Collection: Weinhardt Family Letters

Author: John Yungmeyer

Recipient: John V. Weinhardt

Description: Letter from John Yungmeyer to John V. Weinhardt, June 10, 1923. Yungmeyer was a friend of William Weinhardt, whom Hans Weinhardt had contacted by letter two months earlier to re-establish contact between the two branches of the Weinhardt family. The letter, evidently dictated by William Weinhardt (who could not read or write German) to Yungmeyer, includes William Weinhardt's explanation of the family's history in Indiana. At the conclusion of the letter, Yungmeyer shares some information about his own immigration history.

John Yungmeyer an Hans V. Weinhardt, 10. Juni 1923

English Text

My Dear Sir Hans Weinhardt,

Received your valued letter of April 26 and learned therein that you have a great deal of interest in our Weinhardt forebears who emigrated to America. I will explain everything about the family. Joh. Mich. Weinhard was the owner of a brewery on Kothgasse, between the schoolhouse and Nürnbergerstrasse on the north side of town. Ownership went to a bank and was thus named the Bank Brewery. The family then ran a small garden restaurant near the stream. Then Herr Weinhardt and his oldest son, who had been a brewer in Vienna, went to America in 1848 and settled in Fort Wayne, but stayed there only a short while and then came to Lafayette, Ind. From there, in early 1850, the rest of the family joined them consisting of his wife and five children (the oldest daughter died sometime earlier in Schwabach and is buried there.)

After the rest of the family arrived in Lafayette, they moved to Greencastle, a town about 60 miles from Lafayette, and ran a restaurant there until the death of the old Herr Weinhardt. Then his wife moved to Terre Haute to be with her married children, but this first generation are all dead except the youngest daughter who is 83 years old. The oldest son died in Lafayette about 40 years ago (this is the one who came over first with his father). From the oldest son are three sons: William, John, George. William and the others have little knowledge about relatives in Germany, and cannot speak German since their mother was American. As far as I know, Johan Georg Weinhardt was a brother or cousin to my grandfather. Naturally, you are in a better position to determine the precise relationships of the family. I, William, are as interested as you are regarding the family relationships. Again, it is noted here that J. Georg was a brother or cousin. That is certain. This is the basis of our relationship. Enclosed you will find a letter written in English. You will certainly be able to find someone to translate it.

I wrote this letter on behalf of William. We have a long friendship. He knows that I know more about his ancestry than the later generation.

The writer of this letter is John (Johann) Yungmeyer. I immigrated to America in 1858 from my parents’ home in Binzenberg. I still have some connection with Schwabach. I have a couple of relatives namely Bz. Lehrer Roth. - Leonhard Beichtel Metzger and Herr Justus Schnauser. The last time I was in Schwabach was 17 years ago. I am now 90 years old, and will not see the old homeland again. I wish all Schwabachers the best of everything.

With best wishes,

John Yungmeyer

Lafayette