Siegelau, 1 June 1936

 

Dear Uncle and Family

 

For some time now we have not exchanged letters and it is for that reason that I would once again like to let you hear something about us. Today, Whitsunday (Pentecost), I am with Father again in Siegelau and it is upon his request that I am writing you a few words. As far as we are concerned we are well which we hope of all of you too. As you will know, Father cannot write well because of his eyes. I am therefore taking it up.

Father has just told me that old Mr. Hummel died too. With him the last Hummel died and thus the old family of the Hummels has died out. Thus life runs and passes its course; the old goes and the young arrives. If you should ever be able to come here again, everything thing would probably appear strange to you. Well something is still the same; the place where you grew up is still in the same place and would certainly look the way it did in the time when you left. New people have arrived during this time, but the valley and the mountains in their homely splendor probably greet everyone just as kindly as they did 40 or 50 years ago. The longer one is away from there, the more beautifully they affect us. We always thought that one of your children would be able to pay a visit to your old home country. Let us hope that things will get to that point.

I received the last letter of your daughter Helene and I could read it quite well. I will shortly write her myself and enclose some pictures. I very much enjoyed your carving and set up a place of honor for it.*

In your last letter you ask what the poles in the meadow are. It is not the telephone but the line for electrical light and power. Farmers here are also equipped with rather modern machinery. There are perhaps ten radio sets in our valley. I myself do not have one in Haltingen. Otherwise much use is made of them. In our shop in Haltingen, things are going fairly well. We have a lot of work.

Here in Haltingen the cherries are ripe already. In Siegelau they are about to harvest their hay. On the Whitsunday, a huge snow fall resulted in a lot of damage in the young forest.

How is your son doing in his business? You will probably assist him in repairing radios as a hobby. If possible please let us hear from you once again. We always enjoy it very much when a letter arrives from America.

Well, that would be about all I know to write today. I now wish you and your family health and a long life and also that we may soon hear from you again. Greetings from Vitus and family.

Father is writing a line too, as best he can.

(In his Father's handwriting) – best regards from your Brother, Franz Anton Fahrlander and family.

 

 

(Vitus)

 

*Hansrudi still has the carving which he showed us in 1974.