Tombstone Tuesday: Claus Schlichtmann (1834-1899) and family

Last month, on my way to visit my mom for our annual birthday celebration (cake, steak and gambling!), I stopped by my old hometown of Tracy, California, to check out the cemetery where some of my pioneer ancestors were buried. I mostly grew up in Tracy (we moved there from over the hill in Livermore when I was almost eight, in 1973, and my mom finally moved away after Dad passed away in 2003). Lately, I've been trying to dig a little further into my Tracy roots, and it occurred to me that I hadn't yet even bothered to visit my ancestors who "lived" so close to me. Shame on me!

So, here is is the tombstone and burial plot of my Great Great Great Grandfather, Claus Schlichtmann. His name and information are inscribed on the front of the monument and his mother, Anna Maria (von Holte-Schlichtmann) Katt, and daughter, Anna Maria (Schlichtmann) Genzer, are both memorialized on the side and back of the monument.

Claus Schlichtmann, Born Sept. 4, 1831. Died July 5, 1899. A native of Germany

Claus Schlichtmann was my 3rd great grandfather on my mom's side. He was born in 1831 in Hanover, Germany, and immigrated to the US in 1862. Not long afterward he sent for his family, including his wife, Anna, and my great great grandmother, Christina Schlichtmann Bruhns, who was just a baby when they made their voyage. They lived in Pennsylvania for a time, and then finally they made their way to California, living for a short time in San Francisco before they settled in Tracy. Claus died in San Francisco on July 5, 1899, at the age of 68, and was buried at the Tracy Public Cemetery in Tracy, California. The plot is in the oldest section of the cemetery, right at the corner of Schulte Road and McArthur Boulevard. Growing up, we drove by there at least a few times a week on our way into town. 

Claus' daughter, Anna Maria Genzen, Born Sept 14, 1860. Died Feb 3, 1896. A native of Germany  

Claus' mother, Anna Maria von Holte (Schlichtmann) Katt, Born Nov 12, 1802.
Died Jan 17, 1901. A native of Germany.

Mystery stone, but I think it belongs to Claus' wife, Anna Sophia, or one of his other daughters.

Claus' wife (and my GGG grandmother), Anna Sophia von der Leith, is not memorialized on the stone.  However, I believe she is buried with her family in the plot. It's possible that this broken stone that was leaning against the base of the memorial stone belongs to her or another family member. Next time I'm in Tracy, I'm going to visit the cemetery office to see if I can get some records that might help me determine exactly where Anna Sophia is resting.

I enjoyed my first "tourist" visit (meaning, not there for a funeral) to the Tracy Public Cemetery, and I'm having fun getting to know my German ancestors. In fact, on my way back home to Oakland that week, I stopped in at the Tracy Area Genealogical Society office and did a little more research into my Schlichtmann and Bruhns families. What a treasure trove! More to come on that soon.