Last Letters

The last letters received by the Jacob Berschauer family from Kratzke. [1932]

By Annalis' daughter

Templing relative??

Henry Sr.(*) Berschauer

Brother Aleksander Berschauer

Various other relatives

Translator

Written 7 June 1932

Right at the beginning of my letter I want to let you know that I am still well but I have nothing to eat. Your father and I often sit together and speak about you all. But we don't get anything. The Diekes have already gotten two parcels but we get nothing from you. There is a great famine here. Sometimes I don't even have a little piece of moldy bread. Sometimes I have such hunger that I don't know where [I'll go] in my old days. People are writing so many letters abroad you'll probably have heard how poorly it is here.

I don't want to _______, it's very difficult for me, but nothing helps us. [The need is getting greater.] I no longer know where I should turn. Annalis is gone again into the wide world with six children. There is not a person to whom I can look for anything. Come to my aid so that I don't need to die of hunger in my olden days.

Lisbet and Marilis are still well, too. Lisbet has already slipped me many a piece of bread, but today she doesn't have any either. Annalis has done a lot for me, now she can help me no longer. They sent her away. Marilis is still there with Anna and young Heinrich is still there. The others have all died. Now I'll close my letter and great you in the name of God. Annalis' daughter wrote this. (I cannot read the last line.)

(Written to Jacob Berschauer in Ransom, Kansas)

Written 18 April 1932

Dear Sister, Our sister Amilia is coming down to my place this morning. She said I was up there at father's place and because he was so hungry, I carried him a little poridge (Brie). We spoke about you and how terrible that father was. Maybe you haven't heard anything at all. Father wished he were with you and brother Jakob and could eat your leftover scraps. Dear sister, it is in no way like it was for you at home. Dear sister, Dear sister, if we three were together, we could really tell you a lot that you wouldn't believe. If you were to see father just now you would tear your hair. Mama has now died of hunger. That's the way it's going for father, too. If you have something for your father, you will already have sent something for your dear (K)atelin

Dear sister, no money. If you want to send something, send something to eat. Dear sister, you will perhaps want to know how it's going for your brother Heinrich. He has nothing at all today. He goes around begging. Now, dear sister, I'll close my letter and send many hearty greetings. Also Elisabeth and her husband and child send greetings as well as your sister Amalia. Fare well until our joyful reunion.

Written by Heinrich Berschauer Sr.

Written 15 March 1932, Kratzke

Dear children Johann Jakob and Margareth along with your children. at the beginning of my letter, I want to tell you that I received your letter of February 23 of this year today with great joy. From the letter I could see that you are still quite well, thank God, with one another and with your children. That's the best thing in this world. Joh (?) your father and grandfather are also quite well, thank God. I wish all of you the same good health from the bottom of my heart. Dear son, Joh. Jak. You asked how we are and how we had Mama buried. We had a coffin made just in the fashon of former times. For the funeral meal we bought twenty pounds of meat and we got twenty pounds of white flour from the collective. And so we serviced 116 with this funeral meal. It was sad. Dear children, Mama was carried to the cemetery just like you would lie in bed yourself, November 27, 1931

Dear chldren, we did what we could. If only it would be done this way for me, but I don't think so; it's only getting worse, after all it is already bad enough today. We still have about two Pud of potatoes and twenty pounds of flour, then we don't know if we will get anything else from the collective. Our son, Alexander, is the only one [in the family] working in the collective. He gets units (work days). The "Norm", that is the products, is distributed according to the work days. That means whoever dosen't work, should also not eat. Dear son, now I am 76 years old, I am lame on one side, can't get up from bed alone and have to eat, drink and sleep in bed, etc. We have no money and even if we had money, everything is so expensive. Butter 6 rubles a pound, Potatoes 20 rubles a Pud. White flour 60 rubles a Pud. Millet 60 rubles a Pud. Corn grits 40 rubles a Pud. Meat 1 ruble 20 kopeks a pound. Now you can imagine how it's going for me.

