HTML: 7 1894-1898
<T347> Otto and Frieda Gerstenberg, Kum. near P. near Altona, Germ.
Aug 27, 1894.
Dear children. I just received your short letter. You certainly got lots of work and trouble along with your inheritance. I hope and wish that both of you are in better health by now.
You are suffering from too much rain, while we are having too little. Since early June we have had no rain and constant high temperatures. There is no longer a single stalk of grass in the meadow or pasture. Everything is burned up. Winter wheat was good, but all of the summer fruit has dried up.
I have not heard any more from Ernst or Schlomann since spring. If it is not too much trouble and expense, please send me your pictures. I would still like to see them before I die.
200 lb. of wheat cost 6 Mk in your currency; 100 lb live pigs 16 Mk; a 4 week old pig costs 8 Mk.
New York Stadt Zeitung [NY City News] German Newspaper, New York.
Nov 25, 1894.
Please send me a sample issue of your paper. I am tired of reading Methodist doctrine in the N.W. Post, and I wish to subscribe to a different paper for the New Year.
Address: F.A.M. Cashton, M.C. Wis.
August Breitenfeld, Bruce, Brookings Co. S.Dak
Dec 18, 1894.
Dear friend. I received your letter of the 8th and was pleased to hear that you have not completely forgotten me. I will send you the seeds that you ask for, and hope you will have good results with them. Our summer was also very dry, but the freeze harmed us even more. I was unable to harvest potatoes or corn. Winter wheat, rye, and barley are very good everywhere; so is corn at some places on the Ridge where the freeze did not hit. The weather this fall was still very good for crops, so my horses and cows are still on the pasture today. We had a little snow a few times, but it always melted away again.
My wife’s leg is still bad, <T348> Dora is quite well and still at home, August and Carl are also still at home but August works out.
Give my regards to your daughter. I remain your friend F.A.M.
Otto and Frieda Gerstenberg, Kum. n. P. n. Altona, Germany.
Dec 24, 1894.
Dear Frieda. On the 19th I got your short letter of the 3rd. I am glad you still think of your old grandfather, and also that you are still well. We here are also still alive and quite well, if it weren’t for a troublesome cold. Dora would sure like to write to you, but she does not know how to write German and you don’t understand English. Your sister Lina does not write any more; also we have not had a letter from Emma or Otto all summer long, but Dora received a very short letter from Louise Schlomann. She writes that they are all well. A few days ago we received a letter from August who is in Oregon. He writes that Ernst G. has arrived there.
Our weather here is as mild as yours; my cows are still on the pasture. Summer was very dry, but the wheat, rye, and barley crops were good; the potatoes and corn however were very poor. To keep up the interest payments is hard work. I also have to pay about 84 Mk a year, and then I still have about 40 or 50 Mk taxes.
I would be glad if you could send your picture. Give my regards to Otto, and write again soon to your Grandf.
P.S. I will be 90 years old the day after tomorrow.
Anna Gerstenberg, 491 Wythe Ave, South 11 Str., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Jan 1, 1895.
Dear Anna. I received your good wishes for my birthday, and was pleased that you thought of me once again. I am now 90 years old and I am still quite well, as are all the others. Your brother Ernst went to Oregon and has visited my son Adolph. Why don’t you write to Kum. to Otto and Frieda? They are both trying to work hard to pay the interest on the mortgages that they have inherited. I would be happy to hear from you again soon, and I wish you a rich husband for the New Year (if you don’t already have one). We all send our regards. Your Grandfather.
<T349> Hague & Schmidt in Erfurt, Germany.
[1895].
Dear Sirs. Enclosed you will find $1 (my annual contribution!) for which please send me ...
Last year my cauliflower was an actual forest, but only about half of it had flowers, nice big ones. I think it was not the earliest kind; maybe it was No. 9. Greetings ... F.A.M.
Mr. Peter Arends, Postmaster at Middle Ridge L. [?] & Cty.
[1895].
I am sending you a seed list herewith. For every item note how many packets you want and send it back to me so that I can order any articles that I don’t have in stock.
Sending my regards to your dear wife I remain ...
My address is: Cashton, M.C. Wis.
Farmer Seed Co., Faribault, Minn.
March 14, 1895.
In order to maintain our relationship, I am sending you a small order herewith, which I would like you to send me by mail. Perhaps it would be good if you could send your catalog to John Kompenschroes, Cashton, Wis. and to William Hauke, Portland Ctr, Wis. (M.C.)
Greetings to you and hopes for a better summer.
I am not sending any money order. Everyone always sends such small amounts of seeds free, and your prices are no lower than anywhere else.
