Catherine Menger

Catherine Barbara Menger (born 1860, died 1947). Wife of Dr. Rudolph Menger; mother of Minnie Menger Hoffmann (later Schlosser), Gus P. Menger, and the other H&H-era Menger siblings (R. W., T. J., L. B.).

Daughter of William A. Menger (1827–1871) and Mary Menger (1816–1887), co-founders of the Menger Hotel — making the H&H Menger siblings (Minnie, Gus P., R. W., T. J., L. B.) William and Mary’s grandchildren.

Name

Multiple names appear across sources for the same person:

• Barbara C. Menger — used in genealogical and biographical sources (Find a Grave, Ancestry, UT Health Science Center Library blog, 2026)
• Babette — common German nickname for Barbara; used in Ancestry record
• Katarina Babette (Catherine Barbara) Menger — named in the TSHA Handbook of Texas Women article on Mary Menger (Tim Draves, 2021) as William A. Menger’s surviving daughter
• Catherine Menger — the name used in this KB prior to 2026-06-02

All four names refer to the same person. “Barbara” / “Babette” / “Catherine Barbara” / “Katarina Babette” are variant forms of the same bilingual German-English name. Married Dr. Rudolph Menger in 1879.

Lineage — resolved (medium confidence)

The KB previously recorded her as “granddaughter of William A. Menger.” Multiple 2026 web sources consistently describe her as William A.’s daughter, not granddaughter — corroborating the TSHA article’s “Katarina Babette” identification. Option 1 is now the working KB position: she is William A.’s daughter; the H&H Mengers are his grandchildren.

Primary records (Bexar County marriage record 1879; Barbara C. Menger death record) would confirm definitively. The Menger Family Collection at the UIW Archives — Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word is the most likely repository.

Open questions

• Vital dates — born 1860, died 1947 per Immigrant Entrepreneurship entry (Julia Brookins, AHA); Bexar County records would confirm exactly
• Primary record confirmation — the daughter-vs-granddaughter resolution is medium confidence; Bexar County records or UIW Menger Family Collection would anchor it
• Maiden name — “Menger-by-birth” confirmed; maiden surname = Menger (same as married name, different family line)

See also

• Dr. Rudolph Menger — husband
• William A. Menger — father; Menger Hotel founder
• Mary Menger — mother (wife of William L.)
• Menger Family
• UIW Archives — Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word — holds the Menger Family Collection
• Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)
• Menger Hotel
• Menger Soap Works