September 1947 - December 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 13 - Translation of letters from Emil and Anna Schmidt written to Hermine Maas
Berlin - Charlottenburg
Sept. 2. 1947Dear Cousine with family and relatives!
We received Aug. 30, the package with the socks, soap, and food and thank you a lot for it. The joy in our house was really great. It was wonderful to wash yourself with soap and wear clean socks. We still save some of the food, because my wife Anna just got the day before the package arrived for our "food cards" meat, fish, and potatoes. I don't know if Aunt Auguste received her package, she told us she'll let us know as soon as she got it. Today, I think it's your birthday, your letter from Aug. 10 arrived. It didn't take a long time, sometimes it takes as long to wait for a letter in Germany. We are very much looking forward to the 2 packages you did send to us. As soon as they arrive I'll write your sister Ella (my cousine) and your daughter Emma to say thank you. You spent a lot of time with packing it all and put a lot of love in it, we could feel it when we unpacked it. I pulled all the threads out of the cloth so my wife has something to sew. I'm not sure if I can express my wish and if the male relatives might be able to fulfill it: to send me some of their clothes which they don't wear anymore. I would be so thankful for this, I don't even know anymore what to wear to work and winter is really close. Our Hans got a purchase permit for some work clothes on Saturday and he already redeemed it. It is a colored English uniform.
You wrote that everybody is busy with harvesting, that's the same in Germany, but it won't be a good one in Germany because it was such a dry summer. The early potatoes we receive are really small. I'm employed with the railroad company and have to go about 70 km to work. So I'm traveling through the fields and can see that the farmers have a hard time to harvest. Everything has to be done with hands. (Anyone) who still had machines, had to give them away. Germany has to start from scratch. We don't have a farm, but my brother Richard gave to me 150 square meters of farming land. I'm growing some corn, tomatoes, and cabbage, also some tobacco. It takes me 1 1/2 hours to get there. I'll send you a map of Berlin one day and sign in where the German relatives are living. Last Sunday I looked in an atlas of my friend whose daughter knows English, I wrote you about this, to see where the town is you're living in. It's just "behind" Minnesota, and touches Canada in the North. It looks like you have a lot of mountains. Yes, it would be wonderful if we could talk in person to each other, and it would be much easier.
I'll close my letter for today, I'm tired. My wife will write a little bit to you. I send the warmest wishes to you, your family and all relatives.
Your cousine Emil
A/N 13 Part 2
Dear Hermine and family!
I also want to thank you a lot for your lovely charities. You can't imagine what kind of feeling it is when you get something, it's not only happiness after you become so poor. We all had been very happy about the soap, now we can really get washed again. But please don't worry too much about us. Now, my dear Hermine, I want to thank you, your sister, and your daughter in advance for the next package you sent to us.
The warmest wishes.
Cousine Anna with son Hans.
The socks all fit very good, we only have to pay 0.16 DM when we pick up the package.
[written on the side]
A/N 12 - Translation of a letter from Fritz Grieger written to Hermine Maas
Charlottenburg
Sept. 5 1947Dear Cousine Hermine and relatives!
Now, I have to start a new letter because this morning the package with the flour arrived. Didn't this go fast? It's good that we waited a little while with the letter to mail it to you. With this letter we thank you a thousand times and your daughter. My motto became true again: "When your need is the biggest, God's help is close." I had to wait a little while in the post office to pick up the package, this gave me time to think a little bit and to watch the other people. About every third person who picked up a package got one from America, and I had to think how we sometimes insulted the Americans when it got so terrible with the bombs, and now they help us so much and make good their "sins." Some people just would have died by starvation and so you see now sometimes some happy faces. Well, that's life. Our Hans would like so much to immigrate to the U.S.A., but there are a lot of difficulties if there is at all a possiblity. First, they don't allow anybody to leave here and second, in the U.S.A. they don't allow the people to enter the country. There would be too many people coming to America. And in Germany they need engine fitters and car mechanics. He had been in South Tyrol as an American war-prisoner and helped to rebuild the railroads of the "Brenner." Food and treatment had been very good and they had quite a few happy hours...that's why he is dreaming of America.