<Written in English.> To: Ernest at Kerby
26 Mar 1895 [excerpt].
… Martha has got a little girl now [Eva Alice MEISSNER b: 16 Mar 1895 in Kerby, Josephine, OR]. … One time this spring I thought I should have a chance to sell out and go to Oregon, but you ought to have seen what a storm I raised when I came home with the news. Ma said nobody would get her out of the old house alive, so we have to keep on paying interest as long as we can, but what then? August is engaged to get married this fall … [to] a daughter of Adam Heintz and August is going to be a Catholic like his girl. …
<Written in English.> To: Postmaster at Richland Center [WI?]
Feb 1896. [Inquiring about Henry Meissner, Civil War veteran]
<T349>, cont. Ernst Gerstenberg, Merlin, Oregon.
[1894].
If you had been here during our cold winter you certainly would not be longing for this region. Last summer not a single stalk of green grass could be seen for a long time and our cows would have starved if we had not fed them cornstalks. Besides, we cannot raise any fruit here. I have almost forgotten what a cherry looks like. If I could, I would trade at once for Oregon.
You said you are planning to visit us soon. You did not come when you were living close by, so I don’t expect that you will come from as far away as you are now. Haven’t you visited Ernest Meissner <T350> yet? I think he owns a pretty good farm. In the fall I got a letter from Frieda. She complains that you never write to her.
We are holding to the hope that you will visit us as you promise before my death; and we return your greetings.
Frieda Gerstenberg, Kum. n. P. n. Altona, Ger.
April 18, 1894.
Dear Frieda. Yesterday I got your dear letter and picture. Both made me very happy. Judging from your picture, you are not only a pretty girl, but also a good one. Your picture reminds me of my mother, the way she still exists in my memory.
I had a letter from Ernst recently. He is still in Oregon, staying with my son Adolph. I scolded him thoroughly for not writing to you. From here to Oregon it is 6,000 English miles [! Just over 2000 miles—LPM] but it takes no more than six days to go there [by train?]. A woman from there came with her little daughter for a visit a little while ago. So if you want to come out here you must not be afraid of farm life [?]. Steamboats and rails [?] shorten the miles. All of us would be very happy to see you here with us. Schlomann and Emma visited us for three weeks a few years ago.
We are now having very nice spring weather; the grass has just started to turn green, but the trees are still bare. Hoping to hear from you soon, I remain your Grandfather F.A.M., who wishes you lots of luck.
August Breitenfeld, Bruce, Brookings Co. S.Dak
[Nov, 1895].
Dear friend. I received your letter of Auug. 29, as well as the stamps for the seeds. I see from your letter that you are still alive but feeling happy. But since you have good health, you should be satisfied. My poor wife is unable to sleep peacefully at night on account of her leg.
Around here the winter wheat all got frozen. Barley, oats, and corn, however, did very well; also all the garden vegetables. We have not had any hail. Since Oct. 1 we have had very dry rough weather with frost at night, which makes everything dry out.
Cashton has become a small town and grows day by day. <T351> Next week, Nov. 12, my August is going to marry Adam Heintz’s daughter, Lina.
How is Wilhelmine? Is she well? Do you live with Wilhelmine or with your daughter? Give my regards to everyone who knows me. F.A.M.
Nov 15, 1895.
Dear Frieda. A few days ago I received your letter dated Nov. 5, and I see from it that you are still alive. I would have liked to know more about your home life.
I am still alive and quite healthy for my age. August, my youngest son, got married two days ago [Nov 12 -- LPM] to a German girl, a neighbor’s daughter. He was only 28 years old [but had his 29th birthday on 14 Nov—LPM]. Dora is now already 32 years old and still unmarried. She still lives with us and is a great help to her mother, who still suffers with her sore leg. Carl is also still at home and 31 years old. Adolph and Ernest both live in Oregon; they each have a farm and four or five children. They are doing well. Oregon is 3000 English miles [2100? -- LPM] from here. The last time I heard from your brother Ernst, he was still living with Adolph. I wrote to him and asked for your mother’s picture, but he was gone when my letter arrived and nobody knows where he went; and he has not written since then either.
We had a very good summer, but the fall was too dry, which made it hard for the cows on the pasture. We have not had any snow yet, but there has been some light frost.
Give my regards to Otto, and I wish you both a happy New Year. Your Grandfather.
"Der Seebote" [The Lake Messenger], Milwaukee, Wis.
Dec. 14 [1895].
Please send me a sample issue of your paper, and include your enclosure, "An häuslichen Herd" ("At the Fireplace"). I want to subscribe to a German newspaper next year. F.A.M.
"Der Seebote," Milwaukee, Wis.
Dec. 24 [1895].
I received your sample issue of the "Seeboten" and I would like to subscribe to it for the coming year, except that I am short of cash at the moment. Our County Board built a new <T352> $50,000 court house (including several new barns and homes for its members.) This has made our taxes very high. If you can wait for payment until summer, you could send me your paper and list me as a yearly subscriber. If not, I will have to be satisfied with a cheap English paper: the Weekly Wis. and N.Y. Tribune are offered together for one dollar.
Respectfully, F.A.M.
