Entry #50

This should be an easy entry to write, but when it comes down to it, how well did I really know my Grandmother Biermann? I guess I will see, as I jot down what I remember of her.

Katherine Schatz as a Baby

My paternal grandmother was Katherine Frieda Schatz. Katherine was born on 18 July 1898 in Cincinnati, Ohio Her parents were Henry Schatz and Augusta “Gustie” Miller (Mueller). Henry was born in Cincinnati and Gustie was born in Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio. Gustie and Henry had just two other children, a baby boy who died at birth in 1891, and a daughter, Frieda, who was five years older than Katherine. I believe she was named for her aunt, Katherine Miller Patterson, she was never called “Kate like her grandmother, Kate Wippel Miller. My sister and I called her “Nanny” to distinguish her from Effie Lindner, who was “Grandma.”

One of the most impressive physical features about my grandmother was her long, nearly black hair. Even when she was in her sixties, it had barely grayed. It was thick and in later years, it was typically worn in two braids that were wound around on top of her head. My sister inherited the thick hair of our grandmother, although it was not dark, and I was always a bit envious since my own hair is very fine. Katherine’s hair was so long and thick that she did not wash it very often, because reputedly it took all day to dry.

Katherine Schatz Biermann’s long hair

Katherine was a plump girl most of her life and she grew into a plump woman. This seemed to me to be a very grandmotherly way to look.

As a small child, I adored my grandmother. When we were little, she was inclined to entertain us when we visited. I was a very picky eater, but my parents learned a trick that worked for a while. When I turned up my nose at an item on my plate, my dad had a way of persuading me to try the offending item. I recall refusing to eat watermelon. My father said, “Nanny loves watermelon. She eats it five times a week and twice on Sundays.” I tired watermelon and I loved it, too! The same was apparently true for onions; however, I drew the line at tomatoes. I didn’t care how many times a week Nanny ate tomatoes, I abhorred them like my grandfather did. The bad influence was that Nanny taught me to eat the crisp fat from grilled or fried meats, and I liked that, too. What were you thinking, Nanny? It took me years to unlearn that habit, but unlearn it I did; I no longer find crisp fat appealing.

Katherine Schatz Biermann was a very sociable woman. She belonged to the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls and was a member of Daughters of the Nile. She loved to play cards. From listening to her talk, it seems like she knew everybody’s business, but I was a child, so adult talk seemed that way regardless. I wish I had asked her more about her family, especially her grandmother, Kate Wippel. I remember people saying that my grandmother was related to everyone in Price Hill (one of the hills of Cincinnati).

Katherine Schatz on Her Graduation Day

Katherine married John Joseph Biermann on 1 June 1922. She and John produced two boys, my father and my uncle. She passed away on 16 June 1968 when I was 15 from ovarian cancer. She is entombed with her husband in the Mausoleum at Spring Grove Cemetery.