Now my beloved relatives, thanks a lot again, for all the good you do for us. The warmest wishes from
Emil, Hans, and Anna
[The handwriting on this letter is the same as that written by Anna Schmidt on the second part of letter A/N 13.]
A/N 17 - Translation of letters from Emil and Anna Schmidt written to Hermine Maas
Berlin - Charlottenburg
Sept 8, 1947Dear Cousine Hermine with family and relatives!
The package you sent together with your sister Ella (Mrs. Oscar Stark) arrived on Saturday Sept. 6. 1947, without any damage. The way you had packed it all with love, you can tell by all the wrapping, my wife and I unpacked it with a lot of love. While we were unpacking it, we thought you might feel our thanks in your hearts, again to you and your sister Ella a lot of thanks. There had been things in the package we only remember from the good old times or from hear-say. My wife made some cacao for both of us the same evening, it really had been something different. This morning, my wife had been visiting Aunt Auguste, she went over to see how she is and took some wood for heating over to her. Her package arrived last week on Monday, she already wrote you a letter. She got the address from me. The package from your daughter Emma arrived one day earlier, we already said thanks again. I really don't know how I ever can give back what you gave to us, but I already can tell you that when I went to pick up the package at the post office I took my family to the photographer. It was a good time because we all had been home, so you should get in the next letter a picture of us.
By the price of the picture you can compare how the dollar is to our currency, right now $1 = 3.33 DM and 6 pictures cost 30.00. -DM. Our hourly payment is between 1.20.- to 1.40.-DM, and we are working 48 hours a week. 10% of our salary is subtracted for health insurance and invalid insurance, then there are certain % which are subtracted as taxes but it depends on the family, if you are married, have children, etc. I get paid 40.00.-DM a week, and with our Hans it's more or less the same. Our Hans works 9.5 hours per day from Monday to Friday, he is off on Saturdays and Sundays. This is different for me, because I'm working for the railroad company. I have to leave on Sunday morning 8:00 a.m., then it is a 3 hour drive to get to the place where I am working, so I'm starting to work 11:30 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. the next morning. That means I am working 21 hours and then there is still the three hour ride back home, that means I'm home 12:00 p.m. the next day. The next day I have off. I have to go back to work on Wednesday, etc. I hope that I'll find soon something closer to where we live, my wife doesn't even know what kind of food to give with me.
I'm now tired and will finish this letter, but my wife is going to write a few lines to you. Now I want to thank you again for all the good things, thanks also to your family and all the relatives, if you ever come together because you also live a few kilometers from each other.
The warmest wishes from all of us to all of you.
Your cousin Emil.
A/N 17 Part 2 - Translation of a letter from Fritz Grieger written to Hermine Maas
(Sept. 8, 1947)
Dear Hermine and all relatives!
I also want to send my greetings and thank you very much for all your love, the work and care you show to us. We can't do anything for you and that depresses me sometimes. You should be with us when we unpack, it's like a holy act, we both can't talk because our tears are welling up, especially Emil. He is so miserable and skinny, and then his exhausting work. I just said to Aunt Auguste, if his mother had been able to see him right now she only would be crying. Some days he looks like he is 70 years old but he is only 53 years. I hope so much that it'll work out for him to get a job in a plant around here as foreman. He takes everything too serious and he is so conscientious in everything, and now the bad situation in Germany. We just feel the way your mother does, we love our fatherland and that's the reason why we suffer twice.
Now, my dear Hermine don't be mad with me if I'm talking too much. We wish you could come to visit us one day but this probably won't happen, or ?
I send the warmest wishes to you and your family.
Anna.
