Lachen, January 6, 1857 Dear Son Mayer! Your long silence makes us so uneasy that we feel compelled to ask you to honor us soon with your valued handwriting. Everything is fine with us; we hope to hear something similar from your end soon. Don’t let your love as a child cool toward us, and always grant us a letter from you with fine-sounding news. Your parents and brothers and sisters wish this and send cordial best wishes. The letter you wrote on September 2nd was joyfully received here on October 3rd, namely the first day of Rosh Hashanah. You can imagine our great joy. We saw from it that you are very well, thank God, and you wrote us that you will be going [to] Clinton (“Klindon”), and that you want to write us again when you return from Clinton, but we haven’t seen anything yet. Dear son, put yourself in the situation where we live in great uneasiness. We have no idea what to think. If we only knew that you are healthy, then we would be satisfied. We would have written you a long time ago if we knew that we would not receive any letter. You write in your letter that you want to send us 50 Fr. If you can't, then write me how things are going for you. I have to finish my letter, because I think I wrote everything possible. I hope that the letter finds you as it left us. I hope for your reply soon. Joseph Mayer [different handwriting] Dear Brother Mayer, I have to let you know [illegible] that I was confirmed on the Sabbath 14 days ago. I [...?...] [...?...]. I have to let you know that Philipp Lorenz Mehrmam also went to America. He traveled to New York. Greetings from H. Mayer [page 2:] [different handwriting] Dear Brother Mayer, I have to write you that I am well. I hope that it is the same with you and I talk about you every day and every hour. Write us back as soon as possible. You can easily imagine how we hope for a letter from you every day and every hour. I am ending my writing and hope that the letter finds you as it leaves me. I greet you many times and remain you sister. Karolina Mayer [different handwriting] Dear Brother Mayer I am taking pen in hand to write you. I greet you and your dear uncles and aunts many times and remain your [...?...] brother. Karl Mayer [Yiddish] Dear son,
 Every day I await a letter but day by day goes by and none has come. Now, I am writing. Take it upon yourself and your [illegible] to think of writing to us as soon as possible and your [illegible] already [illegible] don’t write. Dear son, your dear uncles and aunts greet you1 and I thought of you’re your dear [illegible due to hole in text] your wife [illegible] is [string of illegible letters or words] I [to] him [illegible due to hole in text] times [in standard German handwriting:] Regina Mayr [different handwriting] Dear Friend Mayer 
I don’t have any time to write much to you, but I do want to write you how I am. I am still about the same as ever, but am still not healthy. Greetings to you your friend, August Mahl [page 3:] nda elachen [stamp] NEUSTADT d.H. T 8=1 [postage stamp] NINE FRANKS BAVARIA KREUZER Mr. Abraham Levi Bayou Sara in the State of Louisiana America