1946-1947 Letters From Germany
The following letters were written longhand in German by relatives of Hermine Maas. We are indebted to Christiana Dussa who graciously provided the English translations.
[The accession numbers (A/N) are for reference and cataloging purposes.]
A/N 33 - Translation of a letter from Fritz Grieger written to Hermine Maas
Berlin - Reinikendorf
Aug. 12, 1946Dear Cousine Hermine!
With great pleasure and thousand thanks to you, I received your letter from May 2, about 4 weeks ago. It made me sad to hear about the death of your mother, but she reached a good age. I told my mother and Aunt Auguste Grieger about it, who are both living off the help of the sisters of your mother. Aunt Anna Bürgam had died 1942, Aunt Wilhelmine Schmidt died July 1940, I think I already had informed you about this. Uncle Albert Grieger died on All Soul's Day 1945; he reached 79 years. Uncle George Bürgam is still living, he is now 82 years old. Cousin Willi Bürgam had died in the war in the Netherlands. We all made our way more or less good through the war. All my 3 sons returned back home. My apartment had been damaged in the bomb attacks and by the invading Russians. My son and I lost all our music instruments, clothes, linen, socks, and my wife lost her shoes, dresses, jackets, stockings. But we saved our furniture and a few things to wear. My mother and sister didn't lose anything, also Aunt Grieger and Cousin Emil Schmidt lost everything in the bomb attacks and Cousine Minnie Bürgam left her home because she had been an active member of the Nazi party. I very seldom get together with my relatives because of the distressed situation in Germany. Everybody is busy with himself. There really is a lot of help on its way to help us with food but there never is enough to get full. If I could eat until I'm filled up...! There are no words to describe what we lived through during the "Hitler-time," we weren't allowed to say anything critical. All the letters which we sent out of Germany were censored. You'll probably understand now why I didn't answer your questions regarding Hitler and his politics. If I had answered them and had told you my opinion about Adolf I could have been sent to a concentration camp. Here in Berlin a lot is destroyed, wherever you turn your head you'll see ruins. The war of bombs was terrible and we have to work to convince the whole world that such a terrible war like this never will happen again.
I'll close now in hope that these lines will reach you in good health. With the warmest wishes to you, your family from all of us.
Your Cousin
FritzMy mother is now 76 years old and Aunt Auguste becomes 80 years Aug. 16.
P.S. My mother asks where your sister Amanda is now, didn't she used to live with your parents?
Fritz
[Note: Hermine noted on the envelope that this was the first letter received since the end of the war. It was received 9/21/46 in answer to her letter written 5/2/46.]
A/N 11 - Translation of a letter from Emil Schmidt written to a male cousin.
Berlin - Charlottenburg
Dec. 1. 1946Dear Cousin and all relatives!
Aunt Auguste, a sister of your mother, gave me the old address of your parents. I'll try to get in contact with you, like it had been before the war between my mother and your parents. It's sad that both our parents died, your father died shortly before our mother died in the year 1940. We received the message about this, and now Aunt Auguste told us that also your mother died. So far we came through the war pretty good, but on the last day of the war we lost our "household" at Wilmersdorfer str. 58 and all our family souvenirs. We had to leave the house, because the area was a fighting area and after 3 days I tried to get back to our house but all I found were ruins. I live now with my family in Berlin - Charlottenburg. All the other relatives kept their household. There are still some of mother's sisters living: Aunt Auguste and Aunt Amande. Aunt Anna (Bürgam) died Dec. 21, 1942. Shortly before this one son of hers, Willi, died in Belgium. Besides this I heard from Aunt Auguste, that Cousine Johann Bürgam lost his only son Kurt while he was a Russian war-prisoner. These are the victims out of the relatives who died in war. I don't know if there was anybody from your relatives who fought against us. Perhaps somebody of you can answer this question. In the hometown of the parents, Pinnow, not a lot had been destroyed. The only thing is, that it is now more a "border-town," everything behind the Oder (river) belongs now to Poland. The house where mother was born is still standing and still belongs to the family. One of the cousines has a restaurant in there.
Now I gave you a short description about the German relatives. I hope this letter will reach you. If you shouldn't be able to read it, cousine Hermine will translate it, she knows German. The warmest wishes to all the relatives also from Aunt Auguste who will be 80 years and lost her husband Uncle Albert one year ago.
Emil Schmidt Family
Berlin - CharlottenburgPlease send me the address of cousine Hermine. I lost everything, all pictures and all the old letters and addresses.
