Letters From Germany
Köhler cousins (page 8)
1949 - 1953
Letters sent by Martha Köhler to August Maas in Walnut Grove, MN. Martha was the daughter-in-law of Carl Friedrich August Köhler, a brother of Emilie (Köhler) Maas. Her husband, Hermann, was a first cousin to August Maas.
See page one for additional information about these letters. [The accession numbers (A/N) are for reference and cataloging purposes.]
A/N - KOH039 [Translation by Siegfried Krause]
Glückstadt,
December 28, 1949Dear relatives,
It is early in the morning now and so I also want to send a little letter to you from far away. The dear Christmas is past. And so our thoughts were with everyone who is related and known. This year, we had a dear Christmas celebration once again as we always had it with ourselves at home. Now we can get everything here in West Germany like in peace time, nothing is missing, only the DM (Deutsch Mark, i.e. former German currency) is missing very much everywhere. To a large degree, most (people) are unemployed. My sons, Herbert and Willi, and also the son-in-law, are still working; fortunately, one must say. Prices are enormously high. I don't get any pension yet because I am still not 60 years old. Willi, the 2nd son, 23 years old, has to support his mother. I am going to work in agriculture in the summer, mitunter sehr überlegen (sometimes think about), since this is marsh land here. I am 58 years old. My wealth always was my health so far, seldom have I seen a doctor. On November 4, 1949, I became a grandma, and Friedchen (this is probably Elfriede) with husband are the happy parents of a little son, Fred. He was baptized on first Christmas day. What will the new year 1950 bring for us now? Our wish, to return to our dear and unforgettable birthplace again.
Franz Köhler with his wife Auguste traveled to Duingen to the sister Berta; she was ill since March. The son-in-law will marry again and is already living with a woman. However, the one brother Fritz was carried off by the Russians and from that time on nothing is known of him. Our Herbert was in Russia 7 years, 4 in combat and 3 ½ in captivity. Now he is already in quite a good way. His edema is gone. He gets 50 DM per month as pension and then his income on the station. It is good if they all are still working.
In the near future, we will take photos and then you shall all have a little memory of us. If once again you can spare a few offerings for us, we will take it with much thanks and cordiality. Everything is very welcome for us. We are very content now; we already do very well in the comparison to 1945. The (people) in the East-zone (the former GDR) still have little fat (lard?) and meat and also clothing. Particularly in the cities this is very noticeable. Now I want to come to an end and also greet all the love ones there.
your relatives, Martha with children
Friedchen with husband already have a first small apartment now. I need ½ hr. to go to her.
A/N - KOH023 [Translation by Dieter Begehr, Hamburg, Germany]
January 29, 1951
Dear relatives,
Your very dear package so completely and unexpectedly greeted us. You will hardly believe what a specific joy this is. First I want to express my cordial thanks for it. You must excuse that I write with a pencil. It still works the best for me. Otherwise, my children and I are still well.
Now in the new year, life will become somewhat better for me. I get a pension now, 50 DM on my own stamp card (Social Security) and 20 DM widow's pension on my husband’s one, as he has been dead 18 years already. I am now very glad that I am supplied with these things now. I became 59 years old the end of April. Also, I am very modest and so I will get along with it. The cost of living has increased very much here recently, which is at the heart of everything. Coal particularly is a very great and expensive concern here this year. One Zentner (approx. 110 pounds) costs more than 4 DM. In Pommern, we lived cheaper. We could always go into the forest to collect firewood. Here in Holstein, there is little forest, particularly here in the marshland.
And how are you all there? Hope you are still well. How is farming going? I am especially interested in it, as up to now I was actively working. I cannot bear it any longer, as I always have gout in my hands. I still live together with Willi. Herbert will marry in the spring, he is old enough for it, he was 30 years old in the autumn. He now works again in his occupation as a motorist and car mechanic. He has a really good hourly wage, 1.30 DM, here with the company ... neng. The husband of our daughter is also working there as metal worker and also gets the same hourly wage. Willi is a turner (lathe operator) with the army, however, he makes less per hour, 1 DM. He is 24 years old. Otherwise, there are also many unemployed here -- men and also many women -- particularly now in the winter.
I still always hope to go back one time to our dear homeland, but to our eyes, everything seems so bleak. One never gives up hope and memories will never end. One thinks about it every hour. On the 2nd of March, it will be 6 years already since we had to flee, one could accept anything that happened but not that. The world probably will not become rosy again and peace will also not come. My brothers and sisters in the east zone must all work much more to get along with everything. (They) have a lot of taxes.
Now I would like to come to the end. Thank you again for this so dear package with which we are pleased still daily.
Thus I greet everyone and the children from far away.
Your grateful Martha Köhler
Comment by Gene Maas: The Deutsch Mark (DM) was introduced on 20 June 1948. The exchange rate between 1949 and 1960 was approx. 4.2 DM per dollar. [USD Pages PDF file]
A/N - KOH017. [translation by Siegfried Krause]
Glückstadt 3. January 1952
My dear ones.
