Wurttemberg, Germany living in Black Hawk County, Iowa in the 1880 census; but they do not appear to be related to any Bauerschmidts. No Iowa Bauerschmidts are listed in the indexes for the 1910 or 1920 census.

Indiana

A. Bauernschmidt, a 27 year old servant, shows up in the 1880 census living in Indianapolis. Also, Joseph Bauerschmitt, a Frenchman who immigrated to the U.S. in 1904, shows up in Ferdinand, Indiana in the 1940s and is buried there.

Kansas

There does not appear to be any Bauerschmidt families currently living in Kansas. However, from 1890 - 1920, there were Bauerschmitts living in the Topeka area. They show up in census records and city directories. This family was descended from Charles Bauerschmitt, a Frenchman who immigrated to the U.S. in 1873 and initially settled in Ohio before moving to Kansas (see Ohio Bauerschmidts ).

Kentucky

Mary Bauersmith, age 25, of Wurttemberg, Germany shows up in the 1870 census living in Kenton County. No other Bauerschmidts appear in census indexes for Kentucky. However, a George Bauerschmitt does show up in Jefferson County death records in 1912. George was actually one of the Kansas Bauerschmitts, who died at the home of his wife's parents, in Louisville, Kentucky.

Maryland

Since Baltimore was a major port of entry for German immigrants, there have been numerous Bauerschmidt and Bauernschmidt families living in the Baltimore area since the early 1800s. The oldest that appears in the Baltimore passenger lists is Sebastian Bauerschmidt who came to Baltimore in 1839. It is not known whether he has any living descendants. Three brothers, John J., John T. and George Bauernschmidt, Bavarian immigrants from Wambach, show up in Baltimore city directories, starting in the 1850s. They became established in the brewing industy and show up in the census from 1860 to 1880. They have many descendants currently living throughout Maryland. Further information on these brothers can be found in the July-August 2003 issue of American Breweriana Journal.

There were also two families living in western Maryland in the late 1700s, that may or may not be of interest since their name is sometimes spelled "Bowerschmit" or "Bowersmith". Catherina and Jacob Bauerschmid show up in Lutheran church records as early as 1775. George Bowerschmit shows up in Evangelical Reformed Church records in the 1780s.

Michigan

There are no Bauerschmidts listed in the 1880, 1900 or 1910 census indexes for the state of Michigan. Several Bowersmiths show up in Shiawassee County in the 1920 census. Although some are German immigrants, it is not clear whether they are really Bauerschmidts. There are several Bauerschmidt families currently living in eastern and southern Michigan that are descended from George Bauerschmitt, a Frenchman who came to the U.S. in 1872 and eventually settled in Ohio (see Ohio Bauerschmidts ).

Minnesota

Bauernschmidts show up in Carver County, Minnesota in the 1870 census. They appear to be descended from George Bauernschmidt and his sons, who came to the U.S. from Tiefenhochstadt, Germany. George was naturalized in Pennsylvannia in 1868 before moving to Minnesota. This family can be difficult to find in census indexes because their name was often terribly misinterpreted. It shows up as "Baunschid" in the 1870 index, "Banernschmidt" in the 1880 index and "Barenuskmidt" in the 1910 index. However, if you look for yourself you will clearly see that it is really written as Baurnschmidt or Bauernschmidt. A good place to start researching Minnesota Bauernschmidts is at the Minnesota Historical Society website, which now has an on-line database for 20th century death certificates.

Missouri

Bauernschmidts have been living in the St. Louis area since at least the 1840s, when they begin to show up in church records for St. Joseph Catholic parish. In addition, the family of George Bauernschmidt, from Bavaria, shows up in civil records in the 1880s. His family and descendants show up in the 1910 and 1920 census. It is unknown whether George was related to the other Bauernschmidts who lived there in the 1840s and 1850s.

The name Bobersmith/Boverschmidt appears as early as the 1860 census. Although they are listed as immigrants from Prussia, it is not known whether they are really Bauerschmidts.

Montana

Bernhard Baurschmidt, a German immigrant, appears on the 1900 - 1920 census living at first in Butte and later in Helena. Bernhard had 2 daughters. It is not known whether he has any living descendants.

Nebraska

No Bauerschmidts show up in the census indexes for Nebraska, however evidence of Bauerschmidts does appear in civil marriage records. A Georg Bauernschmitt is listed in Nebraska marriage records in 1884. In addition, during the late 1890s, George Bauerschmitt, one of the Kansas Bauerschmitts, resided in Omaha and married in Lancaster county (Lincoln) Nebraska. He and his wife resided in Lincoln for a while, before returning to Topeka, Kansas.

New Jersey

William Bauerschmidt shows up on the 1910 and 1920 census living in Camden, New Jersey. According to the census, William was born in Pennsylvania. It is not known which Pennsylvania Bauerschmidt family he belongs to, or whether he has any living descendants.

