Chapter 16 - California, the Final Years

To Review:
In the last chapter, Abraham and Katharina and all their children moved from their farm near Henderson, Nebraska to land north of Enid, Oklahoma in 1900. They lived there for 18 years while their children grew up, went to school, married and left home.

Enid became the "home" for the Schmidt family during that time and it still is the "where we came from" place even though the majority of Abraham and Katharina's descendants no longer live there.

Reedley, California 1918-1926
Mary and her husband Jacob Hiebert were the first to move to central California in May 1908 and they sent back glowing reports. Huge tracts of land were available in the Central Valley, crops could be grown year-round, and a church had already been established in Reedley.

Abraham and Katharina had lived in Enid for 18 years. All the children were grown and most were married with their own families. Their son John, married with a son, was running the family farm north of Enid.

Abraham was 68 and the California sunshine appealed to him. So, in 1916 they moved to California and lived with daughter Mary and husband Jacob J Hiebert on a ranch between Reedley and Dinuba until they could buy their own house at 1151 M St. in Reedley. The house is still there on a wide, tree-lined street.

Abraham and Katharina R. Schmidt's last house Reedley, Calif.

On October 4, 1918 Abraham and Katharina joined the Reedley Mennonite Brethren church with their two remaining bachelor sons, Pete and Nick.

Katharina became ill right before Thanksgiving 1921. It is unclear exactly what she had, but it affected her nervous system. She died the following year on September 4, 1922, at 7:15 a.m. She was only 60 years old.

Funeral of Katharina Regier Schmidt - her relationships are listed below

1. Brother-in-law, either Peter Unruh or John M. Regier
2. Sister of Katharina Regier Schmidt, either Susannah Regier Unruh or Anna Regier Unruh
3. Son-in-law Jacob (Jake) Hiebert (married to daughter Mary)
4. Grandson Daniel Hiebert
5. Son-in-law Peter Karber (married to step-daughter Tena)
6. Step-grandson Walter Karber (son of step-daughter Tena)
7. ?
8. ?
9. Step-daughter Tena Schmidt Karber (Abraham's daughter by his first wife, raised by Katharina)
10. Daughter-in-law Susan Schmidt (Nick's wife)
11. Granddaughter Hulda Hiebert (married Langhofer)
12. Daughter Mary Schmidt Hiebert
13. Son Peter Schmidt
14. Husband Abraham Schmidt
15. Son A.A. Smith (Schmidt)
16. Son Nick Schmidt
17. Granddaughter Katherine Hiebert
18. Grandson Abe Karber
19. Grandson Irvin Hiebert (later M.D.)

Abraham lived in his house on M St. for several more years. An immaculate housekeeper, he kept busy with a wide community of friends. Finally, heart problems confined him to bed. He moved in with his daughter Mary's family. Mary's daughter Hulda Hiebert Langhofer remembers running to do errands for him. And Jake's son, Raymond, remembers a rope hanging over Abraham's bed. When Abraham was short of breath he would pull himself up to catch his breath.

On October 10, 1928 he died at his daughter's home at the age of 76. Of his eleven children nine were still living at the time of his death. As of this writing his descendants include 39 grandchildren, 70 great-grandchildren, 75 great-great grandchildren and 9 great-great-great grandchildren.

Our wandering ancestors were laid to rest in the Reedley Cemetery. It is on the banks of the Kings River in central California about 40 miles south of Fresno. There are huge oak trees towering over the marble markers. How lucky we are that they pursued their dream of religious freedom so that we might live in such freedom today.