Mr. O. Kozlowski, Faribault, Minn.
[1896?].
Dear Fellow Countryman. It must be of interest to you to learn how your seeds paid off last summer. I will therefore take the trouble upon myself to review the seeds that I got from you. ...
We are having rain today, which we need very badly. I wish you a happy New Year and remain hopeful of better times. Your devoted F.A.M.
<Written in English.> To: ?
28 Feb 1896 [excerpt].
… George Haskins, Loretta’s father, is in Osakis, Minn. …
<T352>, cont. March 17, 1896.
Dear Frieda! Yesterday I received your welcome letter of March 2, 1896, and I don’t want to make you wait a long time for an answer. I also have plenty of time for it, as I am unable to do hard work any more. In response to your belated birthday greeting, I want to congratulate you ahead of time on your birthday as well as on the impending wedding.
We have had a rather mild winter too; no spring weather so far.
I am glad to hear that Lina [Frieda’s sister—LPM] is doing well. We have not heard from Schlomanns or Anna for a long time. The last address (probably still correct) is: A. Schlomann, Corner of Oak and West Str., West Hoboken, N.J.
It would please me to hear from you again soon! Who is this lucky guy who will lead you to the altar? We all are quite well except for colds, and we send our best regards to you and Otto. Your Grandfather.
I have not heard any more from Ernst.
<T353> La Crosse "Folkesfreund" [Friend of the People], L., Wis.
March 25, 1896.
I got a back issue of the "Folkesfreund" in my hands, but I cannot find the price listed. Please send me a sample issue and the price for the daily and Sunday paper. Respectfully, F.A.M.
"Der Seebote," Milwaukee, Wis.
March 31, 1896.
According to your letter of the 28th, it seems that I insulted your delicate feelings. This may be caused by my imperfect command of the English language, which made me use an ambiguous word. [But he wrote in German?? -- LPM.] I was only trying to pint out that the "Seebote" was rewarded for its beautiful sermons and excellent proofs, for keeping the farmers in ignorance of financial matters.
With regard to religious matters, the reward should come in heaven where there is nothing but silver. But if the "Seebote" should end up in hell along with all the rich people, it will be paid in gold.
Furthermore, I was not aware that there is a law in America, just as in Germany, prohibiting insults to majesties, and as I do not have time—with my spring work approaching—to spend several months in jail, I will retract everything that I said in this letter and in my previous one, and I will humbly ask the stern Lord "Seebote" for forgiveness.
La Crosse "Volkesfreund," L., Wis.
March 31, [1896].
You can send me your daily and Sunday Volkesfreund if you wish, but I do not yet know the price for the two papers. Judging from the sample issue, the paper does not seem to be completely to my taste—I am particularly interested in German and European politics—but I have paid off the Seebote, which was too opinionated for me, and so I will try the Volkesfreund. Respectfully, ...
"Herald and Volkesfreund," La Crosse, Wis.
April 13, [1896].
You sent me a lot of old newspapers that have no value, as pages in the middle are missing and consequently all the stories are incomplete. I cannot make any use of your offer to send <T354> you $2 in exchange for $3 worth of goods (namely the three papers) and seeds for $1; my silver is not coined that way either [?]. Three newspapers would be too many for me, and I have all the seeds I need. Please do not send any more papers. Respectfully.
North Western Post, Milwaukee, Wis.
April 13, 1896.
I received the sample issue of the N.W. Post that you so kindly sent me, and I will take your paper if you will send me Special Premium No. 7, the big Thermometer, with the next paper, and you will let me wait until next fall to pay.
In any case, I don’t want the paper without the Thermometer, as I can get English papers of the same size for half the price.
Respectfully, F.A.M.
Milwaukee Seebote.
April 13, [1896].
I received your letter of the 9th, and as you probably take only honest money (gold) in payment for your paper and we have only dishonest money (silver) here, I have to give up the pleasure of being further taught by the Seebote. Besides, I am much too old to learn anything more. Respectfully ...
"Herald and Volkesfreund," La Crosse, Wis.
April 22, 1896.
I wrote to you on April 13, asking you not to send me your paper. You seem not to have understood me. If you keep sending them to me I will refuse to pick them up at the Post Office. If you want to be paid for the sample issue, send me a bill and I will pay it. Respectfully... F.A.M.
Hague & Schmidt, Erfurt.
[1896].
You will find enclosed a small sample of a wonderful pretty spring flower that my children discovered here in the primeval forests (most of which have almost completely disappeared by now). It grew next to a big stone, surrounded by moss and next to a spring that forms a small creek, and it can only be found at this particular stone. The plant is as big as a <T355> strawberry plant; the leaves lie on the ground and the flowers stand above them in the air. They bloom early with the Hepaticus, which also grow wild here. The root is a bush with many small bulbs or onions, as big as the seeds of Luthimus or Ratus, and the leaves die off after it blooms.
