Anticipation...
By TheRealDawn
@dawnald (85146)
Shingle Springs, California
March 18, 2011 1:33pm CST
No, not the Carly Simon song. Not even the famous ketchup commercial using the Carly Simon song. Nope, the end of a 2 year long project.
Tomorrow I'm taking my German letters over to my mother-in-law's friend Liselotte's house.
Backing up in case you don't know the story. A few years ago my Aunt Rita gave me three letters that had belonged to my great-grandfather. I didn't do much with them, and then my Aunt Barbara sent me copies of five more.
Originally my intention was to take them to the mother-in-law and see if she could read them. But they were written in the old German script, and she had never really learned to read it. My Aunt was pushing me (gently), and I hadn't gotten around to finding out if any of the MIL's friends could help, and being a do it yourself sort, I did some searching online.
You can find anything on the internet, right?
Well I found samples of various old German handwritings, figured out which one the letter writer was using (Kurrenschrift), and got to it.
Boy was it hard at first. Seriously, have a look at this stuff:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurrent
Even if you know the language pretty well, the alphabet is hard. A lot of the letters look alike, and then you have to deal with a person's handwriting.
The first letter took me a long time to do. But I got better at it, and I actually did the last three pretty quickly. Just a few problems. One letter had a water spot, and there was one word I just could not make out. And the last letter (I saved it for last on purpose) got messier and messier as the letter went on. There were a few words I couldn't read on that one too.
So anyway, I'm hoping that Liselotte can make these last few words out, either by reading them or by figuring them out from the context. I'm also going to ask her to read all 7 letter to me just to be 100% sure I got all the German right. And I'll also see if there are any colloquialisms in there that I might have translated incorrectly.
Hooray, I'm almost there. I want to publish these things for that side of the family to see.
And then mom's cousin Christine may have more to send me. We shall see.
Anticipation.....
2 people like this
11 responses
@KrauseHome (36447)
• United States
18 Mar 11
This does sound exciting and could help shed some light on your family history and such. I would be more than excited and thrilled if I found something like this and it was regarding my family history. You are going to have to keep us updated on what you learn.
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (47622)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
18 Mar 11
I have a bunch of letters from my father's relatives, and the same thing: spend half an hour trying to just decipher the alphabet letters, never mind what is actually written...
1 person likes this
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
18 Mar 11
Job well done...and I am sure it took alot of patience! I think that would be very interesting to translate. My mother's side of the family came from Germany. I am going to Germany next year and hopefully will be able to speak a bit more of it then what I learned from my mom and grandparents!
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (168126)
• Boise, Idaho
20 Mar 11
That would be interested. I started to get stuff from my grandmother and great grandmother(maternal side) just before they pasted. Hadn't compiled much. There is nothing from my paternal families side(black irish and cherokee I believe) I have German on my in-laws side but that was long ago. I wouldn't even want to start on Gaelich. Ugh!
@celticeagle (168126)
• Boise, Idaho
21 Mar 11
That's for sure. And I believe there are several off shouts also.
1 person likes this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
18 Mar 11
congratualtions on finshing this project. However, you have not spilled the beans. So what were they about??
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
18 Mar 11
I can actually send them to you if you're interested. A lot of it was family stuff, but a couple of things were pretty interesting. One of the writers documents prices all through his letters, so if you compare them, you can really see how crazy prices went during that time. They also all talk about things that you read about in the history of the time, and you see it from the perspective of somebody who actually lived through it.
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
18 Mar 11
I would love to see them.Thank you. I am a history nut. Watched a documentary last night on CBC and it contained history of my ancestors who left Island during the potato famine. They travelled on a coffin ship and were shipwrecked in Nova Scotia. It was heartbreaking and I was in tears. But some of them survived after swimming in the icy waters and made it to land. They showed their first house built in Canada etc.I was enthralled. He was a brother of my great grandmother. He put his twin sons on an ice flow while he went in the water to rescue his daughter and the mist suddenly came down and the 6 year old boys floated away and he couldn't see them to rescue them. and so the suffering of man continues.....
1 person likes this
@debrakcarey (19887)
• United States
19 Mar 11
You're still at it? I've known you for a few years and you were just starting back when we met...I think?
wow, must make you feel accomplished! Hurray! 1 person likes this
@fannitia (2167)
• Bulgaria
19 Mar 11
Hi, Dawny, I'm veru glad for you. As everybody say these letters are a treasure but you earned it! You could publish the translated letters in a book.
Unfortunately I don't have such testimonies of the old times and I'm the last of my family here.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
19 Mar 11
I could, I suppose, with a lot of research on where the family came from and so on...
@shelly1 (48)
• United States
18 Mar 11
What a treasure, to be able to read the writings of an elderly relative. It is a real opportunity to be able to share such a jewel with so many other relatives.
And how thoughtful of you to publish the translations as well, so everyone can read the the thoughts of your own great-grandfather.
How exciting, finally finding out the missing clues to to a message written so long ago.
It must feel like Christmas morning to you.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
18 Mar 11
They were actually written to my great-grandfather, but they are really interesting!
