Sister letters 1927

Gnadenfeld, 11 February, 1927

Much beloved Brothers and Sister!

You must have long been waiting for some news from us. Please forgive us. In our newspapers, it says that this year the thrushes and the starlings have flown only as far as the Crimea, which had never happened before. Whether that is true I do not know. But in any case the storks have remained here, since on a beautiful day such a bird wandered directly into our house. Fortunately, Aunt Marichen and Aunt Braun were at our house, and also Miss Metzburg, who was able to relieve it of the heavy bundle that he was carrying. As we opened it, there was inside, again a little boy. Really this time he might have brought us a little girl, but in the end this too is good. His name is Walter. He has dark, seemingly brown eyes and weighed 11 ¾ pounds. Yes, our family is growing. The other two fellows are quite satisfied with the new little brother.

Since Christmas, the Franzes have been living at the rear of our place, sister-n-law Liese with her family. They also want to go to America. They have already sold everything and now they are living here until their passports arrive. While I was recovering from the childbirth, Liese took care of the little one and helped with meal making and in general where needed. During the day, the children always had her with them, so that it was nice and quiet. I already feel quite well, only the back is always so painful. For the third day now Jasch is having a toothache, but today it is finally lessening.

Lina, I would very much like to see the vases and lamp shades that you painted. I don't quite understand, Lina, did you also make them? 

On Tuesday, we received pictures of Papa and Mama. With them there also was one of Dietz.  I was so touched, when removing the wrapping, to suddenly have the faces of our dear parents looking at me. At the same time, a picture of Hermann arrived.

Why do the Klassens not write? I have become quite uneasy. For many who are there in Manitoba things are going very badly. At least you please write what you know about them.

Hermann Dirks had built himself a radio. It works well. Now he wants to build another one. The older students in our school here have decided, always two together, to build an apparatus.

Before Christmas, the Pankratzes wrote that there they were sowing vegetables. Do they sow vegetables two times over there? 

I am home alone with my dear ones. They are all sleeping in a row. Artur on a short upholstered rest bench that Jasch made himself. Kolja in Artur’s crib and Wall in the bassinet. He sleeps so soundly, a little fist at one cheek and the slipped out nipple at the other. Jasch is still always repairing clocks and watches. He says I should ask whether one can emigrate to the United States, then we will soon come. Well, that is only a joke, but sometimes we are actually thinking that way. Wally’s eyes really are not brown but green-blue.

Gnadenfeld, 27 April, 1927

Much beloved Brothers and Sister!

Today is the last Easter day, which, for that matter, you are no longer celebrating. From Saturday until yesterday, we had guests from the Crimea from the village of Chakmak. A distant cousin of Jasch had the accident with his foot. They took him in for a whole year, because he was then unable to go home because of the foot. Yesterday, after vespers, Jasch drove them to Alexandertal where they also have relatives. 

In the afternoon, we were at our father-in-law’s with all three children, where all the other brothers and sisters also were. Because I did not get around to hiding the Easter eggs on the first and second holiday, I did so this afternoon. Artur and Kolja were delighted whenever they found one. 

Sister and brother-in-law Franzes, who live in the quarters on our place, still do not have the passports for the journey to America. They have already been waiting for half a year and have pretty much sold everything. Now we hear that they should receive the passports in a week or two. Liese and her girl are helping me a great deal with the children. Even Kolja is there now.

Lina, your long-time friend, Mrs. Unruh, is already the mama of a little Haenschen. He arrived two weeks ago.

Recently, Anna was nursing at Bethania. This institution, as well as Chortiza and Kitschkas, and the villages in the region of the power station at the Dnieper River rapids are to be disconnected because of a gigantic new dam and power station (recently bombed by the Russians), about which you probably have already read in the newspapers.

Soon Jasch will be plowing with the tractor. Then he will again always be spending the entire day in the field. While I was there, Sara said that earlier she had always thought that she would become a nurse, or something like that and that you would get married, but now it is the other way around.

Franz, you ask about church life. Still just as it was earlier. The elder now is a Mr. Dueck, a preacher who fled from the Terek district. Abram Braun, Karl Naschtigal, Johann Nikkel, the son of the former elder Nikkel, and Rempel’s Sara’s husband Heinrich Unruh are the newly elected preachers. Then there are still the old preachers. Uncle Heinrich and Franz Loewen. Benjamin Retzlaff has gone over to the Brethren and has had himself baptized in the river. The choir is very large and is still always led by Abram Braun.

In the grandparental house now live Uncle Heinrich and Aunt Marichen, Uncle Hans and Aunt Warja with Wadim and Olga, who are already quite big, and Uncle Hermann with Lotti. They all send their greetings.

Gnadenfeld, 3 July 1927

Dear compassionate little Sister!

Really I wanted to answer your letter immediately on Sunday, but was unable to find any paper, and first had to buy some during the week. Then, I do not get to write during the week-days, and so it has been left undone.

Here it has already long been very dry. The potato plants are withering. The vegetables are far behind, but so far, the winter wheat is unexpectedly good. On average, we are getting 100 pood from each dessiatin. The summer grain is pretty bad. We are now already in the so-called “dry” season. Mowing began three days ago. If nothing gets in the way, the wheat harvest will be completed on Monday, and then the threshing will probably get started right away. The melon field is quite good, but also very much needs rin. There will be very few apples and pears, though a lot of stone fruit, but that remains small because it is so dry. Last Sunday, at 2:30 o’clock, there was a light earthquake. On Wednesday, we had a sun eclipse, although only half of the sun was dark. 