It seems to me that the plant has something in common with Dielytria, but in miniature. We planted some of them in the garden three years ago and these bloomed there, despite the last two very dry years, as nicely as on the rock. Perhaps it is nothing new—who knows—but it is a very prety thing and I would like very much to know the name of the plant.
[Seeds ...]
August Breitenfeld, Brookings, S.Dak
July 23, 1896.
Dear friend. I received your letter of June 14. I was happy that you think of me once in a while. Also I am glad that you are with Wilhelmine. I always liked her. How many children does she have? I hope she is doing fine. Give her my regards.
We had plenty of rain this summer; everything is doing fine. We are all quite well too, except for my wife’s sore leg. Kamperschnör built himself a big stone house. Hanke and his sun-in-law built a new store. Wilhelm Breitenfeld is still Town Treasurer, Persow is Clerk, and Hanke Assessor. I would be happy to hear from you again soon.
Greetings—your friend F.A.M.
<Written in English.> To: Ernest at Kerby
30 Oct 1896 [excerpt].
… August had till now all time steady carpenter work for $1.35 a day, then he boarded at home, had no rent to pay, no wood to buy, milk and vegetables free from us, so he is getting pretty well out of debt. His little girl is Grandma’s pet [Eva Mary MEISSNER b: 15 Apr 1896 d: 17 Feb 1995]. …
<T355>, cont. Chicago, Freie Presse (Free Press).
Nov. 11, 1896.
If you will send me your weekly edition from now until the end of next year for $1, I will send you the money at once. If you send the paper I will conclude that you agree to this proposal.
We have lost the battle this time [election of Mc Kinley—LPM], but there are too many people and too little brains. My newspaper, the NW Post, says that the German people of Wis. contributed a lot to this result; they should have attributed it to German stupidity and to the wickedness of German papers that seduced their readers.
<T356> But Cleveland drove the wagon too deep into the mud, also.
Respectfully ...
Freie Presse, 94 Fifth Ave, Chicago, Ill.
Nov. 20, 1896.
I have your kind answer to my proposal in front of me. I am sending you herewith $1 for your weekly paper, that is, 75 cts. silver; 5 cts. nickel; 20 cts Rabatt [discount?]; total $1.00. I will do whatever lies within my strength to promote your paper. Respectfully ....
Clara Schlomann. W.H. N.J. Corner of Oak and West Str.
Nov 29, 1896.
Dear Granddaughter. We finally got some news from you. Your welcome letter is in front of me, and I would have already written sooner if I had not been afraid that I didn’t have your correct address.
But what have I done to your father, mother, and Anna, to prevent my hearing anything from them? You write German quite well, but if it is easier for you you may write to me in English. You must be 13 years old by now, and you must have become a pretty girl. Write again soon and tell us about yourself.
We are still alive, Dora and Carl are still at home, August has been married for a year and has a little daughter, Ernest and Adolph live in Oregon and they each have five or six children. Wishing Merry Christmas to all of you I remain Your Grandfather.
Dec. 29, 1896.
Dear Frieda! My hope of receiving a letter from you for Christmas was not disappointed. Your letter of the 14th arrived here on the 26th, the day before my birthday. I am happy that you have not completely forgotten your old grandfather, and that you and Otto are healthy.
It seems that you had a bad crop. Here in America, everything grew in abundance, but money is scarce and it is nearly impossible to sell anything. I still feel as well as at this time last year, and so do Dora, Carl, and Grandmother.
<T357> For about the past two years we have not had any mail from Schlomanns nor from Anna. We don’t know what we have done to offend them. Clara, Schlomann’s 13 year old daughter, wrote to Carl a little while ago, but she didn’t even mention her parents or Anna. She only wrote that she is going to school. We have not received a line from Lina or Ernst either.
My youngest son August lives near by. He is married and they have an eight month old girl. Ernest and Adolph, who live 2500 miles to the West near the Pacific Ocean, and their families, are well. Since we do not have any small children, we didn’t put up a Christmas tree, but most people here have a big Christmas tree in the churches.
It must be that nobody still living in Kum. remembers me. Are any of the Brühmanns still alive? One daughter went to South America with a gardener from Altona. I wish you good health and good crops for the New Year. The newspapers keep writing about preparations for war, and nothing else. The rich people live in luxury while the poor people have to do the work.
Your Grandfather.
Abend Post (Evening Post) Publishing Co., Milwaukee, Wis.
Jan. 15 [1897].
I received your letter of Jan. 8. If you had waited to bill me until today, I would have taken the N.W.P. until the end of the year, April 15, and then I would owe you $2; thus I would save 50 cts. Accordingly, I am sending you herewith a money order for $1.50, and I ask you not to send me the paper any more, as I have already been provided with another paper for several months. Respectfully, F.A.M.
