My paternal
grandmother Henrietta Hansen, nee Burbach, was one of six children but only had
one sister, Katherine or Katie, as she was commonly called.
Katherine
Burbach was born on 20 July 1877[i],
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was the oldest daughter of Hermann and Eva (nee
Schmitz) Burbach.
Katie’s
father, along with his brother John, owned a butcher shop in Milwaukee. Hermann
and John (Johan) had immigrated to Milwaukee with their parents in 1856 from
the village of Villmar, Hessen, Duchy of Nassau.
Katie went to
St Josephat Catholic Church and most likely a German school for her education since
both of her parents were German.
Katie’s suffered
several tragedies in her short life. Her brother John sadly drowned on the day
of his Confirmation when she was 15 years old and her father died just four
years after that. In the last year of
her life her grandfather Georg also died.
After her
father’s death Katie’s mother moved the family to 703 Grand Avenue, about three
miles from the butcher shop now run by John Burbach.
It was at
the Grand Avenue address that Katie died on 4 Dec 1897[ii],
just over twenty years old.
Death
Notice
Kathe
Burbach - Friends and acquaintances, the sad news that our well-beloved
daughter, sister, and sister-in-law, Kathe Burbach on Saturday morning at
10:30, after a long illness, at the age of 20 years, 8 months, and 16 days is
resting in peace.
The
burial will take place on Tuesday, the 7th of December at 9:30 in the morning,
from the mourning house, No 703 Grand Avenue, from there to St Joseph's Church,
corner of 11th and Cherry St.
Personal
condolences are requested for the mourning bereaved: Widower Hermann Burbach
(*); Georg, Peter, Charles H, Henrietta, siblings; Rosa Burbach, sister-in-law;
Philipp and Sophie Schmitz, grandparents.[iii]
* typo in
notice - should read Eva Burbach, mother and widow of Hermann.
NB: Sophie is second wife of Philipp Schmitz and
not Eva's mother.
[i] Wisconsin
Death Records 1867-1907 Wisconsin State Historical Society, FamilySearch.org,
database (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XLCC-XS8 : online index 11
March 2016), Katie Burbach.
[ii]
ibid