All kinds of obstacles are being put in the way of emigration to America. It takes frightfully long before the passports are given out. Our kin, the Franzes, still have not left and so are still living with us. They are still always given hope. Liese often helps me with tending the children. 

Wally is in good health and likes to be tended. Kolja and Artur roam about outdoors the whole day and are alternately at the Brauns or Franzes. Two weeks ago, Artur went to kindergarten. In the morning, he always helps me think, “Mama dress me quickly, it’s already time to go to school.” The different cases still get all mixed up for him. For example, he says “Aunt Liese has given me that.” Lately he came to me very happily excited and told me: “Mama, I also fixed me a tractor. It also buzzes and bangs. Mama, now I am also a Papa.” And then a bit of thought, “Mama, now you have two Papas.”  Usually, whatever he has just been playing with has to sleep in bed, sometimes a stick, a board or a whip. Kolja is quite frolicsome. Artur often gets away from him but often really has to duck and dodge. Sometimes they really “trash” one another, in a word, true boys on whom a great deal of upbringing must still be done. Kolja already says almost everything. Jasch is now always in the fields with the machines. I only get to see him in the morning and in the evening. In the evenings, we always go right to bed after supper, which is usually late. The foot always pains him when he gets up. 

What do you know about Uncle Aron and K. Toews? And J. Janzens? Do the A. Rempelss still live in Dinuba? You must know that Uncle David died in Sumatra? Would you be interested in reading his last letter? The rumors about him have been growing and have done great injustice to be so gossiped about. He has, blessedly in faith, gone home to his Savior. Uncle Hermann is interested in taking charge of the house. Aunt Marichen occupied the guest room. Uncle Hermann and his little daughter have the big room, Uncle Hans and his family the corner and middle room, Uncle Heinrich has the summer room. Uncle Hans is now a teacher.

Gnadenfeld, September, 1927

Dear Brothers and Sister!

Lina, when you receive this letter, you’ll already belong to the Gray Nurses, isn’t that so? I would like to see you as a nurse some time.

Our littlest one can already sit up well, has become very fat and already weighs 25 pounds.

I had a lot of laundry to do, I cooked syrup and a variety of other things. Soon the long winter will be here again, when the children will constantly be indoors and when one will always have to think up something fresh to drive off the boredom, and all the chairs will lie turned over about the rooms. Now Kolja and Wally are sitting in the back of the hearth, where it is nice and warm, and our Russian girl says various things to Kolja and he incorrectly repeats it after her. Artur is at Franzes. They are not giving them their passports, so that they remain here of necessity. They received the cancellation a month ago. If they are unable to find other living quarters, or do not buy a farmstead, they will probably stay with us. The cooperative now has the entire store building, and the Franzes are now in this house. They occupy the two front rooms, and the summer room.

Jasch has ordered a radio to be made by Dietrich Rempel. He wants to make one for himself and one for us. If anything comes of it, there will soon be five apparatuses in Gnadenfeld. Jasch is now again beginning to repair clocks and watches. Recently, he bought some instruments and this makes the work significantly easier. During the summer, there was so much outdoor work that he had no time to work on clocks and watches. For the winter, we would like to buy another cow and a hog to slaughter, but who knows whether there will be enough money for all that. During this week, our girl completed her job and left for home. We will not keep her for the winter. If the Franzes remain, they will help us with the work in return for the living quarters.

Gnadenfeld, 17 February, 1928

Dear Sister Lina!

Our wish that this time it might be a girl has actually been fulfilled. Little Liese was born on the 23rd of January at 6 o’clock in the evening. She was named Elisabeth after Jasch’s and our mother. So far, she is in good health and I am again quite well and up. While I was confined, the two big boys usually spent the whole day over at the Brauns and just came home for supper, so that it was usually quiet and I was able to rest. Liesel weighed 12 pounds and is nice and plump. Whether her eyes will be dark gray or brown is uncertain. She does not have much hair, but what she has is dark blonde. We are very happy that it is a girl, as are the three boys. You wanted to know our birthdays. So, Jasch’s is on the 8th of June, mine you know, Artur was born on the 4th of April, 1924, Kolja on the 19th of August, 1925, and little Walter on the 30th of January, 1927. Liesel has her birthday on the same day as Franz. I must keep turning her over, as it is so very cold. The storm and the deep frost began a few days before her birth and now has continued for four weeks. 

For most people, the fuel is all used up, because this year there are no straw stacks and the dung fuel does not last for the whole winter. Many, including us, are now heating with coal. The other oven we now stoke only for baking because there is so little straw. Hopefully, the cold will soon let up. Here yardage is only to be had in exchange for grain, and there is so very little of that.

I already wrote to you that Hans Brauun and Rempel’s Mika had their wedding on the Sunday after Christmas. Sara is expecting her second child on the Sunday after Christmas. Her health is not the best. Her husband suffers from clogged arteries of the heart and often has attacks so that they fear for his life and Sara often has severe palpitation of the heart. Anna is now running the household. Mrs. J. Janzen, Gerhard Klassen’s Marichen now also has a boy and two girls. 

I just found out that Liesel’s eyes are blue-gray. Thus we have two brown and two with blue eyes. The cow we bought in the autumn has already calved and gives very good milk.

We would also come there to Canada, although for now it seems to be almost impossible to get the passports.