<Written in English.> To: Adolph at Merlin
23 Feb 1897 [excerpt].
… Oschen Bray [Ossian Brey] … told us already that Mr. Haskins had died [Loretta’s father, George Alburn Haskins b: 6 Jul 1838 in Wilton, Monroe, WI d: 6 Jan 1897 in Osakis, Douglas, MN]. …
<Written in English.> To: Adolph at Merlin
15 Mar 1897 [excerpt].
… The joyful news that Loretta has given you another boy [Manly Meissner b: 2 Mar 1897] and that Mother and child are well. … I am not in the seed business any more. I had to give it up a couple of years ago on account of health.
<T357>, cont. Dr. W.S. Rice, Box 17, Smithville, Jefferson Co., N.Y.
[1897].
I saw your ad in the Chigo Free Press. Please send me your book.
Dr. Robert Wolfertz, 60 Fifth Ave. Chicago, Ill.
[1897].
I saw your ad in the Chigo Free Press. Please send me your price list.
<T358> P.S. The attempt by the Free Press to put silver back into its old position is an attempt to rid us from the yoke of the money lenders. In many other respects, however, the Free Press does not seem to be on the side of liberty—in fact, one might even suggest that it has been corrupted concerning the matter of the German Kaiser [Emperor]. In my opinion, the Kaiser is trying to reduce the few liberties enjoyed by his subjects. All of the kings and emperors seem to have joined together for this purpose. I could add a lot more to prove this, but it would not help anything. The newspapers publish only what they are paid for. The above.
<Written in English.> To: Ernest at Kerby
20 Aug 1897 [excerpt].
… It is a pity Ma has inherited from her mother such a large scolding vine. When she gets started she cannot stop again. All I can do is to leave the room or the house. When married folks don’t sleep more together in one bed but sleep in different rooms then love has vanished. Ma hates a kiss worse than beer or whisky. But after all she is a very good woman—she has nursed me through many a sickness. I probably should have died 40 years ago and there would be today no Meissners in Oregon. … Carl wears a mustache and foot-long hair and looks like a vagrant or rather like a fool.
<Written in English.> To: A.F.M at Merlin
4 Nov 1897 [excerpt].
… Loretta tells us that you have paid for your land and all your debts so it seems you have made out very well this last summer.
<T358>, cont. La Crosse Abendstern [Evening Star], La., Wis.
Dec. 16, [1897].
I would like to subscribe to a good German newspaper next year. Please send me a sample issue. Respectfully, F.A.M.
Nordstern [North Star] Association, La Crosse, Wis.
Dec. 23, [1897].
I finally received the sample issue of Abendstern. The stupid guy (I mean the postal clerk) did not want to give it to me because "Dr." was written in front of my name. When I sent for it, I was not aware that Abendstern is an English paper, but I live two miles from the Post Office and I only go there once a week. Also, I am not a doctor, but only a simple farmer, and all I need is a weekly paper. I understand that you also publish the Nordstern which comes twice a week. I would certainly like to have it if it is not too expensive. The best English papers can be purchased nowadays for $1 [per year] -- in fact, the Weekly Wisc. with the Monthly Newspaper Library is advertised for 75 cts.
The Nordstern is an old friend of mine. I read it for many years when Mr. Ulrich was still alive. Please send me a sample issue and let me know what you can do about the price. Respectfully F.A.M.
Freie Presse, Chicago, Ill.
Dec. 25, 1897.
You will find enclosed $1 as prepayment for the Weekly Paper of the Free Press, from and for F.A.M.
<T359> Nordstern, La Crosse, Wis.
Dec. 25, [1897].
I am sorry that I troubled you so much about sending sample issues. The price of the Nordstern is not too high, but the reading material is mixed with too many advertisements in which I have no interest, so I cannot afford to subscribe to it. F.A.M.
<Written in English.> To: Martha.
12 Jan 1898 [excerpt].
… [Age 93] I cannot walk; my legs are stricken with paralysis, otherwise I have no pains, it seems not as if it would kill me, but to live as a cripple is almost worse. I always had some hope that we should be able to sell out and go to Oregon but that hope is gone. …
<Written in English.> To: Adolph at Merlin
3 Feb 1898 [excerpt].
… I have seen by Loretta’s letter that she and the children live in the city [Grant’s Pass?] in plenty and comfort. How will they like it when they come back in the spring? I think you made a mistake to let another man take care of your family [a "rich merchant" in Merlin]. You, poor fellow, lived all alone on the farm and fed the pigs.
<T359>, cont. Otto and Frieda Gerstenberg, Kum. n. P. n. Altona, Germany.
Febr. 17, 1898.
Dear Grandchildren, You don’t seem to care very much whether your old Grandfather is still alive, or else you would have sent a letter—at least for Christmas or New Year’s. But I would like very much to know how you are doing. You must be having very good times now; prices for you [crops that you sell] are so high, while everything here is so cheap. But we are having pretty good prices now, and when silver regains its former position things will be even better. Have your crops been good, and what have you been raising to sell? What prices do you get?