Your brother Heinrich is still quite well along with his wife and children. They also send you greetings and kisses of love. You thought he might help me because Maria, his daughter, is working in the factory in Kratzke. Yes, the workers also get a "Norm", that means 1 Pud 2 pounds of crushed flour. For the person working in the factory, 2 pounds sugar, 2 pounds millet a month and different other things. That's hardly enough for the worker alone. That's the way it is for Mala and Lies; they also the the "Norm", so as I said, they help me too as much as they can. They are also well and send their greetings to you and your family, as well as all good things (Alles Gute).

Your mother-in-law has come to visit me today. She is quite well, but old with gray hair. She sends her greetings with kisses of love. She says she had always believed she would still talk with you all in person, but this hope diminishes every day. Living conditions worsen from day to day. Now dear children and grandchildren, I'll close my letter and once more send my greetings and kisses of love. If it is not to be in this world, then it shall be in the heavenly abode. Please greet Magdalena with her husband and children. In general, say hello to everyone who knows me and asks about me no matter what their name. I remain your father, grandfather Heinrich Berschauer. Our address: (it followed in Russian script)

Written by Alexander Berschauer

Written April 15, 1932

Dear Brother Johann Jakob and sister-in-law along with your children, be greeted and kissed by your brother Alexsander with wife Lies and children. Right at the beginning of our letter, I want to let you know that we are still quite well, for which I thank our dear God. We wish you all the same health from the bottom of our heart. Dear brother, you write that I should take better care of our father. As long as I could, I did what I could, but for today I can't get what our father needs because I am the only worker from our family that works in the collective. My wife can't work for the reason that father and mother have to be taken cared for. Father is lame, mother died. You know that of course. She was childish at the last. Furthermore, we still have five children, each one smaller than the others.

During the summer I worked 160 units (those are days of work). According to these units, we receive our products. So I got 17 Pud of flour and some oil. We harvested 5 sacks of potatoes. I got only a little money from the collective. A work day corresponds to 73 kopeks. Now just figure 160 days of work at 73 kopeks. From these earnings I paid the "Norm", that is I bought flour and oil and millet on credit for 30 rubles and taxes and insurance for the household and one cow. Now, dear brother, you can imagine how things are going for me and how I can take care of our father. All of the necessities of life are expensive, you know that now. If only I could talk with you directly for an hour and tell you abou what you have not seen or heard about. But. But it seems as if we won't be able to see one another in this world again. With that, I'll close. Dear brother, if you can and want to help, do it quickly. Fare well until our happy reunion. Adje. Berschauer Aleksander 15/III/32

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Written April 18, 1932 (goda, Russian for "in the year")

Dear brother, right in the beginning of my letter I'm letting you know that I received your letter with great joy. Now, dear brother, I and my husband and children greet you. Sister Amilia and her husband and child also send their greetings along to you and your wife and children. And father sends his very special greetings to you and your wife and children. Now, dear brother, you wrote that we should not let our father starve. We'll gladly [keep from doing] that, but dear brother you cannot imagine in any way how bad it is at home. (The handwriting seems to chang here at the end of the page and continues on the side and-upside down-on the top.) Dear brother-in-law, your sister Annalis and family are no longer in Kratzke. They were resettled two years ago. Six families have been resettled: the _________, Hannmirs, (?), and Benders have been resettled.

Now, dear brother, you said we had the factory after all. But dear brother, I can write you what the workers get per month,1 Pud of rough grain and occasionally 1 kilo of millet a month. That happens seldom. What the workers get for their "Norm" you can feed your pigs. And you can imagine, there are no potatoes, no cabbage (Kraut) and no lard (Schmaltz). But dear brother, if you were to see us, you wouldn't know us any more. Our brother Heinerich now has nothing at all and he goes out begging and he has one worker, Maria.

