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e Smits Family History f

Martin J. Smits (1886-1949)

Martin J. Smits was born on November 2, 1886 in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, the sixth child of Jacob Smits & Christina Baeten.  In October 1888 Martin's father purchased land which would become the Smits farm in Ashwaubenon and moved the family there.  When Martin was 6 years old, Christina, his mother, died from complications from childbirth leaving the family to be raised by Jacob and his elder daughters.  By 1900 the family was living on the Smits' farm including Peter Mathey, the husband of Martin's oldest sister, Dora. 

In 1905 Martin was living with his aunt Wilhelmina Broekman, the widow of Henry Baeten, along with his brother Frank.  Both Frank & Martin were working in the brickyard.

By 1910 Martin had moved out from the family and was living on his own.  Like many farmers in Wisconsin at the time, Martin worked for the lumberjack camps in northern Wisconsin during the winter months and he was known to have worked in the Crandon area.

On January 14, 1913 Martin, now 26, married the 20 year old Theresa Berken in St. Boniface Church in DePere, Wisconsin.  Their first child, Beatrice, was born in 1914 and they would have three more children by 1919.  In 1920 the family was living in a rented house in DePere and Martin was working as a laborer in a brick yard.  As was usual for the time, Theresa stayed at home caring for the children.  In 1930 the family was living in a rented house on Howard Avenue in DePere, with Martin working as a general laborer and his son Aelred, also working as a laborer on a farm.

Sometime after 1930 the family had some difficulties and Martin & Theresa divorced.  Martin continued to do odd jobs around DePere and Theresa eventually moved to Chicago, Illinois.

Martin was remembered as "Uncle Teese" by his nephews and often went along with them on hunting trips.  As a joke once they overloaded his shotgun while he was a bit tipsy so that when he shot it, the back coil sent him wheeling over to the ground.  They talked about that joke for years. 

On March 3, 1949 at 7:30 p.m. while Martin was walking along County Highway G to DePere from the farm of Joseph van Enktnvort, where he lived and worked, he was struck by a car driven by Bernard H. Jones.   Martin sustained a fracture of his cervical spine, a possible skull fracture, internal injuries with bumps and fractures of both legs and died on the scene.  He was buried from St. Boniface Church and is interred in Mount Calvary Cemetery in DePere.