Katharine

Katharine reveals the life of Katharine Deininger and her husband Gottlieb Hinderer. Their story begins in the southwestern part of Germany during the earliest years of the German Empire. It ends in 20th century America on a farm in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota. Like many of their countrymen, they left their homeland following a dream of land ownership and a better life in America.

Katharine and Gottlieb worked on rental farms in Iowa until they could afford to buy their own land on the long-grass prairie of southwestern Minnesota. The early Minnesota years severely tested the family physically and financially. Their children became their laborers, their livestock helped provide food, and their field crops were strategically chosen to feed both family and animals.

Katharine's story spans a troubled half of the 20th century. The family suffered the aftermath of trench warfare in France during the Great War. They salvaged ownership of their farm during the crushing time of the Great Depression. Fifty years after arriving as immigrants, four members of this family fought in World War II. They were patriotic Americans fighting for their country.

In the face of worldwide calamity, Katharine emerged as the steadying force within the family. Hers was a quiet leadership. She never demeaned or condemned poor life choices made by children or grandchildren. She was a matriarch who firmly guided her entire family through times of war, poverty, and even loss of life.

Interviews of these family storytellers became the foundation of this story. Although they have all passed on now, their recorded memories are a window into the daily life of this immigrant family.