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1974). One of the elder members, Mr. Norman A. Coplen, residing across the street, has the original ?Book of Baptisms? from the church.
Getting back on track, we find Charles Heitzmann's Will on file at the Pike County Courthouse dated October 4, 1899. His obituary says he had been sick and suffering for some time and this Will was probably done when he learned that his illness was terminal (Pike Co. Chancery Court, Probate Book I, pp. 152-157). In the Will, Caroline Heitzmann received all the household items, all tools from the blacksmith shop, and four lots in Summit. She was allowed to stay in the home until her death. After his death on January 15, 1900, Caroline probated his Will as prescribed by law. We assume that his two sons became owners of the house and shop after Caroline's death in 1909.
The kind of man Charles Heitzmann was, can be found in his obituaries. His obituaries are found in the Sea Coast Echo newspaper (1/20/1900, p. 4, col. 3); the Summit Sentinel (1/18/1900 issue), and the McComb City Enterprise (1/18/1900 issue). They state that he died on January 15, 1900 in Summit and was 70 years, lOmonths, and 21 days old. He died of cancer of the throat, was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, and left behind a wife, step-daughter, son, Jacob of Bay St. Louis, and son, Dr. Charles W. Heitzmann of New York. In these notices, he is described as ?one of Summit's oldest landmarks.? He ?has lived a useful, upright, and honorable life among his people; his was an open, generous, and charitable nature, and he has made many friends who clung to him with hooks of steel.? The obituaries make other statements praising him for his life in the community.
The Summit Sentinel edition of January 18, 1900 has a ?Tribute of Respect? submitted by the International Order of Odd Fellows, Lodge #93 praising their fellow ?Brother Heitzmann? at his passing. The article recognized him as ?one of the early and valved supporters.? It goes on to say that he was a ?kind and indulgent father,? and he was an ?upright and valuable citizen.? From these first hand testimonials, we can justly feel pride in what our immigrant ancestor accomplished in his lifetime.
Susanna Sunder was the first wife of Carl ?Charles? Heitzmann and will now be discussed. We knew who she was early on through her obituary found in the February 26, 1886 issue of the Summit Sentinel newspaper. An original copy is on file at the circuit clerks office of Pike Co., MS. The obituary says she was ?Anna Heitzman, nee Sander's, bom in Ebinger, in Baden, Germany, Aug. 24, 1833; died in Summit, Miss. Feb. 24,1886, aged 52 years, and 6 months.? It also says she had been a ?resident of Summit for a number of years, having come from New Orleans.? Her husband was ?C. Heitzman?, and she had been an invalid for more than a month. She was noted for her ?charitable acts, and in the case of sickness, always administered cheerfully to the wants of the needy.? She was buried in the City Cemetery (Woodlawn). She had a ?large concourse of sorrowing relatives and friends? at her funeral. It said she was a member of the ?Order of the Daughters of Rebecca of Summit Lodge, No. 93, I.O.O F.? A very important note in the obituary says ?New Orleans and Indiana papers please copy.? This statement indicates that she had relatives and/or close friends in New Orleans and Indiana. Trying to find her birth record (and her family) in Germany was somewhat complicated by errors in her various records in the United States. From our research, we know her correct name was Susanna Sunder. She most often went by ?Anna? and her last name is correctly spelled with the German ?umlaut? (two dots) above the letter ?u.? It is also misspelled Suender, Sanders, Sonder, Sinder, Sinders, etc.
The first record we have of her in America is at the Port of New Orleans where she arrives on December 15, 1854. The ship is the ?Plymouth? with the captain being George Emery. The ship sailed from LaHavre, France. She is passenger #234 ?Suzanne Sunder, age 23 (bom 1831), and born in Bavaria.? We know that ?Bavaria? is incorrect for numerous records show her from ?Baden.? On the ship register where she is listed, the captain simply put ?Bavaria? at the top of the list and came down with a line implying everybody was from Bavaria - he probably was not a ?detail person? and did not
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