BIOGRAPHY: Smithfield - Monday, July 18, 1921
Biography of Mrs. Helle: Catherine Frances Krause(r) was born in Mossbach, Germany, Feb 25, 1839 and passed from this life July 14, 1921 at the home of her son Fred, having reached the age of 82 years, 4 months and 19 days. The years of her girlhood were spent along the river Rhine.Coming to America when she was 19 years of age, she was for two years a resident of the state of Ohio. She afterwards lived in Macomb until 1860. In this same year she was united in the holy bonds of wedlock to Fred Helle. Their union was blessed with 13 children, two of whom died in infancy. Two others died after they had become of age -- Anthony on July 24, 1909 and William A. on May 29, 1911.
Those living are: Mrs. John Orwig, Cuba; Fred Helle, Smithfield; Mrs. Mary Gray, Canton, Mrs. Dena Keuhn, Smithfield; Mrs. Sherman Fouts, Ellisville; George Helle, Cuba; Mrs. Kathryn Blout, Ellisville; Mrs. Charles Bolan, Smithfield; Mrs.Hiram Walters, Cuba. The husband preceded her in death 13 years ago. Besides being a good mother to her 13 children, she was a grandmother to 46 and a greatgrandmother to 22. She labored faithfully with her husband in caring for the family and assumed her share of the hard times that the settler of the country endured. Besides the relatives, she has many friends who sincerely mourn her passing. Funeral services were held Saturday, July 16 at the United Brethren Church, Rev. C.W. Martin officiating and burial was in Brock Cemetery. The pallbearers were her grandsons.

Delbert Helle: I remember Grandmother Katharine Helle well. "She always stood tall and straight and was always busy."

DESCENDANCY: The line of Descent to George Adam Krauser is not complete through 12 generations. However, to correlate his descendants with the descendants of Frederick and Katharine (Krauser) Helle, George Adam has been designated generation 12. The children of his 3 sons and of Frederick and Katharine are first cousins and the children of each succeeding generations are related accordingly.

Ethel: "Grandma use to tell us stories, though many of the words she would use we couldn't understand. She told us she helped a family care for their children to pay for her passage to this country. Her father was a cabinet maker in Germany, who made coffins. She would deliver the small ones for children carrying these on the top of her head. This caused a permanent bald spot on the top of her head as well as giving her perfectly straight posture. Grandmother always walked with very straight shoulders. I remember Grandmother staying with us; the German women ofher day idolized their men. Grandma had only two sons left of her four sons. My dad was very special to her. When she stayed with us, we would thread a package of needles for her every morning before going to school. No one could keep up with the mending in our family. She could sew although her eyes were not good enough to thread the needles. Dad always got her a new package of needles when she came to visit us." (Sharon Bearce)