Quite unexpectedly your dear package greeted us on the 24th of December, Christmas Eve. And your dear Christmas greeting with the pretty card on the New Year's Day! We thank you heartily very much. And you will hardly believe, how very much we are pleased about it. The things we all can use well. The woman’s suit fits Friedchen, as if it is made for her. And the suit her husband can wear very well. My little grandson helped to unpack. He says: “Fredi helping grandma." He is two years old since the 4th of November. He speaks everything, his daddy has made a rocking horse for him. That is now something beautiful for him. And uncle Willi, my youngest son, sent a toy car from Sweden, he is his godfather. He went across to Göteborg/Sweden on the Nov. 11, 1951 to earn many crowns. Also now he is a lathe operator in a large shipyard, with him still many colleagues are here, he already settled down well, and is very content with all. The Christmas celebration they have embellished after German custom. Swedish Managers were also present and they explained, they never would have experienced such beautiful Christmas.
Now I am alone in my little furnished room. However, I often go out to my daughter. In half an hour I have to go, the little one always says, grandma should stroll with him. Now I get 74,80 DM pension I must pay 15 DM rent from it and 2 DM light-money. Buy coal, and live the month from it. Everything is available here now, don't ask, how dear it is. coal: 1 hundredweights is 5,50 DM, some unemployed persons can't buy anything for themselves, and here are many of them again at the moment. Our Herbert and Friedchens husband have good work. Herbert has been an Autoschlosser (auto mechanic) and driver at the company since summer. He does many long-distance-trips and then gets beautiful expenses money. Friedchen's husband is a Schlosser (mechanic or locksmith), He also earns quite well. Herbert has been married since May and since September also has an apartment from the company. He has already furnished it completely nicely himself. In March the family will also increases itself.
So right, he is not on top with his health, that are all consequences of Russia. Yes, how many ones still must suffer behind the Iron Curtain. It is not to think up at all. Yes, my dear ones, you write about the permanent peace, we yearn also for it. Here go everything its walk at the moment like in the deep peace, the natives didn't lose anything. And they don’t think any more of the hard war, that is behind us. But our dear homeland stays lost for us. We are seven Christmases now already separated from it. And a foreign Polish people lives in it, one may not think back. We also now are content, we have things to eat and also to wear, and don't need to freeze. It is said: If you have the food and clothing, be content; these words I always remind myself. What this year now will bring to us, we don't know, however, it is beautiful that one knows nothing in advance.
Greet the dear siblings from us. I would be pleased, if also they would write a greeting to us once, but they probably can’t write in German. That uncle Block is dead, I already knew. Aunt wrote it to me herself. So my dear ones, be both heartily greeted from me and our children,
your grateful Martha Köhler
(postscripts written upside down on the page)
On the 29th of December, before New Year's day, I was with Berta Köhler in Burg, it is not far from here. Her husband is sick, I fear he won't live much longer.
Dear aunt Klara, were you also born in Germany? And from where did you emigrate to America? And how old were you at that time? Wish you all a glad, blessed New Year over there.
Updated - KOH017 added 3/12/2011
A/N - KOH014. [translation by Dieter Begehr, Hamburg, Germany]
Glückstadt
March 28, 1953My dear all,
First of all I wish you dear all a healthy happy Easter. I would like to provide a little joy with this little souvenir.
These two (in the picture) are the children of my daughter Elfriede. How are you otherwise, did not hear from each other for a long time. In the meantime much took place. With you uncle and aunt Block are deceased. [Martha with her grandchildren, Doris and Fred]
Recently I received a package from their children which I had not at all counted on. The children and I were very happy about that. I have already sent her a letter with a picture. I hope they are happy with it.
Franz Köhler in Appen ___ was for __ months in the hospital, had it with the Blase. Our Herbert was recently there, he is now rather well, now both are already old, and Bertha Köhler together with her children moved in November to Monheim / River Rhine. Her husband died here in Holstein on June 30, 1952. She had to leave also the grave behind; that she has written to you. For the time being I don’t know anything about Anna, she writes very seldom.
I am now well again. Last year February I suffered from serious breast surgery. Left one was excised, have got an incision of 30 cm, was probably suspicious of cancer. In the summer I got another 10 exposures (X-ray), they did very good. I get done all the work which concerns myself. I also still support the daughter in ___ with the children.
I greet both of you and your dear of children cordially (written upside down at the top of the page)
your dear relative,
Martha Köhler and children
Second page or separate undated letter.
The pension also increased somewhat, now I get 90 DM per month. I make ends meet, everything is expensive. But one can only be surprised what you can get already. And mankind was generous, It’s not at all to feel that Germany was poor. I would not like any more to experience again 1945, 46, 47 when we were refugees, and hardly a piece of bread to eat, so little fat, these natives have lost nothing, however today we are very well again, except our comrades in fate who today flee again from the eastern zone (DDR), daily up to 2000 into the Federal Republic. How will this ever end.
4 siblings of mine with children and their children are still in the zone and are driven away by their own Germans, thus all comes from Stalin, now he is dead, he has harassed mankind exceedingly, our poor prisoners kidnapped and still have to suffer, one may not think about it, then it’s over.
Now it’s spring and nature awakes, and the longing for the homeland always arouses anew. We old (the elderly) don’t believe we will ever see it again. Everything has been very devastated by the Poles. My children do not want to go back, they have their work and bread here. Our Herbert wants to make foreman now in his occupation, it costs him also a lot. The son-in-law is a metalworker in a large company, also earns completely well. And his (our?) youngest son Willi is in Sweden, Goeteborg, in a large dockyard as turner, earns completely well also, however they know prices there completely enormous. There are very many German people who went over. Here we have very great unemployment.
Let me also hear a little from you sometime again. It would please me very much. During April I want ___ to _____
Now I want to write to Martha Buss she will also get a picture. (written upside down at the top of the page)
