[Partial translation]

8 December 1938 [Father]

My Dears,

Received Carl’s letter of Nov. 10th with thanks [...] we are glad all of you are still doing well[...]could not write right away[...]this is letter number six we will have sent off today. That is why I can tell you up front that I will not write ten pages, I will consider it a good job if I write four. I get quite dozy when I consider that everyone will want me to write something sensible. I also notice that now, after living there for 13 years, you have figured out where to get a good eating potato. Too bad that you were not able to treat us to that earlier. Here it is easier to find such, and you can do a lot with it. You will have gotten the latest news from here also, there is nothing I can add. I assume that you were not lied to this time, so don’t get upset if it is the truth. I too am of the opinion that God’s mills grind slowly but surely[...]furthermore I can tell you that we are still well, our interest payments arrive punctually every quarter. Every three months I pay 43,75 marks in tax on assets[...] we are not making any savings, on the contrary the capital is diminishing because we need about 600 marks a year more than the interest payments we receive. Dear Carl, you do not need to worry about us nor send us anything, for the moment we have enough and are grateful that it was sufficient so far. We will leave the future to God, He knows what is good for us and will not send us more than we can carry. We still have our passports but have not had them extended because we thought it pointless. None of us is able to predict what the next year will bring which is why it is good to take it as God sends it. For the present we have settled in here, we accept that it is the will of God and should this change He will show us what is best. Carl, if you think the matter over calmly, you will have to agree with me. We have not felt able to decide to return.

Of the money that is still in Nordenstadt we are to get 600 marks. Though nothing will happen this year any more because I was told yesterday at the military administration in the Schiersteinerstrasse that they had sent on all the papers with the notice that it is a matter for the military administration at Erbenheim. They were the ones who got the 2 Morgen land from Petter. He does not get the money, but rather the creditors will get paid in part and we are of that number. So far we have not gone there, no need to right now. When I think about it I say to myself stay away, that will be best. Wilhelm visited us Sunday before last, he complained bitterly about his father. He cannot fulfill his demands and defends himself with the help of his wife so that they often have loud arguments. Now Wilhelm regrets bitterly that he did not clear out when he had the chance earlier. After the money is distributed there will still be debts of about 5,000 marks and he does not want to be responsible for them as long as his father keeps up with his demands. Everyone who knows the situation says that they feel sorry for the younger generation.

I am glad that your little Paul is so lively, I think he takes after the family. Oh the experiences Opa had with Paul’s father, how he suffered, moaned, cheered, complained, admonished, talked, spoke, made him look bad, taught; how often Carl was turned around. How often I resorted to the stick and staff in order to return balance. I am still in admiration that my boundless patience did not fail me more often. But it is not malicious in the case of Paul, he is still so small and lacking in understanding. I hope you don’t forget yourself and grasp the strap. It amuses me that now you are always such a good example. Generally understanding comes with age, blessed are those who live to experience it. The fact that you have not smoked for several months has made me admire you very much. Was it a great necessity? I advise you to keep on and make a virtue of it, it is much better for you. Unfortunately our advent and evening services were badly attended. Those 75 years and older don’t get out much at night. The younger ones like Fink et al. don’t have the time, business takes precedence. Despite the manager who started on the first of December, Albert is always in Frankfurt. Generally he gets home at one in the morning and at eight he leaves again. This he had not expected, but that’s how it is when a person never feels he has enough. We are rid of the Jews and these never satisfied types don’t behave any better.

Dear Carl, I wish you and your dear ones a blessed Christmas and health and a cheerful change of years, best greetings for the New Year are sent to you by your Pa and Opa.

[Mother]

Since Father has finished his epistle I want to write something too. This week I wrote a letter for everyone over there except for Lenchen. It will soon be her turn. I am still doing well, have a bit of a cough. I still have the necessary courage for the work and that is good, that way I won’t feel bored. Dear Carl, you ask whether you should mail a German magazine. I think it is not necessary. Willi sends the Lutheraner, Finks read the Abendschule which Johanna then brings us, and then there are the libraries after all. Even my friend Rumpler now has a store in the Wellritzstrasse. That’s not far for me. Of course they have to charge 20 Pfennig per book, only the city library is allowed to loan out books for less, they mostly loan books having to do with the Third Reich and its ideas which lead to the instruction of the population. The books you get on loan in the stores are in good condition as one must pay, they always have a clean cover. Father does not like to see me loan out books, he thinks it is wasted money. He is able to read the paper all evening whereas I am done in 15 minutes as I am not interested in high politics [hohe Politik]. Reading has always been my weakness and when one spends much time at home it is the best entertainment for me. I always have sewing and mending to do. Luise Bender sends me wool for knitting as she has no time and Ernst’s mother is no longer living. Since our return Father has also gone back to wool socks and I also wear stockings I knitted myself at home. We still have the Andreasmarkt Fair only now at the end of October. Now it even lasts for four days, from Thursday to Sunday. The Dippemarkt Fair still takes place at the Luisenplatz. You ask how much a washing machine costs here. The same model which we had in Appleton, including also the wringer, costs 320 marks. I don’t know if anyone buys them. I could not even use it here, because there is not even electric light in the wash kitchen, let alone an electric outlet. The women in this house all scrub the laundry, some have a laundry woman and others do it themselves. I wrote to Willi about the wringer. You have to know that Johanna is a perfectionist and when she thinks about avoiding a purchase then she also remembers the things we left behind. But to send something from over there to here, for that one could buy it new here because the cost of freight and German customs duty are much too high. Even money, if it goes through Berlin, you only get 2,50 marks for the dollar and the Trebus family, when they got five dollars from Julius had to pay 75 Pfennig [exchange fee] on top of it [...] I hope the children’s things arrive in good order and that you like them. The Post Office accepts small items like that. It is not yet getting cold here, but it rains every day. The winter will arrive after Christmas. We don’t have many holidays this year. We don’t know yet if we will put up a little tree this year. Here they mostly still use candles. Right now in the evenings there are throngs at church and in the Langasse so you can hardly get through. Just now Alfred Fink was here, twice a week he brings us bread from Biebrach with his motorcycle[...]Albert Fink bought a house with a bakery for him and now he has to work. When I asked him about it he said his whole life was worries and work. He has several employees, but his expenses are enormous, Karl can rest assured that his colleagues here don’t have it any easier. I heard that now seamstresses are no longer permitted to sew by themselves in their homes nor go to sew to other people’s homes, only big businesses are allowed who will then pay taxes[...]I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year. May the dear Lord continue to be with you. I commend all of you to his protection [...] heartfelt greetings, your Mother.