Headline:
Norka, January 7, 1924
To: Mr. Johannes Dick
Charleston, Washington
Dear uncle and aunt Johannes and Barbara:
This letter is being written by your deceased sister Elisabeth's youngest son, Georg Weidenkeller. I wish you aunts Annamaria and Louise to know that I and my family are still in good health but we find ourselves ever increasingly in a greater emergency. The harvest last summer helped quite a bit and hunger has been somewhat quieted, but with clothing items things are very bad and then also with the house. If you were here and glimpsed our situation for an instant you would certainly say: "Yes, our sister's children are poor and to be pitied," and I believe your hearts would melt, as they say. We have often wished that we were already in America among you but because this cannot be we must patiently carry on.
Dear uncle and you three aunts: the $50 that you sent us through Mr. Val. J. Peter, publisher of Die Welt-Post, was received by us with great joy. On the 9th of January we took a pass and drove to Saratov and had the bank check cashed. How thankful we and our innocent children are that you have helped us! A thousand thanks and with my best greetings I remain your nephew,
Georg Weidenkeller
Norka, 20 January
Dear uncle and you other aunts:
You should know that we safely received the $50- which you sent to my name. We all cried from great joy and thankfulness. I, as the eldest son of your deceased sister, distributed the money as you ordered, namely: $20 for myself, $15 for my brother Georg, $10 for sister Luise's orphaned children, and $5 for the four sisters, who were however, not pleased about it. They want to complain to you themselves about their emergency.
As Georg has already written you, I went with my pass to Saratov and exchanged the check of $50 and received eleven billion, five hundred million ruble for it. My cost to get the money in Saratov was about $2. In the main, hunger has been quieted but there are still people who are starving and freezing due to the shortage of food and clothing. In a word, dear uncle and aunts, you have our deepest heartfelt thanks for your help, and do not forget us in the future.
With greetings from our house to your house, your sister's son,
Heinrich Weidenkeller
To: Mr. Johannes Dick
Charleston, Washington
Dear uncle and aunt Johannes and Barbara:
This letter is being written by your deceased sister Elisabeth's youngest son, Georg Weidenkeller. I wish you aunts Annamaria and Louise to know that I and my family are still in good health but we find ourselves ever increasingly in a greater emergency. The harvest last summer helped quite a bit and hunger has been somewhat quieted, but with clothing items things are very bad and then also with the house. If you were here and glimpsed our situation for an instant you would certainly say: "Yes, our sister's children are poor and to be pitied," and I believe your hearts would melt, as they say. We have often wished that we were already in America among you but because this cannot be we must patiently carry on.
Dear uncle and you three aunts: the $50 that you sent us through Mr. Val. J. Peter, publisher of Die Welt-Post, was received by us with great joy. On the 9th of January we took a pass and drove to Saratov and had the bank check cashed. How thankful we and our innocent children are that you have helped us! A thousand thanks and with my best greetings I remain your nephew,
Georg Weidenkeller
Norka, 20 January
Dear uncle and you other aunts:
You should know that we safely received the $50- which you sent to my name. We all cried from great joy and thankfulness. I, as the eldest son of your deceased sister, distributed the money as you ordered, namely: $20 for myself, $15 for my brother Georg, $10 for sister Luise's orphaned children, and $5 for the four sisters, who were however, not pleased about it. They want to complain to you themselves about their emergency.
As Georg has already written you, I went with my pass to Saratov and exchanged the check of $50 and received eleven billion, five hundred million ruble for it. My cost to get the money in Saratov was about $2. In the main, hunger has been quieted but there are still people who are starving and freezing due to the shortage of food and clothing. In a word, dear uncle and aunts, you have our deepest heartfelt thanks for your help, and do not forget us in the future.
With greetings from our house to your house, your sister's son,
Heinrich Weidenkeller
Sources
Die Welt-Post, March 13, 1924, page 5.
This translation provided courtesy of Hugh Lichtenwald.
This translation provided courtesy of Hugh Lichtenwald.
Last updated March 7, 2016.