Letters From Germany

Maass Relatives 1950-1951, (page 2)

Letters sent by Ernst Maass in Berlin, Germany to his first cousin, August Maas, in Walnut Grove, MN. See page one for additional information about these letters.

[The accession numbers (A/N) are for reference and cataloging purposes.]

A/N MAA09 - [translated by Gene Maas with corrections by Rosemarie Riemer, Seattle, WA]

Ernst Maass
Finkenkrug b/Berlin,
Mainstr. 49
Germany
17 August 1950

On August 23rd you will have completed your 65th year. I don't think this letter will reach you in time, but I don't want to miss the chance on this occasion to send you my heartiest wishes for luck and health in the coming years. I wish the same for your wife and children.

Your last letter was dated January 10th 1949. You told me then that you were planning a trip to California by car. In the mean time I wrote to you on New Year 1949, then on March 10th 1949 and the last time July 26th, 1949, for your last birthday. I wonder if you received all these letters? Maybe they went first to Mississippi, or landed someplace else. In these unsettled times it wouldn't surprise me.

Now I will tell you a few things about us. Our Gerhard got married in November of last year. He has a nice little woman and lives still with us. His profession is radio technician. He has a nice position and a good income. His wife also works in an office in Berlin and makes good money. They established themselves as well as possible under today's circumstances. He already played with the idea of going over seas to broaden his horizon and to get to know other countries and meet new people, but considering the times he decided against it. Nobody knows what might happen and what the future brings. The political oppositions in Germany don't allow one to make plans and to think of future times.

Since June last year I am working again as an accountant in my former firm. My income is not great right now, but I hope that in consideration of my long years with them -36 now- and my knowledge and experience, they will soon give me a suitable raise. If then the situation here will become normal and quiet again, then we will be satisfied and I hope to still have a calm and blessed rest of life in our little house in Finkenkrug

It is too bad, but our mom was very sick this year. She spent 4 months in the Berliner Charitee, with a severely compressed kidney. Six weeks ago she came home but is still under a doctor's care. She is only slowly recovering and will never be completely cured. But that is fate and we have to take what comes. We will never live as long as our ancestors, the times have been too hard. Your mother, my godmother, was 81 yrs, when she died. She would be 100 yrs next May. My mother lived 84 years, but who wants to live that long. We would only become a burden to ourselves and our children.

Your daughter Myrtle and your son Ernst will probably also soon get married. Over there in America where everything is plentiful and also inexpensive, such plans are no problem. There it will be fun to plan a wedding and to make a young couple happy. We wish both of them the best, when the time comes.

Our daughter Marianne is not that lucky. She will have to be with us all her life because of her congenital condition. Our Gerhard will have to take over, once we are gone. This is our only and biggest worry, which we will take care of as long as we stay healthy and have a good income. We are not allowed to quarrel with fate.

Now my dear August, I wish you, your wife, as well as your children everything good and remain with hearty greetings until later,

your cousin Ernst.

Even if the German writing is hard for you, I hope to hear from you very soon. We heard that Minnesota had a huge flood last year. I hope you were not hurt by it.

A/N MAA17 - A type-written letter from Ernst Maass sent to his cousin, August Maas in Walnut Grove, MN. [translated by Gene Maas with corrections by Siegfried Krause]

Finkenkrug b/Berlin
Mainstr. 49
9 January 1951

Dear cousin August and family.

The Christmas celebration is past and a new year has been started. The last year was a year full of fear and worries. No one knew how the circumstances would develop in the world and which effects would result for our Germany. And this fear and worries we will take into the new year. After we had to go through terrifying times in the last world war and still facing an immense amount of damage today, one cannot fret about the present situation. Each German would like to live gladly in peace and conserve the few possessions, that is left for us, for himself and his children. We would like to have peace and quiet, and above all we elderly, would like to spend the rest of our living in silence and peace. Could that all prominent politicians and statesmen of the whole world appreciate that and limit themselves to providing for the welfare and contraction of only their own compatriots in their own country and leave their neighbor-countries alone, to make their bed for themselves? I completely definitely believe, all people then would be more well. Then, each country would be developed like its structure, and will have a peaceful life in the form and manner as its own. Each people, that were involved at the last dreadful war, would surely prefer a peaceful life and working on a happy future. Just like the situation is now, the individual earth-citizen can intervene into the development. And therefore, there will be fear and worries also in the new year.

Also the Christmas celebration has been under this sign, the firmly festival of joy. Certainly the few gifts we give us mutually made externally joy. However, we were pleased more that we are at least all alive and well, and also we go with health into the new year.

However, a joyful surprise we got, when we received a card, the day before Christmas Eve, that showed us the arrival of a CARE package from you. I picked up the package from Berlin and our mom unpacked it with enthusiasm. From us all our quite cordial thanks for your dear attention. The chocolate was split honestly among the five of us on Christmas Eve and the cans and packets shall contribute to improving our living in the future. And always, if a can is opened, our thoughts go to Walnut Grove. Often enough, your ear would hear a sound , when we think of you, and then, probably you also will think of us.

