Goodmorning Fred,
You mentioned the Kattau farm at Dueste circa 1500AD. Do you know any names from the people who lived there around 1650?
Ger Kattouw
Holland
Greetings Geert
The information I have just goes to about 1739. At that time a Margareta Cattau, Daughter of Johan Hinrich Cattau was married and must have been the only child as her new Husband was thereafter known as Cattau (Kattau). I do not know if the Church at Barnstorf has anything older. My information was obtained for me about 20 years ago by a gentleman who has since died.
Good luck in your search. I would be pleased to get a copy of anything you might wish to share. It would be seem there are Kattaus in several parts of Germany at this time, and about four or five groups in the United States, and there is a "dorf in bezirk Eggenburg, Niederoesterreich" by the name Kattau which has been there over 1000 years. Unfortunately, all my information fails to connect any to my direct family from D�ste.
Fred