Lachen, May 18, 1859 Dear Son Mayer,
 Your letter that you wrote on April 18th on the 15th of this [month] was received with the greatest joy and [we] saw from it that you and your uncles and aunts are all healthy, thank God. That is also the case with us. I also have to let you know that we got the gold that you sent to us in Klingenmünster, and your little brother Karl was with his father [= with me] in Münster and Grandmother is still [as] healthy as she was ten years ago. I have no idea [hole] [why] you have written to us so little when the [hole] ... have written to me about our circumstances and you have not written us [hole] [a single] syllable about it in your ...[hole]... In your last letter that you wrote us ...[hole]..., you [told?] us that your uncle would like to see a letter [from us]…[hole]... and I have also written to him [hole] [but have heard] from his hand not one single syllable, [I] see that ...[hole] ... when I see about his who[le] ...[hole].... I also have to let you know that ...[hole]... here by us talk a lot about war, that there are really ...[hole]... a lot of soldiers in our area, but one doesn’t ...[hole]... yet much more to say about it. Because one does not know .. [hole]... what will happen. When you write to us again ...[hole]... we can write you more about it. I ...[hole]... have to let you know that business with us is very bad now. Meat is very expensive. One pound here by us costs 13 kreutzer and one can’t earn anything from that, because beef is very expensive. [page 2:] I also have to let you know about your sister Karolina. You wrote us that she should
go to America. If you believe that it would be better for her in America than in Germany, then write to her about that. Then she wants to [?decide?] whether to travel to her dear brother in America. So you can discuss with your dear uncles. whether you and your dear uncles believe that it is advantageous for her, because when one wants to marry in Germany now, one needs a lot of money. If you believe that she should [?decide], then write to her in detail [hole]…[what] she needs and how she should behave, because [hole] ... [?we?] believe you all know this better how ... [hole] ... send money to her and write about ... [hole] ... [whether] she should depart in spring or fall [hole] ... [I conclude] my letter and [hole]...[I greet you and your] dear uncles and aunts many thousands of times [hole] [Jo]seph Mayer. [different handwriting] Dear Brother Mayer, I have to let you know that I am well. [hole]... I hope the same of you. I also have to let you know that I am still going to the teacher Leibfried and will be out of the school by Rosh Hashanah, and then I want to go to Neustadt to learn. I greet you many thousands of times and remain your eternally loving brother. Karl Mayer I hope for an answer soon. [page 3:] Dear Brother Emmanual,
I have to let you know that I am well, which I hope is also the case with you. I also have to let you know that business is very bad right now, because people are talking a lot about war in our area. All factories and all large businesses are at a standstill now. If you think it would be advantageous for me, then I can come to you in America later once you have your own business. I greet you. Your brother Henry Mayer [different handwriting] Dear Brother, I have to apprise you of my good health. I hope it is the same with you. I am now of a mind to travel to you in America. If it is [all right?] for you and our dear uncles, then it would be helpful for me. If you think that it would be advantageous for me, then write me promptly what I [hole]...[and how] I should behave and what time I should [depart]. [hole] [I conclude] my letter and remain g[reet] [hole]... our dear uncles and aunts many times and remain [hole] ... sister. Karolina Mayer [different handwriting] Dear brother,
 I have to apprise you of my good health, which I hope is also the case with you. I have to let you know that I gave Averle’s [Abraham’s] daughter from Tegenheim, whose name is Santgez , a few socks for you. Write me as soon as possible whether you have received them or not. And I hope that our letter finds you in the same way it left us, and remain your eternally loving sister. Babette Mayer. And I greet you and my uncles and aunts many thousands of times. [page 4:] [Yiddish] Dear son Meir, 
I must let you know of my good health. I hope that all shall be well with you. So the hand of your sister Karolina has written ... when you and your dear uncles/boys believe that you should [illegible]. Then you could write her about it and your dear uncles/boys [ambiguous verb] her well … to give the dear brother-in-law. You will know [how it is] when someone in Germany has a daughter and with little money one cannot in the prevailing times [do anything] more. I believe when she comes to America she will be able to make do more and she can also [illegible verb] you to read. Now my dear brother-in-law if you would send money, you could thus do so that she would embrace you and your dear brother. If it is God’s will, as quickly as possible because you know how it is with us and continues to be worse every day when she here [illegible] still carries on. She still has long braids1 and when the year is over, she won’t [ambiguous word] ... she carried in her [heart].2 You should know that how you [were] [holes in text] at home, dear son. One [illegible] no longer comes to the other [hole in text] when one needs money. There is none there anymore. Now I shall close with my writing [hole in text] not in my heart. Many thousands of greeting to you dear son and your uncles and aunts and [I] remain your mother so long as God the Almighty [hole in text]. I hope that the letter reaches you there as it leaves me and wish that your [large gap due to holes in text] and that you write your own lines from your heart when you write again [hole where signature would be]