Sister letters 1936

18 March, 1936

My dear Lina, Dietrich, Paul and Rudi

Received your letter today, dear sister. I was very happy for it, finally to again hear from you distant loved ones. Yes, the card I received precisely on the 24th of December. It was a dear present for me. You must be wondering why you have not heard from us for such a long time. Yes, I never knew how I should write it to you, but now I simply must write you something. Just think, since the 10th of November, my dear good Jasch is no longer home, and I also do not know whether he will ever come home again. Oh, do pray for us, that we may soon have him safely preserved and back with us. His health is weak and, unfortunately, he is suffering from a heart defect. And his stomach is also sick and his larynx is very sore. I have reason to fear for him, but God can still help and make it all good again. Since the 8th of February, I have received no news from him. 

It is all so hard. The future lies dark before us. I must always repeat to myself that for those who love God all things must work together for the best. But I often find it hard when I see our flock of children. Until now, we have not suffered distress and I hope to go with God’s help. Should Jasch not return for a long time, I want to join the collective again. Then I can earn enough so that we will have something to eat during the summer. We have had a very mild winter. Only in February was it very cold for two weeks with frequent blizzards. Now seeding time is here in full swing and it looks quite like spring. 

Artur, Kolja and Wally are busily attending school. Liesel, Gredel and Jascha are usually still at home, but lately they are already frequently playing outdoors. For Jascha, everything is still so new and then he does not like to go indoors again. Today, I sewed the first little trousers for him. Tomorrow, I want to sow a little jumper. Yes, he is already walking and is beginning to talk a little.

You have so many chickens! Is there not very much work to do with that? Can you do it all yourselves? We have ten hens and one rooster. They are already laying well. The cow is still standing dry, but I believe she will calve soon. How beautiful that you, dear brother-in-law, are again more or less restored. May it soon get better.

22 July, 1936

Beloved Family Members,

Four months ago I wrote the first letter, but until now I was unable to decide whether to send it. Now there is a chance to send it along (to be posted elsewhere). My poor Jasch is still not home. He wrote in his last letter from the hospital that he had come through a severe illness, probably inflammation of the lungs. But his temperature is again normal. He feels very weak, and asked me to send him a little grease, bacon or butter if possible. Much as I wanted to do it, thus far I have been unable to do so. But since the 20th our cow has finally become fresh and now I will really collect cream and make butter and send it to him. He is still in Dniepropetrovsk (Ekaterinolav). 

Just think, the trial was on the 29th of May and he was sentenced to ten years of deprivation of freedom and five years of loss of all rights. We have gone through terrible experiences, but God has not abandoned us and in spite of everything my husband and I are convinced that to them that love God all things must work for the best. I have already visited him there two times, but have only spoken with him through a barrier. Do pray for us. That is the only thing that you can do for us. I intensely long for all of you. I joined the collective and earn something. Artur is also working and is already earning more than I. Up to now, I am at the daycare center, but would like to work in the field, since that earns more, The children are healthy. The daycare center is in our house, but I still continue to live in one room plus the entrance hall. All uncles and Aunt Marichen send greetings, Your Greta.

7 October, 1936

Much beloved Family Members,

Received your letter about two weeks ago, dear Lina, and was very delighted by it. It was the first news from you since Cheristmas. Also, I was unable to write for a long time, and even now I am writing only because there is the opportunity to transmit the letter with someone. I was so very happy to hear from you dear family members. Franz must be back from his long journey. I would be delighted to receive a long letter from him telling of all his experiences, primarily to learn how things are going for David and Neta with their four children. And how it goes for that solitary Dietz. With what does he occupy himself now? Is he still a sculptor? Your trip, Lina, must also have been very nice. All such things are like a miracle to me. Our life is so very different, so completely without pleasure travel, only work and hurry, on into the night, and then still going to bed with the disagreeable feeling, “alas, you still have not done nearly all that you should have done”. It is not that way in every house, but with us, where I must now manage everything, it is that way. In the morning, I must see to it that the older four will be ready for school, take care of the stable chores, and then, when breakfast has been swallowed in haste, I go to work. For four weeks now, we housewives have been breaking maize and will have to do so for ten more days. Then there is a lot of sugar sorghum for syrup. In this case, the seed heads have to be cut off and the leaves beaten away. In another couple of weeks, it will be getting cold now and again. At noon, I am home for two hours. During that time, I cook lunch, take care of the calf, eat, wash the dishes, and then it's back on the job until 6 o’clock.  When I get home, Gredel and Jascha are usually already standing on the street and waiting. And when they see me coming, they run to meet me, Jascha with his bent legs in the rear. I then pick him up in my arms and Gredel relieves me of the bucket. This is really the only time I can spend with the children, where I can hold the little on. Once I get home, I must milk the cow right away, tend to the animals, make supper and then put the children to bed. Then when I have done the dishes, I sit down to mend. It often gets quite late before the most essential things are done. Everything is already so worn out that it always goes kaput. The cow gives us some income. I sell some milk every day so that I still always have some change. During the summer, Artur and Kolja have also helped to earn something. For two months, Artur drove the grain wagon every day from very early to very late. The poor boy was just over tired, but it also helped us a great deal. Kolja has only worked a little in the cooperative. He had to do all he could at home. We have not earned very much, not nearly enough for the winter. But we are not to worry even about the next day. There, the Lord must take care. I firmly believe that He will help.

