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JOHN AND KATHARINA ZIEMANN

John Ziemann was born May 12, 1882, in Friedensfeldt, Bessarabia Russia. He came to America in 1887. He went to school for one year, he worked for his father, Christian, on the farm until he got married.

John married Katherina Redmann on December 19, 1907, Mannhaven, N.D. Katherina was born July 25, 1887, at Blue Grass, Oliver County,  North Dakota. They rented a farm 5 miles NW of Stanton and after a few years, they brought a farm 8 miles NW of Stanton. They farmed there until 1930. They then sold that farm and bought a farm 6 miles SW of Zap, North Dakota where they farmed until 1937. These were the drought years. They then sold out and moved to Golden Valley, where they lived until the Fall of 1942. They then sold their house and moved to Chewelah, Washington. In Chewelah, he worked at the N.W. Magnasite Quarry—which was very hard work.

In 1945, they moved to Lodi, California, to be where his brother Fred lived, also his sister, Lydia Priebe, and sister, Alvina Lopez lived close by.  In Lodi, he again went to work; he could not sit idle, so he worked at the Knoll Winery for a few years.  He walked 4 miles to work and back home after 8 hour days. He did not accept rides, as he liked to walk. The winery did not pay into Social Security for him. Katharina worked at the cannery for a few summers where they sorted fruit cherries, apricots, and plums. She worked an 8 hour shift and also walked to work.

In 1966, they sold their home and moved into the nursing home. Katharina was hit by a car in 1965, and broke a hip. She was unable to do her house work. That is why they moved to the nursing home. John passed away July 1, 1968, and Katharine passed away April 17, 1970.

~Composed by Erna Simpfenderfer and Irene Olmstead for the book, A Ziemann History by Cindy Ziemann Highley & Peggy Renner Howell