Lachen, December 17, 1864 To all my dear ones!
 Here I want to notify you that we received your dear letter & have seen that you are in the best of health, which made us happy. Now you can also be firmly assured of the same on our side. All of us were especially happy about dear H’s arrival and good reception, which we didn’t imagine would be otherwise. Now, dear B. H. [brother Heinrich], you write us that you are already in a large business, which makes us very happy that your dear friends are providing so well for you, & you write us that you will soon also be able to speak English. Now, follow your dear brother and sister [added above the line:] regarding what they advise you, because when one is in such a strange country, one doesn’t understand everything immediately. M [= Em = nickname for Emanuel?]: Dear brother, write how things are with our dear business. Also I want to answer you about this: namely, since it was very dry in the summer and there was as lack of feed here with us, there are very cheap old cows. As we sell for 6 fr. per pound and have a very bad [outflow? wastage?], you will be able to guess what is earned there. Right now, however it is [hole][good?] weather for this meat, because it freezes together. M [Emanuel?] [hole] us that we should give up this good business – since still begin every [hole][other thing], because Julius is slaughtering also out of friendship. Now as [hole] … my consent in this matter for whatever you all wish. If I now had something else to do, you dear brother, will be able to [hole] that when it is not so easy [hole] in Germany to be able to start something else, when one doesn’t have [a reputation/credit/status]. Since our dear father cannot do much anymore. Dear H., you write me also that dear brother Emanual is in Mexiko. Matemores = ?] I am hoping that he is doing good business and will soon [hole] [send?] us [something?]. Furthermore, I am ending my letter in the hope that my dearest [in right margin, German-style handwriting] No. 128 [page 2:] sister Karolina will be a bride in the first letter. So I greet you and kiss you brothers Heinrich and Emanuel, sister Karolina and fiancée Roselie Wolf and all our friends, especially Aunt Hanne and her children, Aunt Elise and her husband and children, many hundred thousands of times. So I remain – your eternally loving & never forgotten brother, Karl Mayer [different handwriting] My much loved ones! 
Your valued letter has come into our hands and from it we saw that you are all well, which you can be assured is true of us all. Above all, we were glad about Heinrich’s happy arrival. Now brother Heinrich is writing that he is already in a business, which made us sincerely happy. Dear brother, now try as far as in your power to learn something. Also now follow your dear siblings and always listen to them well so that we, as well as our dear parents, experience joy from you. Also, I wish that brother does good business in “Meziko” and that he stays healthy, for which we are praying day in and day out. You, dear sister, have also written. I am going to be bored because Sara is gone from here, which one is rather used to in Lachen. Now dear Bro[ther] [hole], you wrote about “Cuse” (= cousin?) Isaak, asking whether Sheigel arranged for the factory to be made. He did have the factory made and is now doing pretty good business, but he [hole] ever less water and now that it is winter, we cannot hope that it also [hole]. Dear brothers and sister, I was also often at the Hämmels at night. [hole] ...iene Burtche is a housekeeper. They are very good/upright and keep friendship [hole] they were at our house very often. Now my dears, if they have also written to you [hole] said you should write to them sometime. Now, brother Heinrich, what you [...] [hole] Isaak have achieved. He is now waiting every day, longing for your dear letter where our dear sister and our dear brothers will write a few lines to them. Now [I] wish that my friend will tell you everything in person and hope that you can often [hole] go to her, dear Sara. On January 18, Jette Mayer is getting married. Where I wished you [hole] in order to open everything up again, but not any longer [page 3:] because one can be happy if one is away from here. They are going to live in the old Jewish house in the [? Christian Gers = ?]. Now, dear sister, do you still remember when you argued with Jul in order to get the Keahergeters [= name of a family] as customers from him to [be yours?]? Now he has gotten lucky because he chose one of the best businesses. Now you can think of how much you ran around in the village with the types of meat, which I am soon going to hate very much. Now do as I write and write to the Hammelsmühler. Now I want to end my letter and hope that the letter finds you in the same state as it left us. Now I greet and kiss you many times, dear brother Emanuel and your bride, also sister Karolina and brother Heinrich. Also many greetings to Aunt Hanne and all her family, as well as Aunt Elise and her husband and children. Also many greetings to Uncle Aberle [Abraham] and wife and children, and I remain your eternally loving sister and friend. Babetta Mayer. Many greetings from Isaak and Berthe to all of you. Many greetings from the Medehes to you and and their children. Also greet Sara for me. I have thought so often if we sat together again we could converse with each other. The person wishing this is your friend Babetta Mayer [same handwriting] Dear Sister,
 Something else I want to mention is that we would gladly [hole] [...] if it were only possible. Since it’s winter now, though, and always very overcast, we will have to [hole] put that off [hole] until the days are bright again. However, we hope [hole] to receive the first letter from [hole]... to get the same from you. Dear Heinrich, [hole] [since?] [you?] were [in?] [“New-Ork” = “New Orl.” not “New York”?), you haven’t written a single syllable about the Mehrbachs [hole] but I am very curious, so write me soon in the first letter whether you saw them or not. We hope
for an answer soon. Once again, I greet and [hole] all of you dear ones Babetta Mayer Loving greetings from our dear father to you all. Dear brother Heinrich, you will excuse me [hole] that we have also have not written at all because you can easily [hole] the [?Adler’s marriage?] — & you write me also that you wish you [could] lie next to me again, which would be my wish for a long time but one could one also use a bedroom because it is cold. Karl Mayer [page 4:] [Yiddish] Dear children,
 Your letter came to my hands with great joy and from it [we] gather that Heinrich arrived safely to you and found you to be healthy. It is to be hoped that the same is here and from it [we] gather your good reception. I [illegible] do not imagine otherwise and look after the same for you that you have come into such a good business. Now I hope that you will also follow your siblings as to what they advise you since you will certainly realize yourself that they advise you in everything for your own good. For when one arrives in a strange country I believe that one has to learn a lot when one already believes one new [thing] But I think one must relearn everything. Now you write that we should give up the [ambiguous word]. That will be right because it is all ruined here. Christmas [illegible] also. You can imagine how it is with carrying meat around where so many [walk?]. But what Karl does ... you know when someone / no one4 has, where one to another conducts business. That way a [illegible] cannot do anything. You know over there that Father cannot do anything [illegible] Karl what he does diligently will always be alone and one must be satisfied with everything. Then he is very good and diligent. The [illegible] is that he is still only too young. What can one expect of someone who is 17 years old and must do everything? But he does everything gladly. He also has also bought fruits a few times for [illegible name – Isaak?]. He must really annoy you. I thank the [hole in text] will help and give you luck and keep you well, which I then [hole in text] pray for and I always see when [hole in text] you also God [hole in text] lets you reach [hole in text] not, because I see him when the [illegible] is [hole in text] next time. Dear child now I shall close my writing and hope that [hole in text] [illegible] reaches you [torn edge on page] [illegible] and leaves. I greet you dear children all [hole in text] Meir and your bride, your dear Karolina and my dear Heinrich [hole in text] [illegible] writes is your mother Rekhia/Reniah Meyer. [different handwriting] My dears, to mention something else, we just received your so valued letter, which brought us tremendous joy. Also, you should not think that it is careless of us. We always [hole] say we want to wait until [Mardches = Mortges?] get a letter if we heard nothing from you we [hole] [ worried?] tremendously about a few things. As you all are not with anyone now we are hoping that you will always write as soon as possible and I remain your never forgotten sister eternally Babetta Mayer.