Susan Schmitt ¹

   Other names for Susan were Susanna, Susanna Schmitt, Susan Smith and Susannah Smith.

  Burial Notes:

Her tombstone reads: Our mother Susanna Beecher daughter of John and Catharine Schmitt wife of John Beecher born February 13 1813 died November 9 1893 aged 80 years 8 months 25 ds.

  Noted events in her life were:

• Census, 1840, Bern Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA. ⁶ John Bicher is listed in the 1840 census with this household:
Males (born)
Under 5 (1836-1840) = 1 son Levi
20-29 (1811-1820) = 1 father John
Females (born)
Under 5 (1836-1840) = 1 daughter Catherine
20-29 (1811-1820) = 1 wife Susan

• Census, 1850, Bern Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA. ⁵ John Beecher, age 35, farmer, is living with his entire family in the household of Levi Douder, age 19 [could be his brother-in-law who inherited the property?] Also in John's family is Susannah, whose age has been overwritten so from the handwriting it could be 89, or a 29 overwritten to become 39. [His mother? His wife? We assume it is a 39-year old wife, since John and Susan [nee Smith] are mentioned as the parents of Catherine Beecher in the historical book quoted in her husband's record here, and also because the following children are present in this home indicating it is a family.]

The children are: Levi, 14; Catherine, 12; Reuben, 10; Rebecca, 9; Cornelius, 7; and Susannah, 2. Everyone was born in Pennsylvania. The elder Susannah cannot read or write, perhaps another indication she really is elderly. A check mark appears in the column for Catherine to indicate she was married within the year, but who is her husband? It could be Douder, but then we would expect she would be listed second under him, not within the children's list by age order. Further research on this group is obviously needed.

• Census, 1880, Bern Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA. ³ John Beecher, laborer, 61, is living with wife Susanna, 66; son Levi, laborer, 44; and son William, laborer, 28. Everyone and their parents were born in Pennsylvania.

Susan married John Beecher, son of John Beecher and Elizabeth Bernheisel. (John Beecher was born on 15 Aug 1819 in , Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, USA ^{1 7 8 9}, christened on 13 Oct 1819 in South Manheim Township: St. Paul's Church (Summer Hill), Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, USA,^{7 9} died on 19 Jul 1896 in Bern Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA ¹ and was buried in Bern Township: Epler's Church Cemetery, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA ¹.)