[Note: This letter apparently was sent to one of Hermine's brothers who must have sent it on to Hermine.]
A/N 37 - Translation of a letter from Fritz Grieger written to Hermine Maas
Berlin - Reinikendorf
March 10, 1947Dear Cousine Hermine!
I hope you already received my letters from Nov. 27, 1946 and Jan. 1, 1947, where I confirmed the reception of your charitable gifts. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It just arrived at the right time and helped us getting over a hard time.
When I had been unemployed in the years 1926 and 27, and 1930-34, my first wife had been ill and died March 29, 1934 none of my relatives took care of me, when my family and I really had been in need. All the cousins had the big luck not to become unemployed, and everybody always told me that I shouldn't have 3 boys while all the cousins (male & female) have none or only one child. Now I don't see that I should share my opinion, because you know what it means to bring a big family through, and feed them. With these small portions, right now, you have to collect yourself not to die. It's a pity how our beautiful Germany was run down by Adolf Hitler and his helpers. Every 8 weeks we receive a bar of soap, 30 gr. (about 1 oz.). We didn't get detergent to wash clothes since August. Sewing cotton, darning yarn and elastic weren't available since the end of the war, my wife really doesn't know anymore how to repair the clothes and socks. We haven't had new clothes since the beginning of the war. Since about 4 weeks we don't even have potatoes anymore because they did rot and freeze in our basement. If we had taken them in our apartment it wouldn't have made any difference because we aren't able to heat. All of us aren't in very good health. You probably heard about the many deaths in Germany because of starvation and freezing to death. I suffer from circulatory problems, from my heart and my nerves are all run down. I only weigh 95 pounds. Right now I'm staying home because I'm not able to work. I really hope God lets us survive this terrible time and lets us see better times.
For today, I'll close in hope that you and your family are in good health. I hope to hear soon from you.
Warmest wishes to you, your husband and your children.
Your cousin Fritz & family
A/N 24 - Translation of a letter from Fritz Grieger written to Hermine Maas
Berlin Reinikendorf
May 1, 1947Dear Cousine Hermine!
We received with great pleasure April 19 your loving letter, written March 12. You probably received my letter from March 10 by now. I thank you a lot in advance for the package you sent to us, and we hope that we'll receive it soon. I believe you can't imagine how much good you do with this, and I don't know how I'll ever be able to pay it back to you. The farmers here deliver only as much for us "town-people" as they have to. They don't give anything more to us unless we pay extravagant prices. Very special thanks to your son Walter who was so kind to give the money for the package. Also a lot of thanks for the pictures. Although we don't know each other in person, so did we get to know each other in 40 years we are writing to each other and I think it's wonderful when you receive from time to time a picture. I didn't have any picture of your husband and I knew you only as a young woman.
Of your children I have a picture where your Walter is two years old. The children are growing up and we are getting older, you see this in the pictures of me. How wonderful it would be if we could get to know each other in person one day, and talk to each other. I always dreamed about a visit to America, saved money for this event and then came unemployment, illness, and the war, and all the savings were gone. It'll probably always stay a dream.
Now something about my family. God had been good to us, all 3 boys came back, out of the terrible war, healthy and without injuries. Our oldest son, Heinz, 28 years, is also back home now. I think I wrote you that he had been an American war prisoner and was released Sept. 1945. Until now he had been in Baden. The second, Harri, 26 years, got married this Easter, and the youngest, Günter, 20 years, got engaged in January. My wife and I think that he is pretty young, but we can't change it. My wife became 48 years in March and I'll be 54 in July. Because of your charity packages I did recover so that I can go back to work again. My mother is now 77 years and my sister Erna will be 45 in July. They got over the hard winter tolerable. Erna and her daughter are employed in a business, where they can get some vegetables. Erna's health isn't very good. I rented a little garden close to where we are living. I'm growing some vegetables but the soil is so meager there won't grow a lot. You are really trying everything possible to improve your situation, because there's not much to buy and often it's so expensive that you can't pay for it.
And now to our relatives: In March, Uncle Bürgam died, he became 85 years old. Unfortunately I couldn't attend his funeral because I received the message of his death too late. Cousin Hans Bürgam is a plumber, owns a small house with workshop and has a good living. His only son, Kurt, died in captivity. Cousine Marie Bürgam and her 3 children disappeared from here because she had been an active member of the "Hitler party." They are probably living somewhere where nobody knows them. Cousine Lotte Bürgam has married well, her second husband has a good position. She has one daughter of her first husband. Willi Bürgam died, like I already wrote to you, in the war in the Netherlands.
