Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 05: GOVERNANCE – Board of Trustees
Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Trustees
Fanny Gratz, PMSS Trustee, 1937-1949
Fanny (Rogers) Gratz (1886-1983)

FANNY GRATZ, PMSS Trustee 1937-1949
(Mrs. Anderson Gratz)

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TAGS: Fanny Gratz Trustee, Mrs. Anderson Gratz, Pine Mountain Settlement School Board of Trustees, Katherine Pettit, Gratz family, Mary Cecil Gratz Morton, fundraising, Anderson Gratz, Laurel House II, donations

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Fanny Gratz (Mrs. Anderson Gratz) was a longtime member of the Pine Mountain Settlement School Board of Trustees and served as board president for part of that time.

Her connection to Pine Mountain may have had its beginnings during Katherine Pettit’s interactions with members of the Gratz family in the early 1900s. Miss Pettit, co-director and co-founder of the School, corresponded in 1917 (images 007-008) with Mr. Bernard “Buddie” Gratz Norton of Harbor Springs, Michigan, in which she refers to her “summer visit to Michigan.” In 1920 Pettit also wrote a letter (images 092-093) to Audrey Alford Gratz (Mrs. Clifford Gratz) of Flushing, New York, after the two had evidently returned from travel overseas. In addition, Fanny’s sister-in-law, Mary Cecil Gratz Morton (Mrs. J.R. Morton), was a board member during the School’s earliest years, 1913-1920.

Throughout her time as a Board member, Mrs. Gratz worked to support the mission of the School. She assisted the School with fundraising, such as a trip to Philadelphia with Fern Hall Hayes who spoke before the Daughters of the American Revolution, a women’s heritage association that was supported by Pettit and Gratz and which, in turn, gave generously to the School. She met with Alice Cobb in 1943 and Margaret Motter in 1948 when their publicity tours for PMSS stopped in Lexington.

Several articles in Pine Cone, the School’s student publication, mention Mrs. Gratz’s activities on behalf of the School. In October 1940 Fanny accompanied Mary Rockwell Hook when the architect (and also PMSS trustee) visited the School to assess work on the new Laurel House (II).

The Pine Cone of January 1941 describes two of Mr. and Mrs. Gratz’s visits to PMSS:

Mrs. Anderson Gratz, president of the Pine Mountain School board of trustees, recently paid her annual visit to the school. She entered in to the spirit of the school by attending classes, teachers’ meetings, and the senior gathering at Zande House. She fully enjoyed visiting the barn to watch the boys milk. This was her first visit since the building program started and she is very enthusiastic about new Laurel House.

When old Laurel House was being built, Mr. Gratz, who gave the money for its construction, visited the campus to observe the building progress. He noticed that there was something lacking and decided a large open fireplace and hearth should be in the dining room. This addition proved to be one of the outstanding features for which the building is remembered.

The Pine Cone, January 1941, Vol. 5, No. 4, page1.

The Pine Cone of April 1941 records additional gifts from Mrs. Gratz:

HOSPITAL HAS BIGGEST MONTH – … During the [baby boom] rush Mrs. Anderson Gratz’s much appreciated gift of re-conditioned hospital furniture arrived and was put into immediate use in the delivery room and ward. A generous supply of medicine, also a gift of Mrs. Gratz, arrived in time for the measles epidemic.

The Pine Cone, April 1941, Vol. 5, No. 7, page 1.

Among her other gifts to the School included a new movie projector during the 1947-1948 school year. She resigned from the Board on May 31, 1949.

Upon her death in 1983, Notes from the Pine Mountain Settlement School published this memorial:

IN MEMORIAM:
FANNIE GRATZ of Lexington, long-time friend of Miss Katherine Pettit and a strong influence in the life of Pine Mountain Settlement School, especially in the weaving program.

Notes from the Pine Mountain Settlement School , 1983.

Fanny Gratz: Background

Fanny Clark Rogers was born on October 22, 1886, in Fayette County, Kentucky. Her father, Jere Early Rogers (1853-1897), died at an early age, leaving her mother, Henrietta (Howell) “Nettie” Rogers (1860-1957) to raise their three daughters and one son. As of the 1900 U.S. Census, the children were listed as Ann G. (6 years old), Fannie Clark, (14), Florence H. (11) and George Clark (7).

Fanny’s application for a U.S. passport in 1921 to visit Europe indicates that her occupation was “advertising salesman.”

