THE STORY OF PETER LITT (1797-1885)
According to the
1880 Michigan Census, both of Peter Litt's parents were born near Alsace,
France (German: Elsass).
Alsace
is an historic frontier area of northeastern France, separated from Germany on
its eastern border by the Rhine River and drained by the Moselle River. The
Vosges Mountains also lie to its east. It is a rich and fertile agricultural
area, known for its superb production of grapes used in producing Champagne.
Since the days of Attila the Hun, the Germans invaded France by way of Alsace
and its neighboring community, Lorraine, no fewer than 32 times. After the
empire of Charlemagne was partitioned in 817 and 843, Alsace became part of
Lotharingia, the kingdom of Lothair. In 925 Alsace became part of the German
duchy of Swabia or Alemannia and was absorbed into the Holy Roman Empire, of which
it remained a part for some 800 years.
Alsace
remained a German possession until the 17th century, and during this period
strong feudal principalities, controlled largely by the Habsburg rulers of Austria,
emerged. A number of rich and powerful towns, such as Strasbourg and Colmar,
developed in the late Middle Ages and won status as free towns or miniature
republics. By the terms of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which concluded the
Thirty Years' War, Alsace was placed under the sovereignty of France. Alsace
constituted a province of the kingdom of France until the French Revolution
(1789-1799), when Alsace was split into the departments of Bas-Rhin and
Haut-Rhin. These departments, together with part of Lorraine, were incorporated
into the German Empire after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.
Because
Alsace interchanged hands several times between the French and German people,
it would not have been unusual, for Germans and Frenchmen to reside in the same
area, speak both languages, engage in mutual trade and intermarry.
It
is believed that Peter Litt was originally from the village of Duntzenheim or
Dunzenheim, depending on the German or French spelling. Duntzenheim was
primarily a farming community, with 100% of its townspeople historically
practicing the Lutheran faith.
Nothing is known
yet about Peter's financial situation in Europe. He probably practiced the
Lutheran faith as a boy, since he worshiped in the Lutheran church after immigrating
to Canada and later to the United States.
As far as is
known, Peter was the first Litt to travel to North America. There is currently
no information to indicate what year he arrived in Canada, into which port he
landed, or with whom he might have traveled.
Once in Canada,
Peter continued to travel westward to the province of Ontario (though it was
simply called Western Canada at that time). Ontario had only recently been
opened up for settlement. Many Germans came to this wild, new territory,
with the hope of acquiring land and building a homestead for their family. They
continued to be Germans, speaking their native language, practicing their old
world customs, and worshiping in the Lutheran religion. Even today, the
countryside is dotted with Lutheran Churches, built during that early wave of
migration during the 1800’s. Peter must have also gravitated westward with the
dream of becoming a landowner. It was in this new frontier that he married
Barbara Burbeey, a girl from Hess Darnstadt, Germany, sometime before 1830.
Since the
records indicate that Peter married in Ontario, he probably met his bride-to-be
after he immigrated to Canada. Since many European Germans were settling in
western Canada at the time, meeting a German girl would not have been out of
the question. At the time they married, Peter was 18 years older than his new
bride. There is some confusion as to Barbara's correct last name. Sometimes she
is referred to as Barbara Kuhl in the records. Perhaps she had been married
previously or had a stepfather. The reason for the name confusion is unclear.
Because Peter is also listed as being so much older than Barbara, perhaps he
had been married previously. Perhaps his first wife’s name had been Barbara
Kuhl, but there is nothing to indicate this as factual.
In 1835, Peter
purchased land from the Crown in Wilmont Township, Waterloo, Canada. It was
here that he built his homestead and provided for his family by farming the
land.
Peter
and his wife had six children: Peter, Jr. (who was stillborn), John, Catherine,
Jacob, Maria, and Margaretha. All these children were born in the territory of
Ontario. Peter Litt's oldest daughter, Catherine, was the first in the family
line to actually immigrate to the United States. She came with her husband,
Joseph Gruber, sometime during the 1860's. Peter and Barbara later followed
them. Around 1885, Peter's oldest living son, John, also immigrated to the U.S.
with his wife, Elizabeth, and the 11 children they had at the time.
The earliest
traces of the Litt family in Michigan can be found in the village of Argyle, in
Sanilac County, where Peter and Barbara first settled. Sanilac County borders
Lake Huron. Ontario lies just to the east of the Lake. It was easy for the
Canadians to travel back and forth to Michigan on small boats from the port in
Sarnia.
Peter Litt is also the first known male Litt ancestor to buy
land in Michigan. He is listed in the Michigan Land Records as buying 40 acres
adjacent to land owned by his son-in-law, Joseph Gruber, and his daughter,
Catherine, in Austin Township, Sanilac County. In the 1870 Michigan Census,
Peter gave his land a value of $100.
Though
Peter and Barbara owned their own land in Michigan, it is believed that they
never built their own home. Instead, they lived with their daughter, Catherine,
and her family until they died.
Peter and his
wife attended church at the local Trinity Lutheran Church in Argyle, which
performed their religious service in German. While the church no longer physically
exists, the church's cemetery still does, on its original location. Barbara
died (date unknown) in 1880; Peter died on May 24, 1885. Both Peter and Barbara
are buried in the Lutheran cemetery, though there are no markers indicating
their plot.