About your request of the relatives in Pinnow, I have to begin farther back. It had been after WWI, in the time of the inflation where everything in the city was hard to get. I had driven to Pinnow to get some food, and I really had gotten some potatoes, a few eggs and some butter, but they made me know that anybody else would have to pay higher prices. Then, in the year of 1930, when I was unemployed, my first wife ill and me and my sons sometimes only had some dry bread, I asked them for some food but there never came an answer. Since then I don't have any contact anymore with the relatives in Pinnow. Cousin Emil Schmidt and some people I know have told me that Cousine Anna isn't bad off. Emil often goes for food to Pinnow. He gets free rides with the train because he's working for the railroad company and because he earns better money he can pay higher prices. Emil's son had been released from imprisonment half a year ago. Cousin Emil also told me that his brother Richard feels okay. Cousin Richard doesn't have children. Aunt Auguste [Grieger] is now 80 years old. In former times I visited her often and when I was able, brought her some food, she also received some from Pinnow. Since the death of Uncle Albert she drew herself back from us and spent most of her time with Richard and Emil Schmidt. I can't give her as much as they can. She also doesn't visit my mother very often. Like I already wrote to you, all my aunts and cousines blamed me for having my 3 boys and hold against me that they have none or only one child. Nobody liked to see me in his house with my 3 children. That's one of the reasons why I meet so seldom with the relatives. My mother also blamed me for having 3 children. Today it became a very detailed letter, it would be much easier if we could talk to each other, you are just not able to describe anything in a letter. Once again a thousand thanks for the love you are sending to us. I'll share from the package with my mother, she's already looking forward to it.
Now be blessed and the warmest wishes to you, your husband, your children and relatives from all of us
Your Cousin Fritz
(please turn)
[Editor's note: Since Hermine left Germany as a baby, Fritz must be referring to a picture of Hermine as a young woman.]
A/N 24 Part 2
Berlin - Reinikendorf
May 6, 1947Dear Cousine Hermine!
The letter should have been already in the mail but I wasn't able to finish it on May 1, and on Saturday May 3 we received your charity package. Again also a lot of thanks to your son Walter. I shared with my mother and she was so happy about it, she's sending a lot of greetings to you. The pictures delighted her too very much. My mother promised not to talk about it to the relatives, to avoid anger. You don't have to write separately to my mother because of her bad eyes she wouldn't be able to read it and couldn't answer you too. So I think it's better if I take care of all of this, and I think you agree with me. Now I'll write you what had been in the package: 5 lbs flour, 3 chocolate bars, 400 gr. butter, 1 can (350 gr) powdered milk, - 300 gr. powdered egg and baking powder. We are going to bake a cake out of it, which we were dreaming of since a long long time.
We hope you'll have a happy whitsuntide.
The warmest wishes
Fritz
A/N 23 - Translation of a letter from Fritz Grieger written to Hermine Maas
Berlin, June 1, 1947
Dear niece and cousine!
With great pleasure we received your lovely letter May 29. You can't imagine how much we cried. Dear Hermine you bring so much happiness by sending a package with your sister Ella. Both of you should be blessed. We are often still hungry when we are going to bed. I lost a lot of weight, from 180 pounds to 91 pounds. When Fritz showed us the pictures of you we all said that this is the way we imagined Hermine as a farmer. Right now the weather here is quite hot and dry.
Now dear Hermine, something about me. I am now 44 years old and have a daughter of 21 years. We are both working. Mother is living with us and cares for the household as far as she is able to. She becomes 78 years. She told me a lot about you, she still does especially when you departed with your mother to America. This is by now a few years ago, but the memories always come back.
Dear Hermine I'm very happy about the package which is on the way to us. I'll write you when we receive it. How sad, that we don't know each other in person.
Now, dear Hermine, the warmest wishes to you, your husband, your children and sisters and brothers, especially to your sister Ella.
Your Aunt Amanda, Cousine Erna and daughter Ingeborg
[Note: This letter was apparently written by Erna.]
A/N 26 - Translation of a letter from Mrs. Emil Schmidt written to Hermine Maas
Berlin - Charlottenburg
Sunday, August 10, 1947Dear Cousine Hermine and family!