Lina has completely forgotten me, and Schlomanns don’t write. We hear nothing from Ernst; perhaps he is no longer alive. I, my wife, Dora, and Carl still live on our farm. August lives near by with his wife and two children. Ernest and Adolph are in Oregon and they each have 5 or 6 children. Are you still living with Otto, or are you both perhaps married? If so, I wish you much good fortune.
Farewell now, and write soon. You once promised me Otto’s picture, but it has not yet arrived. Your Grandfather.
Dr. T. Fahrney, Chicago, Ill., 112-114 So. Hoyne Ave.
[1898].
In yesterday’s mail I received an issue of the "Krankenboten" (Messenger to the Sick). That was not unuaual, as some medical pamphlet arrives almost every day. The Bote seems to have plenty of advertisements, but it remains unproven whether the medicines are as good as their praises would imply. I always thought that Germans would be more honest about these maters, but I was recently convinced to the contrary.
<T360> If you really believe that the medicine is good, you can send me a sample box. I have a good opportunity to test it on my family; and then as your agent I could recommend the Alpine herbs to other people. There are plenty of people who would like to be healthy. If the blode [? improvement] from Alpine herbs is good, I will pay $2 for the sample box. Send it by U.S. Express Co. to Cashton, Wis. You must believe that Germans are tremendously stupid, as you write so many detailed instructions on the back of your envelope.
Respectfully F.A.M.
S.B.Hartman, M.D., Columbus Ohio.
[Feb or Mar 1898].
Dear Sir, For the past several years, as long as I have been acquainted with you and your medicines, I have been in quite good health. Sometimes when I felt sick, a bottle of Peruna and some jars of rhubarb made me well again, but this winter it is no longer effective; I have already used two bottles of Peruna.
A little after Christmas, where in accordance with German custom we ate more than usual, I vomited a lot of thick mucus through my mouth, not my nose. I took Peruna, gargled as prescribed, drank hot water instead of coffee, and lived according to the rules. I have been doing this for two months now. I am not vomiting so much of that stuff any more, but my mouth is always full of water and my stomach won’t digest my food. It turns sour and causes heartburn, and Peruna just seems to make it worse. Would you advise me to take Stuart’s Dyspepsia Tablets? While I am using your medicine I don’t want to try anything else without your advice. Maybe for 25 cts. or 50 cts. you can send something else that is good.
My eyes also water a lot and are getting weaker, and I don’t hear so well any more.
Rev. P. Schwitzler, Pine Hollow, [Wis.].
[1898].
When you favored me with your visit on my last birthday, as you left you told me to be careful not to fall. But the warning did not help. Two days later I was sitting in my bedroom and <T361> writing a letter to my children in Oregon, telling them that I was well. When this letter was finished I stood up, but felt a little bit dizzy. I took one or two steps toward the bed, when suddenly my legs gave way and I fell to the floor like a wooden log. Carl, who was in the other room, heard the noise and came to see what was the matter. He picked me up and put me on my bed. My wife and daughter also came running. But I soon recovered enough so that I can now tell you that I suffered no harm and felt no pain, only my legs were weak. I have recovered enough now so that I can stagger from one room to another like a drunk man. I do not feel pain in my legs. What bothers me most is my stomach, which has been indisposed since Christmas and is still not well.
I am returning herewith the books that I borrowed, and I would like to have a few of the travel novels. I cannot yet keep my mind on anything serious. Respectfully F.A.M.
Dr. C.J. Schoep. 248 Second Street, W Racine, Wis.
March 8, 98.
By chance, I saw your ad in a number of the Jan 20 La Crosse Patriot, and as it is written in German I assume that you understand German. Or perhaps you are a German. So I will write to you in this language.
I am an old man, but I had still enjoyed quite good health. However, since last Christmas my stomach has been in such a bad condition that I am truly sick. When I try to eat anything, my stomach won’t digest it or transport it farther down. It seems that everything dissolves into slime and comes up my throat, and I have to spit it out. The food in my stomach turns sour and I get heartburn. My mouth is always watery and if I am not careful it goes into my windpipe and makes me cough.
The papers are so full of infallilble medicines that I am having difficulty making a selection. My money is not so plentiful either. But I would like to try your Nerves Theory once. So I <T362> am enclosing $1, and ask you to send me a bottle of your Restorative by U.S. Express, if you think that is the right medicine for my case.
Address: F.A.M. Cashton, M.C. Wis.
Mrs. John Woodard, Brookings Co., [S.] Dak.
March 10, 1898.
Dear Madam. Two summers ago I received a letter from your father. I answered it at once, but my letter was returned. So I would like to know whether your father is still alive, and how he is doing. I am also still alive, but my health has been quite bad this winter. How are you? Did you have good crops last year, and good prices?
I would like to hear from you, and if your father is still alive, give him my regards. Your friend F.A.M.
