Isaac Schweitzer to family, December 13, 1863

English Text

Dearest parents & dear siblings Carlsruhe, December 13, 1863 To conform to your wishes, I rush to express my sincere thanks for your precious [letter] that I received safely together with your package. Hutzelbrot [=fruit bread], goose cracklings, and breast provided me some good evenings, and I also own two Gulden as well. I am only able to thank you today. It was very agreeable to me that I learned about your well-being from your esteemed [letter], and I cannot refrain from noticing that it would be very uncomfortable for me - what I do not hope - to be embarrassed because of not writing for a long time - for you dear parents as well as for me. You saw from my previous [letter] the [illegible] reasons which prevented me to do something for me. Hanukkah was very nice for me, I only played a little, but I always won. However, I was always with friends, we could not play in the family circle and thus we stayed here. The only thing that we saw of Hanukkah was either the synagogue in the morning or our own lighting. [illegible] Mr. Wormser, however, paid with oil, and on Saturday night the Ma'oz Tzur was sung twice by about 12 people accompanied by piano which was very nice. I have not yet heard and seen of a Hanukkah gift and there was no talk of a discount. Therefore I gave my friend K. Wormser my best thank you and reward in writing. My good friend, the first traveling salesman Mr. Kirschbaum, also thought it to be the smartest thing to do, he provides me with his opinions about which I inform you in my letter. I hope of a good success but I am convinced that I do not want to spend much cash because Wormser is a devout, unique rascal although he is an elderly fellow. That your business is going well, thank God, is very desirable for me, and I ask our dear God for it in pious affection. However, it would also be very good if there would be at least some accounting, and the invoices would be recalculated and compared (read) which would be [of the bigg]est importance. [holes at beginning of line] Today Rothschild of Wernigerode was here and brought me some new boots for which he only asked f 6.30 and I paid him cash. I enclose the note to Raphael since he knows you Mühringer, and then he can get it there, since I won't tell that he is already here. Dear Mother, you don't consider it to be good that I ask you dear parents for advice. I don't agree with that since nobody is closer than parents and siblings. Dear mother, you write that you still have to write bills. Let my dear sisters also do that. And if you have something special, please ask me - then I will do it. Please write me about it and also how the stock is doing. The dear Königsbacher are doing fine, thank God. I haven't seen anybody for a long time. I wrote to our dear aunt in Horb and proposed to take Ansbach Gunzenhauser Loos [?]. It will cost about f 13-14 and the profit will be about f 25000 [illegible] in Baden. Dear mother, I would be happy to learn about the stock in your next letter, and I hope for such [a letter] in the near future. That the Badwirth [name of an innkeeper?] has changed his supply and submitted a large order to dear father is pleasant. Does Grunwaldt still have commissions in stock similar like Frummet of Nordstetten? How is the competition? Are the restaurants [?] still active in Neckarthal? I let our traveling salesman Kirschbaum try the [goose] breast, and he repaid for it tenfold since he received a complete package from his mother. But these were Bavarian goose cracklings. The Hutzelbrot also tasted very good. I also gave some to Emil. The young man from Harz, who used to travel in Thuringia, visited me as well as many Britons. Rothschild was not here since then. I was very surprised about your news, dear sisters. That Berthold is already a bridegroom I do not understand, since he will be one soon. What does one talk about Schleswig-Holstein. Do not worry. I am astonished that you, dear sisters, came only home late, around ten o'clock. However, for us this is still early. It is rarely 12 o'clock when I and all the others are still up, but without music. Enough for today - and I am looking forward to an early reply. Your obedient son Isaac Schweizer What are the dear uncles in America doing and writing. [left side page 1]: greetings to friends who remember me, further I want to greet all those who you know.

Original text