From my beloved husband, I have not had a report for a long time. On the 5th of September, they were sent away to middle Asia. One of the men has already written. The letter came from the Karabas, but they were still not at the place of their destination. I always keep hoping and they always say that asch will not have it too bad there. That as a specialist, he will soon be respected and that with overtime he will earn quite well so that now and again, he will be able to send us some money. Just that he is so endlessly far away from us and I know that the separation is to last for so very long, that I sometimes am almost unable to bear it. May God only protect him from sickness and death and still, some day, grants us a joyful reunion. That is my continuing prayer. Uncle Solomon really is much farther and has already been gone for three years. His children are constantly hoping that he will soon return, but still it does not happen. Ediger’s Hermann is still living and is still very ill, even much worse than earlier. It is very difficult for him. 

Friedchen now wants to get married. A week ago, she was here for the funeral of Aunt Braun. Yes, our good neighbor passed away after a short, week-long illness, of influenza. We shall be missing her very very much. For our children, she was always grandmother. They did not have a regular one. Marichen and Willy are almost inconsolable, especially Willy. He himself suffered ill health and, as he says, is a death candidate. During the past five years, he has been suffering from nervous paralysis. It started very gradually. Now his walking is just a laborious, painful dragging with two sticks. Difficult to look at. The feeling in his hands is also going and when he touches his body it feels like tin to him. It is very sad. Margret, his wife, works as a secretary here in the Kombine School and earns what is most essential. He is also working as a bookkeeper, but it is very difficult for him to hold the penholder. They have three children, 12, 10 and 8 years old, two girls and a boy. 

On Sunday, we again have a funeral. Aunt Tjart, Aunt Braun’s sister, has also died after a week of influenza. Her old father is still living but he is lying down most of the time and is almost blind. He is now 87 years old.

We are still living in our house but we occupy part of it. On the front side, toward the courtyard, the local militia man has his quarters.  He has a family, two little boys. They pay 12 rubles per month. Since February, two horses that belong to the cooperative have been using our stable. For that I am also to receive 7 rubles per month. The militaman said that he would see to it that I get the money. Poppenberger, Heinrich Epp, Abram Retslaff and Johann Ediger have also been sent away. 

How happy  I would be if this letter reaches you. I will probably not write again soon. That is better. Nevertheless, I would love to get a long letter from you and Franz. Do tell me much about Dietz and Neta and David, about Hermann and Artur and their dear wives, whom unfortunately, I do not know. Aunt Marichen, Uncle Heinrich, Uncle Hans, Aunt Varja, Uncle Hermann and his wife all send greetings. They have all aged a great deal. Uncle Hermann had his second little boy in March. They are called Otto and Woldemar. Gustav Rempel’s girls are all married, only Gustav Jr. still is not. Rempel’s Sara, Mrs. Heinrich Unruh, and her family were sent far away to the border of Turkestan. Things are very bad for them. They have three boys. One girl has died. Sara and Unruh are both often sick. Anna and Heinrich still are not married. They are living in Alexandertal, where Heinrich is a teacher. Uncle is still living, but is not well (asthma). Hermann's Lotti is still in the Baltic states with her relatives.

This was the end of her letters–there were no more!