Born on 28 February 1832 probably in Borgholzhausen, Westfalen, Germany, to Anna Maria Catharine Louise Grabemann. Her mother apparently was not married at the time, so it is unknown if her father was Peter Heinrich Brune, however she used his surname. Katherine “Louise” died 25 April 1914 in St. Louis. Katherine Brunn [sic] and John Henry Boeckenkamp [sic] were married on 13 October 1855, in St. Louis, Missouri. Church records show Johann Heinr Boeckenkamp [sic] and Catharine Louise Brun [sic] were married by Pastor Louis E. Nollau at St. Peter’s Evangelical Church, which was located at that time at 14th & Carr. Henry Boekenkamp died 4 November 1885 and he and his wife are buried in St. Peter’s Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri. The name Boekenkamp was also spelled Bockenkamp, Boeckenkamp, and Beckenkamp in various records and I have generally listed it as I found it.

Katherine Louise Brune immigrated before her parents in 1858 or her brother Henry in 1857. She was listed on the passenger list as Catha Brun, age 20, from Borgholzhausen, embarked at Bremen and arrived New Orleans on 16 November 1853 on the ship Hermann.

In the 1890 city directory, Louise Boekenkamp, widow Henry is listed as living at 2242 Benton St., occupation dry goods. This is apparently a business that was also operated by Louise’s brother Henry Brune and his wife Sophi.

The 1900 census shows Louisa Bockenkamp, head of household, had 8 children with 3 of them living, born February 1833 [wrong], age 67, widow, immigrated in 1851, living at 2242 Benton Street, can read, write and speak English; Caroline, daughter, born June 1867 [wrong], age 32, single, born Missouri, works as a dressmaker; Ida, daughter, born February 1873 [wrong], age 27, single, born Missouri, works as a dressmaker; and Caroline, sister-in-law, born August 1821, age 78, single, born Germany, can’t read or write or speak English.

The 1910 census shows Louisa Bockenkamp household living at 2242 Benton St., head of household, age 78, widow, had 8 children and 3 are living, immigrated in 1854, speaks English; Carrie M., daughter, single, age 35, no occupation, born Missouri; and Ida K. daughter, single, age 30, dressmaker at home, born Missouri. The daughters appear to keep getting younger either in error or deliberately.

Ray Crank Jr. remembers:
Katherine Louise (Brune) Boekenkamp was a very strong willed woman who ruled her little domain with an iron hand. Henry Brune who had accompanied his brother-in-law Henry Boekenkamp in the military would visit almost every Sunday afternoon (according to my mother, Irene) and rehash one battle or another. His brother-in-law must have been a tease as whatever Louise said regarding her husband’s version of the encounter (as Louise remembered or invented Henry’s account) her brother would correct her and say “no, I was there and that’s not correct.” Those corrections would soon provoke a tirade (all in German, of course), “Henry said this or that and Henry didn’t lie, period, end of argument until next Sunday. I think those Sunday arguments must have been the highlight of an otherwise uneventful week for both parties.

Inadvertently, Louise ruined the lives of her two daughters, Carrie and Ida. As she lay on her deathbed she made both promise they would maintain the house at 2242 Benton St. that Henry had built for her, come what may. They did—and remained unmarried throughout their lives. Louise made Carrie the family drudge, caring for her siblings, her father during his bouts of illness, family cook and washwoman. She spent most of her life in the rathskeller cooking on a wood burning stove, ironing clothes with flat irons heated on that same stove or boiling clothes in a little brick outhouse built for that purpose all with water taken from a cistern and the waste water hauled back up and out into the open toilet in the rear of the property. Irene found her in tears many times while Carrie labored at some chore down in the rathskeller. While never resigned to her fate, Carrie remained the most gentle, uncomplaining, caring woman I think I’ve ever met. She had breast cancer when she died, first confiding in my mother that she was ill. Irene called in a female doctor, one of the very few of that time, who told Irene her aunt was beyond hope and prescribed pain killers for the lady. My brother and I called Carrie, aunt, as we did with Ida and considered them as such.

Louise Boekenkamp died 25 April 1914 at 2242 Benton St., at age 82 years, 1 month, 27 days of pneumonia after being ill 5 days. She is buried in section 2, lot 208, grave 3 with her husband, but no stone is on her grave.