<Written in English.> To: Ernest and Martha at Kerby.
21 Mar 1898 [excerpt].
… August has … moved away. Lena’s father, Adam Heintz, has bought Erastus Barth’s farm … there is a pretty good house on it into which August has moved. … August is not going to work the farm, he only occupies the house. …
<T362>, cont. Freie Presse, Chicago, Ill., Mail-box for Legal Matters.
[March, 1898].
Does a marriage contract have enough effect, so that after her husband’s death the wife will receive the whole inheritance as her own property, if this is stated in the contract?
When adult children remain in their parents’ home and work there, receive board and lodging and are all necessary care when they are sick, can they demand payment after the parents’ death for their labor as a servant or maid?
Dr. C.J. Schoep. 248 Second Street, W Racine, Wis.
[1898].
Dear Sir. About two weeks ago I received your Restorative Medicine. I used it all according to prescription, and I took great care with my eating and drinking, but I cannot say that I feel any better. I am more [upset?] and the medicine seems to make my stomach burn more rather than less. It tastes exactly like Vermouth Bitters, with a lot of sweetener added and the sourness removed.
A few days ago I also received your letter with samples of pills and tablets. I took two tablets the first evening ang <T363> the next morning I had a stomach ache but no bowel movement. The next evening I took three pills and finally the following morning I had a bowel movement.
Dr. Metz, our pharmacist, won’t have anything to do with your medicine. He says if everyone got healthy his business would be ruined.
Some time ago I received a letter from Dr. T. Fahrney of Chicago whose claims for his "Alpine herbs blood restorer" are even stronger than yours for your Restorative. Dr. Fahrney offered me the medicine and wanted to send me a box of 12 bottles for $12.00 free [of shipping charges?] to my house. This at least had a price advantage, but I put it aside as nonsense.
If you wish, you can send me by mail 25 cts. worth of pills. I think my $1 already covers the payment for them. A druggist would not pay you more than 50 cts. for a bottle.
Respectfully, F.A.M.
Otto and Frieda Gerstenberg, Kum. n. P. n. Altona, Germany.
March 28, 1898.
Dear Frieda. Yesterday I received your letter of March 11. We are glad to hear that you are well. A little while ago we got a letter from Schlomann’s daughter Clara. She wrote that they all are well, but business is not very good. For the past few days the snow has been gone, but we are still having such hard frosts at night that we cannot work in the garden or the field.
It almost looks as though we are going to have war with Spain, on account of Cuba. That is an island that is close by, belonging to Spain up till now but wanting to break away.
Wheat costs 4 Mk per bu. now, butter 80 [?] per kilogr, eggs 32 [?] per dozen. Apples are very expensive and hard to find. Oranges are plentiful and cheap. In the big cities there are already strawberries on the market. They come from the South.
You and Otto are apparently getting along together, as you are still living together. You seem to be like Aunt Dora, who will be 35 years old on March 21. Like you, she can’t find a good enough husband.
Most of the young men here are Democrats. We live about <T364> as far from Cashton as you are from Pinneberg. In the summer Dora goes to Cashton with vegetables twice a week. The first ones, which will soon be ready, are asparagus and lettuce; then radishes and other vegetables. Last year we had quite a good market. Here it depends greatly on the weather. Last year we had a hard night frost on June 1.
If you want your next letter to reach me while I am still alive, don’t wait too long to write it. I am 93 years old now, and it seems that I am going to die soon. Greetings to you and Otto. Your grandfather, F.A.M.
[1898].
On Oct. 6, 1793 the present era began. On Nov. 10, the [...?] commune installed the rule of logic; on May 7 1794 the National Convent decreed that there is no longer a God and on the 24th of the same month this Convent ordered everybody to stop believing in the immortality of the soul. All Christian religious orders were abolished and all priests were required to swear a citizen’s oath under penalty of death.
August Breitenfeld, Bruce, S.Dak
April 20, 1898.
Dear friend. Finally I have received another letter from you and I am happy to hear that you are still alive and quite well. I am also still alive, but my health is very bad. My legs are paralyzed and I can only limp around a little bit. Also my stomach is so bad that I can digest only small amounts of food. My wife is still having trouble with her leg, which is sometimes better and sometimes worse. Carl and Dora are still with us and they do the work. August married one of Adam Heintz’ daughters; he has two children and is working as a carpenter in and around Cashton. Ernest and Adolph are both in Oregon; they each have a farm and five or six children.
Wilhelm Breitenfeld bought a little farm in the valley, two farms below his former place. Hanke and his son-in-law Thomsen built a new store on the corner where the old one stood. Also a creamery was built, where the farmers bring their milk. <T365> Cashton gets bigger every year, and a lot of cattle, hay, and grain is sold there.
There are four saloons in Cashton. Each of them pays a $500 license fee, whose source is the farmers and the boys who buy 5 ct. glasses of beer and whiskey.