Fanny was the second wife of Anderson Gratz, a retired president of the Bag & Rope Company in Missouri. He was born in 1853 in Missouri to Henry Howard Gratz and Minerva (Campbell) Gratz, both from Kentucky. His sister, Mary Cecil Gratz (Mrs. J.R. Morton, 1948-1937) was a member of the PMSS Board of Trustees, 1913-1920. He died in August 1935.

Fanny Clark (Rogers) Gratz died at age 96 in September 1983 and is buried in Lexington Cemetery where her husband is also buried.

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Title	Fanny Gratz
Alt. Title	Fanny Clark Rogers ; Mrs. Anderson Gratz ;
Identifier	https://pinemountainsettlement.net/?page_id=70447
Creator	Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY
Alt. Creator	Helen Hayes Wykle ; Ann Angel Eberhardt
Subject Keyword	Fanny Gratz ; Fanny Clark Rogers ; Mrs. Anderson Gratz ; PMSS Board of Trustees ; Katherine Pettit ; Gratz family ; Mary Cecil Gratz Morton ; fundraising ; Daughters of the American Revolution ; Mary Rockwell Hook ; Anderson Gratz ; Laurel House II ; donations ; Alice Cobb ; Margaret Motter ;
Subject LCSH	Gratz, Fanny, — 1886 – 1983. Pine Mountain (Ky.) Settlement School — History. Harlan County (Ky.) — History. Education — Kentucky — Harlan County. Rural schools — Kentucky — History. Schools — Appalachian Region, Southern.
Date	2019-September-18 aae
Publisher	Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY
Contributor	n/a; or specify
Type	Collections ; text ; image ;
Format	Original and copies of documents and correspondence in file folders in filing cabinet.
Source	Series 05: Governance – Board of Trustees and Series 09: Biography – Trustees
Language	English
Relation	Is related to: Pine Mountain Settlement School Collections, Series 05: Governance – Board of Trustees and Series 09: Biography – Trustees.
Coverage Temporal	1853 – 1983
Coverage Spatial	Pine Mountain, KY ; Harlan County, KY ; Lexington, KY ; Missouri ; Harbor Springs, MI ; Philadelphia, PA ;
Rights	Any display, publication or public use must credit the Pine Mountain Settlement School. Copyright retained by the creators of certain items in the collection or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Donor	n/a
Description	Core documents, correspondence, writings and administrative papers created by or addressed to Fanny Gratz ; clippings, photographs, publications, illustrations by or about Fanny Gratz.
Acquisition	n/d
Citation	“[Identification of Item],” [Collection Name] [Series Number, if applicable]. Pine Mountain Settlement School Institutional Papers. Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY.
Processed By	Helen Hayes Wykle ; Ann Angel Eberhardt ;
Last Updated
Bibliography
Sources	“Fanny Gratz,” Series 05: Governance – Board of Trustees and Series 09: Biography – Trustees. Pine Mountain Settlement School Institutional Papers. Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, KY. Internet resource. “Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVGY-NK4B : accessed 16 September 2019), Anderson Gratz, 1935; Burial, Lexington, Fayette, Kentucky, United States of America, Lexington Cemetery; citing record ID 133960609, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com. Internet resource. “Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVLN-6KD1 : accessed 18 September 2019), Jere Early Rogers, 1897; Burial, Lexington, Fayette, Kentucky, United States of America, Lexington Cemetery; citing record ID 98032756, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com. Internet resource. “Kentucky Death Records, 1911-1965,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N9H2-Y85 : accessed 16 September 2019), Anderson Gratz, 1935; citing Death, Lexington, Fayette, Kentucky, United States, certificate, Office of Vital Statistics, Frankfort; FHL microfilm 1,913,138. Internet resource. “Kentucky Death Records, 1911-1965,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N98L-RVG : accessed 16 September 2019), Henry Howard Gratz in entry for Mrs. Mary Cecil Gratz Morton, 28 Jun 1937; citing Death, Lexington, Fayette, Kentucky, United States, certificate , Office of Vital Statistics, Frankfort; FHL microfilm 1,913,335. Internet resource. “United States Census, 1910,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RVY-HLC?cc=1727033&wc= QZZ4-6PM%3A133639601%2C140980501%2C141904601%2C1589088946 : accessed 16 September 2019), Missouri > St Louis > Kirkwood Ward 1 > ED 104 > image 6 of 16; citing NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). Internet resource. “United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-9961- 9D27?cc=2185145&wc=3XZ3-7MC%3A1056306501%2C1056534401&cc= 2185145: accessed 16 September 2019), (M1490) Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 – March 31, 1925 > Roll 1679, 1921 Jul, certificate no 61126-61499 > image 87 of 941; citing NARA microfilm publications M1490 and M1372 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.) Internet resource.