A/N 32 - Translation of a letter from Mrs. Fritz Grieger written to Hermine Maas
Reinickendorf Oct. 13 [1947]
Dear Mrs. Maas
Thank you a lot and your daughter-in-law for the pretty winter coat. It was a big joy for me. I only have to make it a little longer and change the buttons because my hips are so wide. I want to take the chance in this letter to say thanks to you and your family for all the good food, which helped us in big need. Whatever you are sending to us, clothes you don't wear anymore or food, we take everything very thankful. We can use everything so good. I also was very happy about the darning yarn and the thread. Nr. 40 fits my sewing machine, the other one I only can use to sew by hand. I have now a big request, if you might be able to send some grey knitting wool for socks. Fritz and the boy's socks need desperately to be renewed. And perhaps you might be able to send some other knitting yarn, mainly green, because I really like to do needlework. It probably will take some more time until Germany doesn't need the help of others anymore. We women suffer a lot under the collapse of our country. Our fatherland was so pretty and had so many values. Now everybody takes advantage of us and we don't even have the basic things to live. The winter is close and the Allies didn't even allow us any charcoal or wood. Our apartment is cold and I hope to get well over winter together with Fritz. My biggest grief is that all our 3 sons left us and now are living in their own household. I want to thank you again a thousand times for all you do for us.
The warmest wishes to you, your family
Your thankful
Johanna
A/N 31 - Translation of a letter from Fritz Grieger written to Hermine Maas
Berlin - Reinickendorf W.
Oct. 13. 1947Dear Cousine Hermine!
I received your lovely letter, written Sept. 4, on Oct. 2 with a lot of thanks. Oct. 7 we got the package with the clothes which you sent away Sept. 5. Everything was in it like you told me in your letter. The underwear and the trousers are much too big for me, but it all fits for our Günter, he is the biggest of us men. The smaller vest fits for me like it was made for me. We can use very good the paper, the thread and the darning yarn. We like the thread Nr. 40 better because it fits for our sewing machine. Thousand thanks for everything, also for the pictures you sent to us. I also enclose 3 pictures for you. You asked what the jobs are, we are working, I think I wrote you in my last letter that we are all working in our learned profession. I work as a cabinet maker, Heinz is a glasier, Harri as a plumber and our Günter worked as orthopedic shoemaker. He works now as custom shoemaker because he can earn more money with this. I think I already told you that Harri got married this year, Easter. Oct. 4 our Heinz got married and Oct. 25 our youngest son, Günter, will get married. We would have liked it if he had waited some more years, the youth is in a hurry and they look with more optimism into the future. The weather starts to become unfriendly, it often is quite cold in the morning. We hope that the winter will not be too strong, it looks so bad with materials to heat. We didn't get any charcoal or wood until now. My wife had been very happy about the caraway and the nutmeg, which you had sent to us in one of the packages. We don't get any spices. It would be so nice if you could send us some pepper, mustard, and clove. Again a thousand thanks for everything. I'll close my letter for today. The warmest wishes from all of us to you and your family.
Your cousin
FritzEnclosed a letter of my wife Johanna.
[Editor's note: Johanna's letter is A/N 32]
A/N 36 - Translation of a letter from Emil Schmidt written to Hermine Maas
Berlin - Charlottenburg
Nov. 13. 1947Dear Cousine with family!