Today I want to answer your lovely letters from June 16 and June 30. The last one arrived yesterday, August 9. Emil didn't answer the first one, because we were waiting for the letter with the pictures, but it didn't arrive until now. Now, at first I want to ask you, to allow me, as Emil's wife, to use the "friendly you" in writing my letters to you and your family. First of all, Emil, I and our son Hans want to congratulate you on your birthday. We wish you a lot of good health, so that you still can be with your family a long long time. Aunt Auguste, who we visited yesterday, maintains that you'll be 65 years because your mother just had been 20 years when she had you. But you have to know best about your age. Aunt is still quite active especially sane [sic]. She received your lovely letter the day before yesterday and she was very glad about it, now we are wishing that your package might arrive about August 16, for her birthday. The delight would be doubled!
Dear Hermine, we both wish we could get to know each other in person and would be able to talk to each other, there would be so many things to talk about. You and your big family had to go through some troubles too, and you still don't have it easy, especially with so many grandchildren, everyone is demanding something from you as grandmother. With only one boy we have to be embarrassed. Emil's brother Richard doesn't have any children, also my older sister, my other sister died in 1935 without being married. In the situation right now we only can be glad about this, as hard as living is right now you don't want to have a bigger family. It is a battle from one day to another. Nothing in the stomach and nothing on the body.
When we had to leave our house on May 1, 1945, where we had a 2 room apartment for rent (Emil and his mother had been living there since 1902), the men weren't allowed to take anything with them only us women, and it hadn't been much you could pack in a hurry. We already had lived for 10 days in a dark basement with only dried bread while there was terrible bombing and artillery shooting. When we got back out of the basement there was bright sunshine and the streets were crowded with Russian tanks. We were wandering around for two days and nights and when we tried to get back into our apartment there only had been smoking ruins. You can't imagine how much this struck us as we suddenly were standing in front of nothing. Especially when you already went through 6 years of bombing, didn't have any new clothes since 2 years, couldn't sleep at night because your nerves are so stressed. We found a new home with a woman we knew right on the next street, we are still living there. But it became pretty small with 3 people in there, so Hans rented a room above ours. The rent we have to pay is quite expensive, it's for both rooms 85. -DM per month, for the old rooms we only had to pay 38.25 -DM, but we don't have any choice so we have to put up with it. We are glad that we have now our own furniture and dishes, so we don't have to borrow it all the time. My oldest sister, whose husband is dead, had in a northern suburb of Berlin a good furnished apartment. She now moved in with the youngest sister of my mother, who also is alone and owns a nice house (Uncle had been a doctor) so she gave us all her furniture and dishes. We couldn't move into her apartment because we weren't allowed to leave the area, and Emil wouldn't have been able to get twice a day to his work. All the streetcars and buses didn't run anymore.
You see, on one side we already got help, only with clothes it still looks bad. Nobody gives away new clothes and the few shirts I got for Emil and me are starting to fade, also a dress of mine. Out of two other old dresses I made aprons. My sister gave me a skirt and a blouse, which are still things of my mother. Emil got a few trousers from the women we are living with, also some underwear, a vest and a hat. How lucky, that we found his new blue suit and a new dress of mine at people who were living for 1-1/2 years in an air-raid shelter. That's all we saved and the clothes we did wear. Now our Hans got after 1 year, two new shirts, and because both Emil and Hans have more or less the same collar-size, Hans is sharing his two shirts with Emil. Oh yes, it really looks sad, but complaining doesn't help, thousand others are in the same situation, but it gets twice as hard when it becomes winter. We start freezing so easily because we are so skinny.
Dear Hermine, we are hoping that we'll receive your package because you put socks in it, and it's really hard to get them here. Please don't be mad if I'm asking you for something else, a little bit of white and black sewing thread and some soap, both are so hard to get here, only on the black market.
Now I told you enough. I send the warmest wishes to you and your family, also from Emil and Hans,
Your Anna
The biggest wish of our Hans is to immigrate to America, but this isn't easy either.
A/N 25 - Translation of a letter from Fritz Grieger written to Hermine Maas
Berlin - Charlottenburg
Aug. 23, 1947Dear Cousine, family and relatives!
