William Schmitt

William Schmitt is the son of Stephen Schmitt and Margaret Diehl. He was born about 1872 in either Manhattan or Brooklyn.

When he was 16, he took a course in Mechanical Drawing at Cooper Union for which he received a Certificate of Satisfactory Completion on April 9, 1888. According to the archivist at the school, this was more than likely something similar to adult education today and he does not appear to have matriculated in any full degree program.

He was a diamond cutter who was apparently in great demand because he was color blind, allowing him to see flaws in a diamond with his naked eye.

William Schmitt died of stomach cancer in 1928. When he died, there was some concern about his wife, Margaret, being able to visit his grave, so instead of being buried in the plot he had already acquired at Calvary, he was buried in St. Johns. According to his daughter, Marion Schmitt, his funeral was held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help and was the largest funeral seen there in recent memory.