Lachen, May 19, 1869 To all much-loved siblings! With the greatest joy I take pen in hand, my dears, to tell you that we received what are to me your valued letters so I was able to convince myself of your well-being. I can inform you, my dears, it is the same with us, which is always the greatest good fortune, thank God. Now, my dears, I want to tell you about our dear brother. He was home during Pentacost and unfortunately had to go back to Aschaffenburg, but [we] can’t undertake anything else for now, since you will see that it is not so easy to distance oneself from army life, since there is really a severe punishment that has been established for that and [one] may never return to his homeland. Brother Karl has now in God’s name gone back to Aschaffenburg. Perhaps God Almighty will help him come soon on leave. It would truly be a blessing for me as well as for our dear parents. Although we don’t have much business, it is still a difficult task for me to carry out everything. However, I do everything with the greatest pleasure and am really not ashamed of any work. Now enough about that. Now I want to tell you, my dears, [page 2:] that we received the pictures of your dear children, dear Emanuel, and also were immensely delighted about them. They are, thank God, indescribably very strong and large for their age. May the dear Lord keep us and you healthy so that we might be able to see them in person some time. The joy would really be indescribable for us all. Also, my dears, I want to tell you that great hope arose again in my heart that we have now have laws so that all wayward/rebellious persons who went to America are allowed to return to their homeland with the following conditions: When someone comes, he has to bring his [proof of] citizenship and then everyone is allowed to travel here and there, and so that gives me hope, my dears. I believe if the dear God brings you good fortune and dear God also keeps us healthy on both sides, then with God's help, this might be possible some day. Now enough about that. Also, my dears, we received the bill of exchange that you sent us, regarding which we experienced indescribable joy, and the dear God will truly reward you for this, because as the saying goes, the good that one does for parents and g[randparents] will not go unrewarded. Now my dears, I would like to wish all my dear siblings that what you are writing us about [page 3:] our dear sister Karolina will soon be fulfilled, so that our dear parents my yet experience joy. Dear sister Karolina, I also want to tell you that Abraham Freundlich was also in Texas [“dechtes”] at Passover and I believe if he had known that you were also in the area, I believe that he would certainly have visited you. Also I am curious about how many days’ journey you, dear sister, are from our dear brothers’ home town. Also write whether you, my dears, get together often. Now, my dears, excuse by bad handwriting, because today my thoughts are very scattered, since brother Karl left again today. This affects me much too much. Now I greet and kiss you, my dears, many thousands of times. And kiss each other for me. Also, each time, write us a response immediately, because you can imagine, my dears, how much we still like seeing your valued letters. Many [..?..] greetings to little Heinrich and little Mathilde and kiss them many times for me. Also, I am going to send you, my dears, all [presents?] at the first opportunity, or I will find out if I can send it by mail. In that case, I will do that with the greatest pleasure [page 4:] Many cordial greetings from our dear father, and his only wish is to be able to see all of you again sometime. And so I am ending my letter and remain your eternal sister Babetta Mayer. Write soon with happy news. [19 lines of Yiddish] Dear children, [Your] letter has come to our hands with great joy and it [illegible] very your welfare which you also with us could [illegible verb]. Now I must let you know that Karl has [two illegible words] us all and was [illegible] [then / certainly] [illegible] but the time was very [illegible]. He today again already ... when it is still [two illegible words] dear children. But I think that if it is God’s will he will soon again come home dear children he will know if [he] one time [should in] and want to go forth to America ... that this does not go easily and we are now old. Babette is still not married and father cannot go there. Thus you [should] know that he cannot go. Dear children, I pray that the good Lord keeps him healthy ... because time marches on. Then [we] can certainly think that we have one. Dear children then when one goes to [ambiguous word] and should not have one more [ambiguous word] that this is very hard for parents. Now I must let you know that we [word missing] the photograph of your children, dear Meir, that will certainly occasion great.