John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes

Note 1392

After several hours of study, I thought I had identified the Barbara Schmidt that I worried about in the last two notes. My approach was to study the baptismal records and the communion lists at the German Lutheran church in Culpeper Co., Virginia. She appears in seven communion lists, from 1775 to 1783, always without a husband. Some of the people sitting with her were:

In list #2, in 1775: Rosina Zimmerman, Delilia Breil, Barbara Schmidt, Elisabeth Schmidt, and Margaretha Schmidt.
In list #4: The sequence reads Eva Boehme, Maria Schleider, Barbara Schmidt, Pheronica Hirsch, Elisabeth Schmidt, and Margaretha Schmidt.
In list #6: Elisabeth Schmidt, Pheronica Hirsch, Margaretha Schmidt, Barbara Schmidt, Margaretha Main?d, and Elisabetha Reiner.
In list #10: Eva Bohm, Elisabeth Bohm, Barbara Schmidt, Veronika Hirsch, and Elisabeth Koch.
In list #12: Mary Smith, Molly Smith, Barbara Schmitt, Mary Tana, and Conrad Delph & wife Magthalena.
In list #13: Josua Jaeger, Barbara Schmitt, Adam Yaeger, and John Gaar & wife Margaretha.
In list #14, in 1783: Peter Breil & wife Elisabetha, Ludwich Nonenmacher, Barbara Schmitt, A. Margaretha Schmitt, A. Catharina Schmidt, and J. Michael Schmitt.

My first thought (apparently not correct), was that Barbara Smith was the husband of Asa Smith. Barbara was born a Yager, the daughter of John (Blind John) Yager and Mary Wilhoite. Asa Smith was from the English Smith family that we discussed recently. His father was Downing Rucker Smith, and his mother was Catherine Boehme. The story on this Smith family had come from Darryl Diemer. I expressed some doubt that that Downing Rucker Smith had married Catherine Boehme, but the communion lists would indicate to me that Darryl was probably correct.

It must be noted that Germanna Record number 10 has Barbara Smith, who married Asa Smith, but it gives her birth as 6 Jun 1777, which is too late for the records I have been citing above. Otherwise this would be a beautiful solution to the problem. Therefore, as we engineers say, it is back to the drawing boards. All of you who have tackled genealogy problems are aware of the false trails. You will have to regard this note as a failure.
(01 Apr 02)

We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.