Friedrich G. Schultz ^{1 2 3}

   Another name for Friedrich was William Friedrich Schultz.^{4 5}

  Death Notes:

Name: Wilhelm Schultz
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 1898
Event Place: Williamstown, Dodge, Wisconsin
Residence Place: Williamstown, Dodge, Wis.
Gender: Male
Age: 77
Marital Status: Married
Race: white
Occupation: Farmer
Birth Date: 03 Feb 1821
Birthplace: Germany
Burial Place: Kekoskee, Dodge, Wis.
Spouse's Name: Maria Possen Schultz
Reference ID: p 35
GS Film Number: 1310179
Digital Folder Number: 4207428
Image Number: 527

Citing this Record:
"Wisconsin, Death Records, 1867-1907," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XL3P-WN9 : accessed 18 Nov 2014), Wilhelm Schultz, 1898; citing Death, Williamstown, Dodge, Wisconsin, Wisconsin State Historical Society, Madison; FHL film number 1310179.

NOTE - This MAY NOT be for the correct Friedrich Schultz even though the birth year corresponds with his age as given on all of his census records and the name of the spouse seems to match the name of Eva Maria Possin. The problem with this record is that there is a 1900 census reports which shows him alive and well two years after the supposed date of death given in this report. In addition, the burial location of the village of Kekoskee is not the same as the town of Burnett and Burnett cemetery where his gravestone is located.
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  Noted events in his life were:

• He has alternate birth date of 10 July 1828 and a birth location of Prussia.

^{2 3}

• He appeared on the 1860 US Census in Williamstown, WI on 10 June 1860. ⁵

1860 US Census
Page 33, Dwelling 277, Family 263
Williamstown, Dodge County Wisconsin
Wm. Schultz..39..PRUSSIA..Farmer
(Living with wife and 5 children.)
.

• He appeared on the 1870 US Census in Williamstown, WI on 6 August 1870. ⁴

1870 US Census
Page 55, Dwelling 388, Family 415
Williamstown, Dodge County, Wisconsin
William Schultz..49..PRUSSIA..Farmer
(Living with wife and 5 children.)
.

• He appeared on the 1880 US Census in Williamstown, WI on 2 June 1880. ¹

1880 US Census
Page 3, Roll 1423, District 29, Dwelling 27, Family 28
Williamstown, Dodge County, Wisconsin
Fredrick Shultz...Head..59..PRUSSIA..Farmer
(Living with wife and 3 children.)
.

• He was buried after 22 May 1905 in the Burnett Union Cemetery in Burnett, WI.

Find A Grave Memorial #30611965
. ³

• His obituary was published in the Beaver Dam Argus on 2 June 1905 in Beaver Dam, WI.

² Frederick Schultz of Trenton, who was injured April 29, by being run ov er by a team of horses and a land roller, died from internal injuries Monday, May 22, aged 77 years.

(Source: Beaver Dam Argus, Beaver Dam, WI, Friday, 2 Jun 1905, page 5)

NOTE - Because the date of death does not match the date on the gravestone, this obituary article may have been about a different Friedrich Schultz.
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.

Friedrich married Eva Maria Possin, daughter of Martin Matthew Possin and Anna Sophia Jänicke, on 2 December 1849 in Theresa, WI.¹ (Eva Maria Possin was born on 1 June 1829 in Prussia,⁶ died on 9 May 1909 in , Chester, WI ^{2 6} and was buried after 9 May 1909 in Burnett Union Cemetery, Burnett, Dodge, Wisconsin, United States ^{2 6}.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1860 US Census in Williamstown, WI on 10 June 1860. ⁵

1860 US Census
Page 33, Dwelling 277, Family 263
Williamtown, Dodge County Wisconsin
Wm. Schultz..39..PRUS..Farmer
Mary Schultz..31..PRUS
Mary Louise Schultz..9..WI
William Schultz..8..WI
Julius Schultz..6..WI
Charles Schultz..3..WI
Emilie Schultz..6m..WI
.

• They appeared on the 1870 US Census in Williamstown, WI on 6 August 1870. ⁴

1870 US Census
Page 55, Dwelling 388, Family 415
Williamstown, Dodge County, Wisconsin
William Schultz..49..PRUS..Farmer
Mary Schultz..41..PRUS..Keeping House
Fred Schultz..19..WI..At Home
Julius Schultz..17..WI..At Home
Charles Schultz..13..WI..At Home
Amelia Schultz..9..WI..At Home
Edward Schultz..6..WI..At Home
.