New York

More Bauerschmidts live in New York than any other state. This is not suprising since New York city is the nation's largest city and was the number one port of entry for German immigrants. One of the earliest Bauerschmidts in the state of New York was Stephan Bauernschmidt who arrived at the port of New York in 1852. It is unknown whether he has any living descendants. The number of Bauerschmidts currently living in New York are too numerous to mention. There have also been several immigrants that settled initially in New York before moving on. Some of the historical families from the state of New York are:

Manhatten - Lorenz Bauernschmidt, a tailor from Bavaria, appears on the 1860 census with his family. Unfortunately, the indexers were not kind to him. He is listed as "Louis Bauernschmitt" in the 1870 index and as "Lorenz Bauernshonit" on the 1880 index. Peter Bowerschmitt also a Bavarian immigrant, shows up on the 1880 census. Although both Lorenz and Peter had several sons, it is not known whether they have any living descendants.

Rochester - Bauerschmidts have been living in the Rochester area since the 1860s. This family is descended from one Adam Bauerschmitt who came to the U.S. from Stadtsteinach, Germany in 1860. Detailed family trees for the Rochester area Bauerschmidts are available on the internet at a couple of locations.

Queens - There are 2 families from the Queens New York area. One is descended from William and Carloyn Bauerschmidt who came to the U.S. in 1893 from the Thuringia area of Germany (see German Bauerschmidts). There is another family in the Queens area descended from Erhard Bauernschmidt who came to the U.S. with his family in July 1880.

Several families of Bauerschmidts also show up in the 1880 census living in Bronx, Brooklynn and Long Island.

Ohio

Bauerschmidts have been living in the state of Ohio since the 1870s. Most of the Bauerschmidts living in Ohio today are descended from one of 4 brothers who emigrated from Phalsbourg France (see French Bauerschmidts). This clan is currently located in the greater Toledo area (Wood and Lucas counties). There are also Bowersmiths that have been living in Ohio since the 1820s. The silimar name is a coincidence and this family is not related to any Bauerschmidts.

Oklahoma

Bauernschmidts show up in Cleveland County Oklahoma beginning with the 1920 census. The are descended from 2 brothers, Laurence and Joe Bauernschmidt, who were born in Minnesota in the 1890s (see Minnesota ). Their descendants still live in the Norman area. You may have a little trouble finding Laurence in the 1920 index since his name shows up as "Bournsmith", but if you look at the actual census record, it is clearly written as "Baurnschmitt".

Pennsylvania

Since Philadelphia was a major port of entry for immigrants, there have been Bauerschmidt families living in Pennsylvania for most of U.S. history. The earliest evidence that we have seen for Bauerschmidts in North America is Jacob Bauerschmiedt and his son Jacob who arrived at the port of Philadelphia in 1752. They came to the U.S. from Klein Gartach in the Palatinate region of Germany and settled in Lancaster County, PA. It is unknown whether they have any living descendants. There are at least 4 other historical clusters of Bauerschmidts in Pennsylvania.

Pittsburgh area Bauerschmidts descended from George Bauerschmidt, a German emigrant from Hessen who came to the U.S. with his family in the 1850s and settled in the Pittsburgh area. His son Caspar was naturalized in Pittsburgh in 1856. This family can be found in the census in the Pittsburgh area from 1860 - 1920. A good place to begin searching for Pittsburgh area Bauerschmidts is at the Historic Pittsburgh virtual web project. The University of Pittsburgh is constructing a virtual library on the web as part of this project. They currently have census records for the cities of Allegheny and Pittsburgh from 1850 to 1880 available on-line in a searchable database. Remember to also try the spelling "Bauersmith" as a few of the Pittsburgh families are listed that way as well.

Philadelphia area Bauerschmidts descended from German immigrants who came to the U.S. in the 1880s.

Erie County Bauerschmidts descended from John and Eva Bauernschmidt - Bavarian immigrants that came to the U.S. in 1858. They show up in census records from 1860 - 1900.

Crawford County Bauerschmidts that are descended from German immigrants who came from Wurttemberg.

There are also numerous unrelated Bauer, Schmidt, Beierschmitt and Bowersmith families living in Pennsylvania.

South Dakota

Bauerschmidts begin to show up in the Dakota territory starting with Fred K. Bauerschmidt, a Hessen emigrant who came to Sioux Falls with the U.S. Army in 1866. According to military records, he mustered out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Fred and his family can be found on the 1880 census living in Minnehaha. Although it is not clear how he is connected to any of the Pennsylvania Bauerschmidt families, he appears to have come from the same town in Germany as the Pittsburgh Bauerschmidts, so there could be a connection. For more information on Fred, contact the Pipestone County Museum in Pipestone, MN (across the border from Sioux Falls, SD).

Texas

The first Bauerschmidt to show up on the census in Texas is Frank Bauerschmidt, age 24, who appears on the 1920 census living in Harris County. According to the census records, Frank was born in New York. We have no further information on Frank or his descendants. However, there are several Bauerschmidt families currently living in Texas and many entries show up in online websites for 20th century Texas death and marriage records.

Virginia

No Bauerschmidts show up on the census indexes from 1860 - 1920 in the state of Virginia. However, Mary Bausmidt, a 55-year old widow, shows up living in Suffolk in the 1910 census. It is not clear whether this name is connected to any Bauerschmidts.

Wisconsin

Bauerschmidts have been living in Wisconsin since the 1880s. They are descended from one George Bauernschmidt who emigrated from Steinach, Germany. A good place to begin researching Milwaukee area Bauerschmidts is at the Milwaukee Catholic cemeteries website.