I want to answer your lovely letters from June 16 and June 30, and also thank you for the pictures, which I received Aug. 20. Sunday we visited Aunt Auguste, her birthday was on Saturday, she became 81 years. She doesn't look like she is in her eighties, at most about 75 years, she is still very active for her age. We thought your package might have arrived for her birthday, she is so worried that it might get lost. By now you'll probably have received the letter written by my wife. Although most of the plants and the apartment houses had been destroyed you are wondering where the 3 million people are living and working. Perhaps we already could have done more if we would be in better shape and had the materials and tools. In the months of May, June, July we didn't have any potatoes. Now, in August everybody receives 400 gr. potatoes per day.
[Editor's Note: 453 grams = 1 pound.]
My wife is going now to get the potatoes for the last days in August, therefore she has to stand in line. The month before we had a substitute for potatoes, either 100 gr. semolina or 66 gr. dried potatoes. I write down for you what we should get per person/per day for our foodcards: 500 gr. bread, 65 gr. meat or fish or herring, or sausage, 15 gr. fat, 20 gr. sugar, and 60 gr. Nährmittel (potato substitute), 150 gr. coffee-grounds per month and salt is now available on the "free market." Although it's the best season, there are no fruit or vegetables available on the market, the only possibility is the black market. My income would be enough to buy some of these things, but we wouldn't have any money for anything else. I'm employed at the railroad company and our Hans works as a Schlosser (locksmith or mechanic). I'd like to know where your husband is employed, because you don't have the farm anymore.
I'm expecting your package with the socks eagerly, as soon as I have received it I'll tell you. Yes, with clothes it really looks sad. We had to leave the house where I already had been living in with my mother after we had spent 10 days and nights in the basement. The men had to leave first without being allowed to take anything with them, only the clothes they were wearing. This happened May 1, 1945 around 9 am. The area we had been living in was fighting area. About half an hour later the women had to leave the house too, but they were allowed to take as much as they could carry. When I tried, on May 3, 1945, to go back to our house I only found ruins, and the things we had in the basement were burnt too. I could save a few things out of the air-raid-shelter, that's now all we have. You're really hoping that it'll become better, but if it stays like it is you are going to lose your clothes from the body, because my wife doesn't have any thread and my working trousers are so faded. When Aunt Auguste receives her package she'll tell me about it and she'll write you. I gave her your address on Sunday when we visited her. Hans Bürgam and wife and also my brother Richard and his wife did bring her as a birthday present something out of their garden.
We don't know anything about Emma Bürgam, who went to South America, even her parents didn't know anything about her and are already dead. I can imagine that happiness is big if you come together with your mother again after so many years. She'll probably tell you about Berlin. After we had a strong winter we had warm and dry summer. The harvest wasn't very good. The early potatoes are very small and the corn doesn't look very good either. It didn't rain for the last 12 days.
If writing in English is easier for you it'll be okay with me. I and nobody in the family is able to speak English but the daughter of a friend of mine, who's the same age as our Hans, would be so kind to translate the letters for me. Our Hans had been an American war-prisoner in Italy. He helped to restore the railroad tracks in the Alps. He received a certificate about this and a check over $200, but he only can redeem the check in the American zone, that means in West Germany. Our Berlin is in the "East Zone." We are living in the English sector of Berlin, Aunt Auguste in the French sector, and my brother Richard in the Russian sector and his family is living in the American sector. I tried to find out if some soldier in the American sector might be one of our relatives to Germany it would be a pleasure to me to be his host and show him the ruins of our city Berlin. We older people won't see how the last ruins are pulled away. Every day deadly accidents happen. I really would like to contact the other cousins, but nobody probably speaks German. If you should ever come together with all the other relatives say hello from the relatives in Germany. Yes, if our mother had gone with your parents, or as she became a widow, we wouldn't have had to live through some of the things we did, or perhaps destiny even would have been even harder. Well, I'm born poor and had to help earn money when I still had been a child. I got badly wounded in WWI but returned back home. After we recovered from this, everybody was thinking life might be a little better then WWII started. Mother became ill, I had to pay for 1/4 year she spent in a hospital, and then we had to worry about our son as a marine. And last but not least we lost everything not even 24 hrs. before the war was over. I didn't lose all my will to live, so I believe in God's help.
I hope that this letter will reach you in good health.
We, my wife, my son and I, are sending the warmest
Your Cousin
Emil Schmidt
Berlin - CharlottenburgI would have liked to enclose a picture of my family but I don't have any this time. Taking pictures is so expensive.
[Editor's note: "Semolina" is a granular, milled product of durum wheat, consisting almost entirely of endosperm particles, used chiefly in the making of macaroni.]