We received your lovely letter Nov. 10, which you wrote Sept. 23 and finished Oct. 1 including the pictures, thank you a lot. Why do you look so seriously on the picture, but it probably lays in the family. If I had met you in Berlin I would have recognized you at once, the face and body of Rudolf. His wife resembles our cousine Marie Bürgam. The picture of your Emma with family is very nice. We really were very happy about the pictures, also the one of Walter, we'll keep them in our hearts. The reason that you are moving is probably that your son Walter now is running the farm. I can imagine that if he runs the farm he also wants to live there, and you are retiring in the city. Yes, when you become old you are longing to retire, and both of you are probably over 65 years. I become only 54 years but with this food and the long way to work you feel older. It takes me 2 hours to get to work, I'm working with the railroad company since my apprenticeship, right now in Wustermark. I'll enclose some maps, one of Berlin, the other one of Germany with zones and sectors. In the map of Berlin I signed in where the relatives are living, but we don't meet very often. Nov. 11, I wanted to visit Aunt Auguste, she is the oldest and lives alone. I had some firewood with me, but she wasn't home. My sister-in-law had taken her for a couple of days in her home because Richard becomes 60 years Nov. 14. The neighbor woman had the key to the apartment so I could leave the things I brought there. Yes one person helps another. I'm not allowed to think what we all lost, you can't even get the money from your savings account to rebuild a new household. That's how life goes, you just think that you have climbed the mountain and then you slide down again. The harvest also hadn't been a very good one here, so we can't think of an increase of food on our food cards. 'Til end of March the 3 of us received 153 kg (337 lbs.) potatoes, if this should last 'til then we have to save them: 400 g/per person. There is no big difference with bread and all the other food. We don't know eggs anymore since 2 years. The weather has now become quite autumnlike, foggy, stormy, and right now lots of rain. The summer was very dry, I have to go back many years in my memory to remember one as dry as this one. You were asking if we know in Berlin a family with the name Maas. Yes! On my wife's family's side, her brother-in-law has a friend with the name Arthur Maas. He had in Berlin a plumbing business. He suffered a stroke in one of the bombing attacks and died a little later. It happened Dec. 1943, shortly before Christmas he was buried, we had attended his burial. He would be now about 63-65 years old. But you can hear the name Maas sometimes. I also have a small piece of gardening land: 20m x 8m (65 x 26 ft.) = 160 square meters, close to my brother, I was working there in summer. The harvest wasn't big, but it's something extra, tomatoes had been the most I harvested. But what are you going to do with some land but without fertilizer.
I'll close my letter for today and hope that these lines will reach you in good health.
Happy Christmas to you and your family.
My family sends the warmest wishes to all of you.
Your cousin Emil Schmidt
Berlin - Charlottenburg
A/N 8 - Translation of a letter from Emil Schmidt written to Hermine Maas
Berlin - Charlottenburg
Dec. 2. 1947Dear Cousine with family!
We received on Nov. 28, 1947 your lovely letter with the map and the pictures of the hospitals, thank you very much. I hope that you have received by now my letter with the map of Berlin and Germany, where I signed the places where the German relatives are living. The package with the clothes and the soap didn't arrive until now. I hadn't been fine for a few days. For the anniversary of Uncle Albert's death we wanted to visit the cemetery. My wife had to go alone. She went over to Aunt Auguste but didn't meet her. From there she went to the cemetery where Uncle Albert is buried. Her mother and sister are also buried there. There she met our Aunt. Yes, she is the oldest but still very active and has a good memory. I reported in my last letter that I received two packages with clothes from Walter. We are using everything, everything finds its place. I can tell you, when you lost all you owned, and even if you had money you couldn't buy anything for it, then you will use everything and appreciate everything. My friend wrote an English thank you note for me and I sent it to him.
Yes, you can't compare Germany with America in its size and number of inhabitants. Our country became smaller, but all the people living in the lost parts had to move to Germany so the number of inhabitants still is the same. And with this food it's hard to keep this people. We people, living in a big city don't get much of it. It is difficult with transportation but the people living in the country are also complaining about not having enough food. I can't judge this because since I was 14 years I've been working for the railroad company where I learned (to be) a Schlosser (locksmith or mechanic). Next year it'll be 40 years and right now I'm working in technical watch. Our son also had been first a Schlosser with the railroad company, but then stopped and works now with cars. He always wanted to become an engineer but because of color blindness he wasn't able to. I'm writing this letter in emergency light. We don't get power every day this week from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. The weather is okay right now, it's Advent season and Christmas is close. We hope that the new year will bring the longed for peace not only for Germany but for the whole world. We wish you a happy and healthy new year and send you the warmest wishes for all of you.
