Joseph Henry Schmidt was born in Wapakoneta, Auglaize County, Ohio, on 18 December 1839, the son of Caspar Schmidt, a German immigrant. In April 1861, he enlisted for three months service with Company K of the 15th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (O.V.I.) and served as a sergeant. On 22 August 1861, following the mustering out of the 15th Ohio, he re-enlisted with Company C of the 37th O.V.I., a primarily German regiment. He was appointed 2nd Lieutenant of Company C on 7 September 1861 and promoted to 1st Lieutenant of Company A on 31 March 1862 and to Captain of that company on 4 March 1863. He saw action in West Virginia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas before being mustered out in August 1865, in Little Rock, Arkansas. After the birth of their first child in November 1861, Henry married Mary Katherine ('Kate') Nye in May 1862. After the war, Henry returned to Wapakoneta where he and Kate eventually had 9 children, 3 of whom survived infancy. He died 23 December 1925 at the age of 86 and Kate died 16 May 1926 at the age of 82. Both are buried in St. Joseph Cemetery, Wapakoneta, Ohio.
From the description of Schmidt family papers, 1858-1895. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 76835969