We had a very mild winter too, with little snow but always enough for good sledding tracks. We are now sowing and the grass is starting to grow.
I would be happy if you would write to me again soon. I feel sorry for your lonely life since your wife’s death. One cannot depend upon children. I hope that my wife will close my eyes soon. Now farewell; stay healthy and don’t work too hard. Your old friend F.A.M.
Freie Presse, 94 Fifth Ave., Chicago, Ill.
[1898].
Concerning the ad for Schiller’s works in your weekly paper, I would like to know whether the print is not too small, as my eyes are weak; also whether you can send the books postage paid for $3. Also, what does the black picture in the ad mean? F.A.M.
I would prefer that you mail me a sample book first. I will pay the postage both ways. One does not like to throw $3 out the window.
Anna Gerstenberg, 532 West 142nd Str, N.Y. City.
Aug 9, 1898.
Dear Anna. Your letter and picture gave us an unexpected pleasure. We are happy that you are doing so well and that you are paid so well. Judging from your picture, you look quite healthy and pretty. I am now an old man, 93 and a half years old and quite weak this summer. I think my end will come soon. My wife is only 61 years old, but she has a bad leg that causes her a lot of trouble. Carl and Dora live with us, August near by and Ernest and Adolph in Oregon. They both have big families. I don’t know what I did to Schlomanns, because they never write any more. We are having an especially good summer, but everything is cheap, only flour is expensive.
<T366> I don’t know how it can be that such a pretty woman as you does not get married and raise a family. But you will surely become like Dora, who is already becoming an old maid. She is afraid to get married. Most of the young men around here are drunkards, and when they come home they treat their wives badly. Well, as long as we are alive she has a home, but what will happen after that? We would be glad if you would write again soon. My wife, Dora, and Carl send their regards. Your Grandf.
Lincoln Freie Presse, Lincoln, Neb.
Aug. 31, 1898.
I have your sample issue and your letter in front of me. It seems to me that you are promising too much for too little money, but you might send me a few more samples so that I can find out more about the philosophy of your paper.
I have prepaid the Chicago Freie Presse until the end of the year. But Mr. Michaulis is a L[... ?] and is always mad about the Gringos, but I did not come to America to stay a German but to become an American. I have four sons who are born Americans, and 12 grandchildren as well.
One might almost be ashamed of being called a German. In the country where Kant taught and Schiller composed, now a Harlequin and a Pfaffenknecht [one whose mind is hypnotized by a priest!) governs as Kaiser and he is planning a crusade to Jerusalem, not with soldiers but with priests in his retinue. He has been showing off on horseback in an Oriental costume, and he is both admired and ridiculed. (These priests are not Catholics—no, the Lutherans are much worse still.) If I were in Germany, they would put me in prison [as a heretic? -- LPM]. But enough for now. I will see whether I cannot recommend your paper to a neighbor. F.A.M.
<T367> Lincoln Freie Presse.
Sept. 20, [1898].
Enclosed you will find a money order for 85 cts., for which please send me the Freie Presse. Your latest issue convinced me. Respectfully, F.A.M.
Mr. R. Zaegel and Co., Box 707, Sheboygan, Wis.
[1898].
If what you say in the "Farmer" about your Lebensessenz (Essence of Life) is not all lies, I would like to try a sample of it.
<Written in English.> [not witnessed or dated]
[Oct 1898].
When one of us dies the other longest living shall own the whole property; we hereby will & bequeath all on our death remaining property, real and personal, to our daughter Dorothea Juliana Meissner and our son Carl Friedrich [sic] Meissner to own and hold the same jointly, provided: Our Son Carl and our Daughter Dora continue to live with us, work for us, and take care of us in health and sickness, like they do at present.
<T367>, cont. Mr. R. Zaegel and Co., Sheboygan, Wis.
Nov. 3, 1898]
I received your sample package of your Swedish Life Essence and took it as prescribed. Tuesday, Nov. 1, I took a tablespoonful and went to bed. The next morning at 8 o’clock I felt its effect, which lasted all day until 6 o’clock in the evening, so that I discharged for two or three hours until there was nothing more in me. This morning, Thursday Nov. 3, it is still rumbling in my intestines. By this I know that your Swedish Life Essence is nothing but a strong laxative, consisting mainly of aloe. Being a pharmacist, you should know how dangerous aloe can be as a laxative.
As for me, I was deceived once again by believing in German honesty.
Heine (German poet) is right when he says that Germans are the biggest swindlers.
Law Department, Lincoln Freie Presse. Lincoln, Neb.
Nov. 10, [1898].
Can a farm that is burdened with a mortgage be sold with a "quit claim deed"? Please oblige. F.A.M.
Dr. C. Cremer, Cashton.
Nov. 17, 1898
Dear friend. Please send me your bill. I will try to pay it, if it is not too big, before my death. I don’t want to die in debt. Your devoted F.A.M.
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