Your cousin Emil Schmidt
Berlin - Charlottenburg
A/N 7 - Translation of a letter from Fritz Grieger written to Hermine Maas
Berlin - Reinickendorf
Dec. 2. 1947Dear Cousine with husband.
We received your lovely letter, written Nov. 9, on Dec. 1, and thank you lot for it. There had been 2 maps and 2x knitting yarn enclosed. Did you receive my letters written Aug. 25, and Sept. 29? I also wrote Aug. 10. In your letter from Sept. 4 you told me that you got the letters from July 23 and Aug. 18, and in your last letter from Nov. 9 you told me that you received the mail from Oct. 13 and Nov. 3. After this I wrote to you Nov. 11. I told you in this letter that I received everything, only out of the 3 packages with things you sent to us we only got 2 until now. The package with soap, a coat, a skirt, a vest and trousers is still missing. I think it'll arrive in the next couple of days. We are happy that you sent again packages with food to us. A thousand thanks for your love and the work you have with us. I hope it'll be here for Christmas. Please always write me the date which you sent a package away, and please tell me if you received the letters from Aug. 10, Aug. 25, and Sept. 29, they were all sent to your old address. I had told you in these letters that I received everything and what had been in the packages.
We are glad to hear that you already got used to life in the city, and that everything is so easy. How does Carl feel about it? We only have gas in our apartment to light it, for cooking and heating we use a charcoal oven, in the living room we have an oven for wood or charcoals. We get the gas only in rations and we aren't allowed to use more than this. Wood and charcoal also is scarce. We can't heat the living room. Until now it wasn't too cold, but what are we going to do when it'll be as cold as last winter?
In my last letter from Nov. 11 I wrote you that it always rained, and since then it still is raining, only with short breaks. Perhaps you can imagine how it looks in the building we are living in. It has 3 floors and a loft. The storm blew down a lot of the tiles which had been loosened in the bomb attacks. New material to roof it again isn't available. The stairway is flooded. In the apartments on the upper floor the water is running down the walls. We are living on the first floor, and the roof on this side of the house still is a little bit okay, but nevertheless it is damp and cold in our apartment. That is probably how it looks in most of the buildings. Most of them got damaged by the bomb attacks. The packages with food are really a big help for us. These are all things we haven't had in a long long time. A lot of thanks to all who are helping to ease our need.
I'll close now my letter with the warmest wishes to you, your husband and all the relatives from all of us.
Your Fritz
A/N 7 Part 2 - Translation of a letter from Mrs. Fritz Grieger written to Hermine Maas
(Dec. 2, 1947)
Dear Hermine!
A thousand thanks for your lovely lines you sent to me, you made me very happy with it. I carried around for a long time the wish to write to you but I never dared. Thanks a lot for the knitting yarn. I also can use this color very good. Dec. 18, my mother-in-law has her birthday. I hope that the third package with the clothes and her warm shoes will arrive by then.
The hospitals in Jamestown are very pretty. We had a lot of hospitals in Berlin, but a lot of them had been destroyed by the bombs. All the old people and the ill ones are in a big need because of this. A lot of materials are missing for the reconstruction. All the Christian help institutions don't know where to help. In addition to all the orphans, now all the war prisoners are coming back home. They often lost mother and father and even their home. I am collecting every year on the "mission day" money, and this year I had 373 DM, 50 DM more than last year, although most people don't have a lot.
Everybody is looking now sorrowful towards London. What kind of peace will it be that they are deciding for us. Will it be a fair one? Our enemies are forgetting that they also committed sins against the humanity. We are putting our destiny in God's hands. He gave us the power to survive and overcome this terrible war of bombs, and he'll give us the power to take what our enemies decide for us. We really hope all together to see again some good days, since 1936 we don't know anything else than restrictions for food and clothes.
I thank you, dear Hermine, a thousand times for all your love with which you make our lives happier. Are you living only with your husband in Jamestown, or are there some of your children living with you? For today I'll close my letter. I hope my lines will reach you and your loved ones in good health. The warmest wishes to you, your husband and all your children is sending.
Johanna
