Katzers international
Most of the Katzers don't live in their original homeland
in northern Moravia any more. So far our studies have given evidence of Katzers
in the following countries:
- Australia: Gerlinde Katzer sent us a photo, which was taken by a friend of her daughter's during a visit to Australia in fall 2006. In Echuca, Victoria, Australia she came across the company nameplate of Gerd and Michael Katzer. Much to her regret nobody was available at that time so that she couldn't contact them personally.
- AUSTRIA :If
only geographically, Austria was the nearest thing to go to for the Katzers
from their home in the Sudetenland.We have got some contacts to Katzers who
live in the Republic of Austria or whose ancestors come from there.From
Ebensee in Austria Frederik Xavier Katzer and
his family emigrated to Milwaukee (USA), where he was appointed archbishop
- BRAZIL: Obviously one line
has emigrated to Brazil from Austria. Ricardo Americo Bovo, who lives
near Sao Paulo, told us about George und Carlotta Katzer. After a technology exchange contract between
the kings of the two countries, George had been invited to come to Brazil
by the Brazilian emperor Dom Pedro the Second. There he worked for the Ipanema
Royal Company, the first Brazilian iron works. His son Julio was employed
by the first railroad (Sorocaban Railroad), which was built to transport
the iron from the works.
Fernando Jose Gomes Landgraf, professor of metallurgy at university of Sao Paulo, Brazil, came across Georg Katzer during his research work on the history of Ipanema Ironworks. He
found that Georg Katzer was among 20 workers contracted in Styria (Austria), in 1874. In the iron works he was the master of the refining team.
- CANADA: Karl Alois Katzer left
Germany in 1932 for Reichenberg (Czechoslovakia) from where he fled to Canada
via England together with his wife and his two sons (Alois Robert and Sven
Olaf ) in 1938. They settled in St.Walburg (Northwest Saskatchewan) in the
middle of the Prairies. Karl-Alois died in 1962. We have got contact to his
grandson Robert, who lives in Victoria, British Columbia today.
Frank Soural, One of the descendants of Franz
und Anna Katzer , emigrated to Canada, too. This is
what he told us:
Emigration to America was never a question of "whether" but
of "when". I remember my father talking enthusiastically
about the land of unlimited opportunities. Karl May and Jules Vernes
did their part, too. I think that we have inherited the sense of
romance from our ancestors - all of us were dreamers.
With the help of distant realtives, who already lived in Canada,
my brother Ernst and I set out for Canada in 1952. The first couple
of years meant hard work and a lot of disappointment. Money lay around
in the streets and you had to bend to pick it up. All that in a language
you didn't really understand at that time.
(Translated by Bernhard Katzer. Original text in
the German version of Katzer's
homepage.)
- FINLAND: Clemens Katzer has
been living in Finland since 1999. He was born in Kelkheim/Ts (Germany).
Having found a Finnish wife, he is now determined to stay there for good.
- GERMANY: Several Katzers
have, of course, also come to Germany. many of them came as refugees after
World War II. Among them were our own ancestors were, went to the Habelschwerdt area
(county Glatz) from where they settled all over today's Federal Republic
of Germany
- HUNGARY:One
line went to Hungary. Johann Katzer emigrated to Budapest in
1842 where he founded a furrier's workshop and opened a fur shop. The first
representative of the Katzer families in Hungary to contact us is Krisztina
Katzer from Komló. She works there as a media planner.
- ISRAEL: Frank Katzer was
born in Luebeck, in Northern Germany, now lives about 20 km north of Tel
Aviv in a small town by the name of Hod HaSharon.
Prior to coming to Israel he lived for 12 years in London (1983 to 1995),
then for one year in mainland China, and finally came to Israel in 1997
- THE NETHERLANDS:Petrus
Wilhelmus Katzer, born in Waldniel (Germany) was obviously attracted by the
Netherlands. His son Arnold Katzer was born in Einighausen (the Netherlands)
in 1807. Together with his wife Helena Korsten from Saeffelen in Prussia
and his two sons Peter and Mathijs he emigrated to the USA in 1863.
In 1870 they were living in the Borough of Belle Plaine in Scott County,
Minnesota. After that they vanished without trace. If you can provide information
about that family and their whereabouts please contact us
- PHILIPPINES: Eager research
of my own great-uncle Joachim Katzer has revealed, that one of our own relatives,
Andreas Katzer, married in Manila. Philippines and now lives there with his
family of four.
- POLAND: Jacek Katzer
lives in Koszalin in northern Poland. His father is Andrzej Katzer and he
was born in Wrzesnia (near Poznan - Posen) in 1939.
- RUSSIA: Dima Katzer from Jugo-Kamsk
(Ural Mountains, Perm area) reports:
"Family Katzer subjected to repression and have banished from Belarus to
Russia. They have arrived to Belarus from Germany, as colonizers in 18 century.
Reprisals carried out{spent} in 1930. On the north sent everyone who was not
a beggar. On road many have died. Communists of all have simply thrown out in
a wood. Local residents (in the north in the Perm area) helped. Gave tools (an
axe, a saw) for construction of a house. Helped products. Due to this many have
survived."
- THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The
wave of immigrants to America in the 19th and early 20th century also brought
memebers of the Katzer families to the New World. The progenitor of the large
number of Katzer descendants is Johannes (John)
Katzer, who was born in Lodenitz? or Mittel-Lipka? in 1843. In 1882 he
emigrated to the USA together with his wife Karolina Prause and their 9 children.
There they settled in Greeley, Kansas , where
John purchased a homestead and farmed. Thus Greeley became the Grulich of
the USA.