Catherina Nathe was born on her parent's farm two miles east of Meire Grove, MN. She was one of three sisters among nine brothers. Most of her time was spent in her family home.

She married neighbor Joe Kulzer on June 30, 1896 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Meire Grove. Her parent's Anton and Adelheid Stroeing Nathe attended the wedding and possibly also her grandfather Anton Stroeing, who lived in the area. Her folk's were both German immigrants to Minnesota; the Nathe's from Helden, Germany, NE of Cologne, and the Stroeing's from Epe, Westphalia, at the Dutch border.

Catherine and Joe lived nine years in Minnesota farming and operating retail in Melrose before relocating to Sargent County, North Dakota to homestead. In Minnesota they birthed six children and in Dakota they birthed ten more children.

Few women ever become the mother of so many children. When asked about having so many children, according to oral history, Catherine replied that she did her duty, meaning she did what was asked by the church of all married women, go forth and multiply. She was a good wife and mother. She kept a calm, predictably repetitive home including in later years her fried chicken and lemon meringue pie every Sunday. Her death at age 72 followed complications from diabetes. She died at the Britton, SD hospital, located thirty miles south of their home.

Sixteen children of Catherine and Joseph Kulzer:

1)Philomena Kulzer Mahrer 1897-1981 Forman, ND
2)Caroline Kulzer Gully Haring 1898-1989 Lidgerwood, ND
3)Olivia Kulzer Breker 1900-1991 Cayuga, ND
4)Susanna Kulzer Wyum 1901-1999 Rutland, ND
5)Alma Kulzer Austin Kirkham 1903-1996 Woodburn, OR
6)Regina Kulzer Breker 1904-1980 Cayuga, ND
7)Joseph Kulzer 1906-1906 Forman, ND
8)Joseph H. Kulzer 1907-1987 Rutland, ND
9)Alphonse Kulzer 1909- 1999 Rutland, ND
10)Isabel Kulzer Arellano 1910-1990 Menlo Park, CA
11)Julianna Kulzer Bond Garst 1912-1990 Medford, OR
12)Roman Kulzer 1914-1975 Redwood City, CA
13)Lucille Kulzer 1915-1915 Forman, ND
14)Norbert Kulzer 1916-1971 Minot, ND
15)Marian Kulzer Fay 1918-1996 Fargo, ND
16)Eleanor Kulzer Bommersbach 1920- Lives in ND

The Kulzer's had 66 grandchildren, 250 great grandchildren.
written by Gregory Dorr