Dear brother, you just can't imagine how bad it is for Heinerich. In Krazka there are still a few families who are doing quite well, but those who have but one worker have it very bad. As for us, we too have only one factory worker, my child Bertha. Sister Amalia and her husband are in the factory. From time to time they can give father a little. Dear brother, we should give father something each week but then we don't get anything. If you should see how he looks now, you wouldn't know him. I would give him something every day but there aren't any more chickens and not any hogs either.

In the whole village there are only about 40 or 50 cows left. All the other livestock has been taken away and we are all in the collective. Most of the horses are broken down and the neighboring villages come and get the broken down horsemeat to eat. Dear brother and sister-in-law, you simply can't imagine how sad everything is in Kratzka. Now I will close my letter and send once more hearty greetings to all of you from your sister Elisabeth and from your brother Alexander. Dear brother, if you send us anything for father, just don't send money but just foodstuff.

(attached note, different handwriting) attached to Alexander's letter

Dear child, I can't use money. If you want to send something, send only food. Our flour costs 100 rubles for a pound of white flour. A pud of course ground meat 60 rubles. Butter 10 rubles. Oil 8 rubles. A pound of millet 100 rubles. Potatoes 60 rubles a pound. here isn't any sugar (two handwritings on this page, one partially upside down) to be had in the village. We have no more _______, there is no lard and often nothing to eat. I'm half the size I was. Our hunger is great. (another handwriting) Be sure to send me your address; I don't trust the old one any more. June 2

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Written March 16, 1932

Let me begin in the Name of God the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. Right at the beginning of my letter I shall tell you that I have read your letter and from it I have learned that you intend to go to the "Bolniza" again. And so I won't neglect to write you another letter. I am 78 years old, I'm still healthy bu weak. Dear children, write me sometime what I have done to you that you don't write to me no longer. Be so kind and write me once more. That may be the last. When you write, do write how your children are, whether they are still with you or not, whether Emma has married or not. Now a lovely greeting and (kiss) from your mother, grandmother and brothers and sisters. from Lisbet and from Marilis. Annalis is no longer here, she is out into the wide world with her children. I still have four children but I have to bear so much. Annalis had to suffer a lot of hunger the first year. Now she wrote it's going all right in general just as she wrote. She did a lot for me but we can' do anything about it. Lisbet is still sick. She has gout(?). Her children are to the factory and the older ones are still living. Heina got married but they aren't having any children. The others are still single. The two: Mari married. I get a little bread from Lisbet. We have no bread, no meat, no milk and also have no hope. We are still six souls here: the three boys are gone, Heina, Frit and Jorg.

Dear children, we are like Job, we can't do anything. I am only happy that I can still go. I go as far as Gret's place. She is fat and tubby. She is just like her Mama. Anna Spums(?) died, her Heinrich too and also her second boy, he left three little children. Katrinlis is still well and Lisbet Sdafiz(?) is gone with her family. Now another lovely greeting and kiss from your mother, grandmother and brothers and sisters. I may not have much longer. Be so kind to write as quickly as possible. She might be well until you get the letter, if it is God's will. I'll end this. Be heartily greeted again and kissed in spirit. An adje until our happy reunion. And be greeted from me, too, from Maria. I wrote the letter.

(another handwriting) Now I want to write againthat our Vetterhanjab (cousin Johann Jakob) should write here to Wesmarilis (aunt Marilis) whether she got the letter or not. We wrote she should send us a bit if she can and wants to. If she dosen't want to, one can't do anything about that. In the factory we have nothing. We are in the collecive. All of Kratzke is in the collective. We are still six(?): Grandmother, Moma, Dadan(?) and Jakob, Adam and Martha, that's all of us. Now be heartily greeted and kissed in the name of God the father and the Holy Spirit, Amen. This isn't nicely writen bu the intention is good. My hand is trembling, my heart is weeping. I hope for a quick answer. Write soon, I have written this, Martha Boxberger.

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Translation by Dona Reeves-Marquardt (a Deines cousin).