Johann (John) Kathol was married to Anna Bruening October 4, 1881. She was born
September 28, 1862 and died July 28, 1947.

Anna (Bruening) Kathol was the daughter of Heinrich Bruening and Elizabeth
Kerpening. Anna was still a little girl when her parents sold all their
possessions in thier native land and booked passage to America arriving here in
1870.

They came to Yankton, S.D. first and from there were given a ride in a wagon to
a point where the two brothers had built a shack. They were put down on a raw
prairie without a house or person in sight. In the distance was the shack that
the two sons of Heinrich and Elizabeth Bruening had built..

Anna (Bruening) Kathol often told of the awful homesickness that gripped them,
and how if it had been possible they would have returned to Germany at once.
They set to work, however, and built a dugout and later a log house. They broke
the sod, built fences and battled drought, grasshoppers, blizzards, and endured
all of the pioneer hardships.

After John Kathol and Anna Bruening were married they lived with her parents
until the death of her parents.

There were 14 children born to this union:
John A. Kathol married Wilhelmina Pinkelman at Bow Valley.
Ida married Peter Hochstein at Bow Valley.
Joe Married Anna Burbach.
Veronica married Joe Wuebben at St. Helena.
Alphons married Lena Koch at Fordyce.
Lorenz married Ann Burbach at Hartington.
Martha married John Schulte at Bow Valley.
Paul married Theresa Miick at Hartington.
Dora married Peter Sudbeck at Bow Valley.
Anna married Joe Marx at Bow Valley.
Arthur married Mary Noecker at Bow Valley.
Arthur's twin brother died at infancy.
Eleanor married Anton (Tony) Noecker at Bow Valley.
Raymond married Loraine Thelleson at Omaha.

In addition to their own children they took Clem Wiechelman when he was a lad of
four and raised him to manhood.

In 1900 they built a new house big enough to have their own music and home
dance. Their life was filled with hard work and whatever goes on in a family of
fourteen children.

The house was built on the Heinrich Bruening homestead where they lived for 45
years. In 1922 they retired and moved to Bow Valley west of the church.

In 1937 Mr. and Mrs. Kathol were honored by the Cedar County News for having
more living descendants than any other couple.

Mr. John Kathol died of a heart ailment on July 12, 1941. He had been in
failing health for about three years. Mr. Kathol would have been 80 years.
Funeral services were held at Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Bow Valley. Rev.
John Pieper officiated at the requiem mass. Burial was in Bow Valley cemetery.

Mrs. Anna Kathol was a resident of Cedar County since 1870. She died at her
home July 28, 1947 after an illness of about two years. At the time of her
death, she was survived by 100 grandchildren and 125 great grandchildren. She
was probably called grandmother by more living descendants than any other woman
in the state.

Funeral services were held at Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Bow Valley
with Rev. A.S. Kluthe officiating at the requiem mass. Burial was made in the
parish cemetery.