Anna Barbara Schmid

This is a short sketch of the lives of Karl A. Schmid and Anna Landert Schmid of Bern, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland. They embraced the Gospel of Jesus Christ in 1880 after which they moved from Bern to the city of Schaffhaussen near the Rhine Falls, where father engaged in his occupation as a tailor. They entertained many of the elders from Zion during the six years they lived in that city. Eight children were born to them, seven in Switzerland and one, named Joseph, who was born in Paris, Idaho. This son died one month after his birth. Other children were Charles, Anna, Mary, Robert, Erma and August. The family had a great desire to gather with the Saints in Zion, but owning to their limited finances they could not gather enough money for all to emigrate to Zion at the same time. Ways and means were afforded to them to come at different times. Anna, aged 16, and Mary, aged 11, came to Zion in August, 1883. This was a sad parting for the parents of both of these young girls. To leave their family, their home and come to a new country where they would cast their lot among strangers in a strange land took courage, and was done only because of their love for the gospel.

The girls came to Paris, Idaho, where Anna stayed with Brother and Sister John Norton. Mary stayed with Brother and Sister W.N.B. Shepherd. She stayed with them for nearly three years. Anna moved to Bern where she found employment at the home of Brother David Kunz where she worked in a dairy. There she earned enough money to send some to her parents from time to time, and by 1886, she had sent sufficient with that which her father had for them to emigrate to Zion.

In the Spring of 1884 Charles was able to get sufficient means for him to come to Zion. He was then only 19 years of age. He too worked at the tailor trade. It was difficult and sad again for our parents to see him go and to bid him goodby not knowing when they would see him again. He worked in and around Paris for a while, then in Evanston, Wyoming, and later in Omaha, Nebraska. He was knocked about considerably. Some of our own people didn't treat him as good as they should have. In fact, he said that he obtained better and kindlier treatment among people not of our faith than he had from some within the church. This became quite a stumbling block to him.

In 1885 Elder Jacob Hafen of Mt. Pleasant, Utah, told father and mother he would like to take Robert with him and would give him a home in Utah until such time that his parents and the rest of the family could get enough means to go to Zion. Mother objected immediately. She would not consent to let Robert go. She said that she already had three children in America and she didn't know whether she would ever see them again. Life, as she said, was to uncertain, and she couldn't see another of her children leave their home. Robert was enthusiastic about going to Zion and would have readily gone with this good elder, but his mother would not permit it.

Sometime later someone put $40.0 in the Emigration fund for Robert and it was left there so that in the year 1886 in the month of May, the family was able to emigrate to Zion with a great company of Saints from all over Switzerland. Some German Saints, a large company of English Saints, and some Scandinavian members came to America together.

In the city of Basil, Switzerland, the family met and visited with Elder John Kunz III and Elder David Kunz whom they had entertained many times in their home in Schaffhaussen. The family left their native Switzerland on May 17, 1886, and arrived in Montpelier, Idaho, June 9th. They crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the Steamship Nevada. They were on board ship eleven days.

When they arrived in Montpelier they were met by Brother William J. Kunz and his Uncle Will Kunz who escorted the family to Bern where Sister annie met us. Great was our joy in reuniting with one another. We were royally entertained at the home of Sister Louisa Kunz, wife of David Kunz who was still in Switzerland on a mission, and also by Uncle Will and Mary Ann Roberts Kunz. We stayed under their hospitable roof for a week when Grandpa John Kunz moved us to Paris, Idaho, where we met Sister Mary again. She could not understand a word of German any more, but, of course, it soon came to her again. Both father and mother wept with joy in this happy reunion and meeting. In a month or two Brother Charlie came from Evanston thus completing a happy family reunion. We lived in a little house of Conrad Vatterlaus in the First Ward for a month or two when father bought a house and lot in the Second Ward on Main Street from Brother Walter Hodge.

The above was written by Robert Schmid prior to march 4, 1947, at which time it was written by Amy K. Kunz in her Family Record book.

The above as well as the photo was found by doing a Google Search for The comfort of Being Together in Pease & Plenty, the William J. & Annie Schmid Kunz Family Story, which was written by Dianne Steckler Rasi-Koskinen in 1997. Here is a link to that website:

https://archive.org/details/TheWilliamJ.AnnieSchmidKunzFamilyStory