On Sunday August 19th the Maryhill Historical Society’s Edward Halter Home was the setting for a Schmuck Family Reunion.

Twenty-eight descendants of Bernhardt Schmuck Sr. and Marie Anna Messmer joined together to celebrate their heritage. This was the first time that some families had met and thanks to Ancestry DNA testing they were able to connect.

The Schmuck family arrived in New Germany (now Maryhill) in 1870. Family members came from as far away as Texas, Philadelphia, Illinois and Detroit. Local families were from Mount Forest, Burlington, Elmira, West Montrose, Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph and of course the Maryhill area The group shared pictures and stories, toured the Edward Halter Home and in particular the Schmuck pump display. Nine cars cavalcaded to the original Schmuck homestead and then back to visit the Old Walled Cemetery.