• They appeared on the 1880 US Census in Williamstown, WI on 2 June 1880. ¹

1880 US Census
Page 3, Roll 1423, District 29, Dwelling 27, Family 28
Williamstown, Dodge County, Wisconsin
Fredrick Shultz...Head..59..PRUS..Farmer
Mary Shultz...Wife..51..PRUS..Housekeeper
Charley Shultz...Son..23..WI..Working On Farm
Amelia Shultz...Dau..21..WI..At home
Eddie Shultz...Son..16..WI..Working On Farm
.

  Marriage Notes:

Research records of Friedrich Schultz and Eva Marie Possin:

There is a Wisconsin Death record from Williamstown, Dodge County, Wisconsin for a "Wilhelm Schultz" that died in 1898. It gives his birth date as 3 Feb 1821 and his wife's name as "Maria Possen Schultz". This certainly sounds like the correct person but there is a 1900 census for a "Fred Schultz", obviously still alive, and born about 1830 living in Trenton, Dodge County. There is also a Beaver Dam newspaper article giving details of the death of Frederick Schultz who died on 2 Jun 1905.

So when did he die? Was it in 1898 or was it in 1905? Census records show several Schultz families living in the area and both William, Wilhelm, Friedrich, and Frederick were all common names. Based on the use of the name of the spouse as "Maria Possen Schultz" in the Wisconsin Death Record, I'd have to think that this was the correct one and therefore Friedrich's date of death should be 1898.

However, the Find-A-Grave memorial pages for a Friedrich and Maria Schultz provide different birth and death dates. There is a photograph of their common gravestone which states that Friedrich Schultz was born on 3 Jul 1828 (instead of 1821) and died 22 Mar 1905 (instead of 1898).

Notice that this date of death is even different than the Fred Schultz that died in the Beaver Dam newspaper article mentioned above (22 Mar 1905 compared to 2 Jun 1905). Could this be even a third Friedrich Schultz?

On the gravestone for Friedrich Schultz on Find-A-Grave, it states that his wife, Maria, was born 31 Aug 1831 and died on 9 May 1909. Notice that the date of birth for this Maria Schultz is different than that of Eva Maria Possin who was thought to have been born on 1 Jun 1829, according to German Church records. However, the date of death on the gravestone precisely matches that of the known date of death for Eva Maria Possen, namely 9 May 1909.

Unless there was a different Maria that was married to a different Friedrich but she happened to die on the same exact day as Eva Maria Possin, then I'd say the photograph of the gravestone seems to correctly match her to the proper Friedrich Schultz. And that same photograph gives what must now be assumed to be the correct birth and death dates for Friedrich Schultz.

This means that the Wisconsin Death Record in 1898 for a "Wilhelm Schultz married to a Maria Possen Schultz" must be a different person.

This also means that the newspaper article about a Beaver Dam resident named Frederick Schultz who died on 2 Jun 1905 must also be a different person.

That leaves only the birth dates for Friedrich Schultz and Eva Maria Possin to be questionable. The census data for Friedrich throughout the years seems to support a birth year of 1821 instead of the 1828 on the gravestone. The problem is that a birth year of 1821 now suggests that the Wisconsin Death Record might be correct after all.

The birth date for Eva Maria as given on the gravestone as 1831 certainly does not match any of her census records which consistently suggested a birth year of 1829 which match the original German church records.

Now you're thinking that maybe the gravestone for Friedrich and Maria Schultz are not the right persons after all! The real problem is that there were too many people in a close geographic area all with the same name of either Friedrich Schultz or Maria Possin.

To support the conclusion of too many people with the same name and probable misidentification, there is an 1850 census record which shows Eva Maria Possin, still unmarried and living at home with her parents. Robert Westphal also indicates that Eva Maria Possin and Friedrich Schultz were married in 1849. There was no mention of Friedrich Schultz living with his new wife at the Possin home on the 1850 census. If there was a marriage in 1849 between a Friedrich Schultz and a Maria Possin, it was probably between two different people than the two in this family file.
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