Now to you in the rough, maybe also beautiful west. Probably it will not go always as required with you either. We see from newspaper reports that you often have large temperature differences there and as a consequence, huge floods from snow-masses and in the summer severe heat and drought. However, Minnesota is large and it is not always stated exactly that you are strongly concerned. I know that you cannot make long comments for me, because writing in German is difficult for you. You probably came to America at that time as a young lad and grew up under American circumstances over there and have thought and learned American since your youth. However, you will think, that I also would like to like to know, in which form and manner is your life, how is your daily work, the size and structure of your farm, how large is your livestock and if the fieldwork is worthwhile. Are you located in the so-called wheat belt, that runs from north to south through the states. Also, do you have much fruit to be harvested and if you also have a good profit from this. I don't know whether you can still remember your Pomeranian home. If one can compare the local life with those of the Pomeranian farmers.

Some years ago, I sent you a few pictures of my family and also of our little house. In this little house, we have 4 ½ rooms and a hall. I gave away 1 ½ rooms to my son and his little wife. I had to close down the central-heater in the house because we don't get any coal here. In our dining room I have placed a solid tiled stove and in 2 further rooms we have small transportable ovens. Of course, it is no more the same comfort like earlier with the central-heater. Furthermore, briquettes and wood are scarce and expensive. We always are content if the winter is not too long and not very cold. My garden has a size of approximately 1000 qm.(1/4 acre?). In the time of hardship after the war, I still planted many vegetables, cabbage, beans and tomatoes; and I had rabbits to have additional meat. In the meantime, we acquired 5 chickens, and we have more fruit in the garden. I have good apples, pears, plums, cherries, many gooseberries and currants and strawberries. In the summer, the gardening is my recuperation when I come home from the office. If everything would be quiet and peaceful, so my house and my garden would be a good home in our old age and for our children a paradise and the right retreat. Maybe this will be someday.

It is only sad that our daughter is excepted from thinking and working for her life because of her ailment. We have only a wish, that she would close her eyes once before us (we do?). As long as we still are alive, we can take care of her and we are in the habit of (taking care of) her. We don't know what however will happen, when we are no longer living. The young people won't find the understanding, and it is also hardly to be expected to live with a sick sister, to take care of her. They want to finally also enjoy their life and want to see the world. However, we believe that the dear God will help us once and that also this worry once will end.

Therefore, my dear August, now you have a little overview about our activities and leaving once again, and I still remain in the hope that once I can give you a better overview in foreseeable time, when the economic and political circumstances work out in a way that here we will be able to look into the future in silence and peaces. We were very happy that you also thought about us. However, it is a beautiful feeling to know that dear relatives are living in the distance, that didn't forget us.

I wish you and all your members a happy and healthy 1951 and I am

sincerely yours

Your cousin,
Ernst Maass

Quite best regards also from our mom and from our children.

A/N MAA011 - A type-written letter from Ernst Maass sent to his cousin, August Maas in Walnut Grove, MN. [translated by Gene Maas with corrections by Sabine]

Ernst Maass
Falkensee-Finkenkrug
Mainstr. 49
23 August 1951

My dear August,

My thoughts are with you today in Walnut Grove, your second homeland now where you will be celebrating your 66th birthday. Another year has gone by -- was it peaceful for you? I am sure it was, because your sons have taken over the work, but I am sure you will assist them with advice and help obtained from years of experience.

Like here, the grain harvest is now completed and you can estimate whether it was a good and productive year. For the native farmer there is probably only one topic: which is the land cultivation and the harvest. If the land cultivation is completed in the autumn and spring, then the farmer is content and if he has a good harvest in the autumn, then he is happy.

Also I visited the country this summer with my wife's relatives in Mecklenburg. They have only a small settlement of 5 ha (12 acres), in addition, these small settlers are connected only by their small homeland, because they maintain and work on it from early morning to late evening each year to have a harvest, which the dear Lord God gives them and which makes the life possible for them. For me as an office worker this land work would not be now suitable. But at times when I am in the country, I always help a little. This time I helped with bringing in and threshing the rapeseed. The prospects for a good harvest were excellent and also the crop of potatoes promises a full success. These small settlers are thus in this year very happy with the success of their harvest and content.

In the small garden, which I have with the house, the only gift I have is fruit trees and berry bushes. The berry harvest was very good, there were only a few apples and pears on my trees this year however; my shade cherries were affected by the Monilia (some kind of fungus?), so that I had to prune the trees rather extensively. So far I could not fathom yet the origin or cause of the Monilia. Probably because the soil has too little lime. You probably also have some sour cherries and must suffer from the same kind of fungus.

I wrote a detailed letter in the spring of this year and I hope you received it. If I have not yet received an answer, it is probably due to the fact that writing in German is now very difficult for you. Or perhaps my letter did not arrive or your answer to me did not arrive. But I wanted you to know that I am thinking of you on your birthday.

I gladly hope that it goes well with you and yours, that you all are healthy and that you look to the future with glad courage. If I would receive a sign of life from you sometime again, then I would be pleased much. Until I write again some time, I am with cordial greetings.

Your cousin