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May 20, 1937 – Just a quicky today. Back from Sumter. Very busy.

May 20, 1937 – Just a quicky today.   Back from Sumter. Very busy.

May 20, 1937

Just a quicky today. I have been very busy since I got back from Sumter.

zeppln

Hindenburg Zeppelin

Too bad about the Zeppelin. Of course I did not receive the mail sent with it.



Trudel and Madge

Trudel and Madge

Leonard’s grandfather on his mother’s side, Maier Hochster, came from Alsfeld, Germany about 100 years ago. Aunt Flora’s inlaws came from Essingen and Germersheim. The Grossmans from Dusseldorf. Just found this all out lately.

Do you want me to send you a box of men’s clothes etc? What you can’t use you could give to a poor house.

Enclosed are a few photos from Sumter.

 

 Love Trudelchen


Scenes from Sumter in the 1930s

 

 Sumterold pres 02 Sumter=old pres ruins sumter-melton field gates sumterstewards hall no3 Sumter=wade hampton original sumter=flinn hall 1920s sumter libraryscl 1940s



Note: The information Trudel reports about my father’s ancestry differs to some extent from details I have learned recently on Linda Scheffler’s HOECHSTER-HOCHSTER-HEXTER Family from Storndorf, Germany site on MyHeritage.com I must express my gratitude to Linda for the help she has given me with this site and her enthusiasm for family geneology.

It seems Trudel sent most of her photos from the Sumter trip to Germany with her letter and didn’t save many. So I have inserted some photos I found online. See a few photos of the people and places from that trip in Trudel’s previous post.

 
 

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March 3, 1937 – In the next 12 days I have to finish 18 hats.

March 3, 1937  –   In the next 12 days I have to  finish 18 hats.

3/3/37

Sorry I did not write sooner. We are very busy at work and I just wrote two long letters in English and in the next 12 days I have to finish 18 hats. Some alterations and some new. And then I will have to make some decent hats for myself since I will be leaving for Sumter on March 16.

Hats

Hats

Madge invited a lot of the meshpoche so I can meet them. I had some nice clothes made by Rose LaMarque, so Madge and her husband Ray will not have to be ashamed of me. The dresses are mostly black or dark color since everything gets very dirty here and I do not like to spend a lot of money on cleaning bills.

Leonard went shopping with me for other things. He has a wonderful taste but unfortunately not that much money. Just like home!!

Gone With the Wind

Gone With the Wind

Before leaving for South Carolina, I want to finish reading “Gone with the Wind” which plays mostly in Atlanta, Georgia, where Leonard was born. Unfortunately Leonard will be too busy and will not be able to go south with me.

Last night we had dinner at Frances and Felix Welsch, Leonard’s very nice cousins where Aunt Flora stays when she is in Chicago.

It is very hard to explain “corn on the cob.” You do not have that, only the big corn cobs that are fed to the animals on a farm. This corn is very sweet and delicious, with some butter and salt on top.

If the movie “Camille,” with Greta Garbo, should come to Frankfurt, try to see it. It is excellent.

Love,
Trudelchen

Shortlink http://wp.me/p1yA95-o6

 
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Posted by on March 3, 1937 in family, immigrant experience

 

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Jan 23, 1937 “Hope I have answered all of your letters.”

Jan 23, 1937  “Hope I have answered all of your letters.”

[I have discovered a couple of letters that were not posted in order. Here, from January, 1937 is is the first of them. Later it will appear in the correct place in the order of letters but for convenience here is a link to the letters that appeared before it in January, 1937. LAG]

Jan 23 ‘37
Hope I answered all your letters. Now I have a whole big stack of mail to be answered.

I bought some black wool material and will have a winter coat made from it. Madge, my sister-in-law, sent me a lovely watch for my birthday. It is to be worn on the lapel of a suit.

Have gone to bed very late every night this week.

Monday I finished a hat for a friend, Tuesday as usual with Trudel Batzner, Wednesday delivered a hat to friends and had dinner with them, and the 4 of us went to a movie, and then back to their house for something more to eat.

Trudel Batzner

Trudel Batzner


Thursday met a niece of Engelbert Hriss with whom I had been trying to get together for one year.

Leonard had to go to a political meeting and Trudel B, that girl [the niece of Englebert Hriss] and I visited together until midnight. Last night, Friday, Aunt Flora, Leonard’s favorite aunt who lives in Indianapolis, was here in town and invited us for dinner. She was staying with Leonard’s cousin on the far south side, all wonderful people.

I took home a couple of hats to be remodeled. Glad to have a good reason to go there again. Since his divorce, Leonard had withdrawn from all his relatives and friends. He wanted all of them to be friends with his ex-wife and daughter and he did not care about himself.

Trudel

Trudel

The price for hosiery is between $0.65 and $1.25. But in the summer I wear only knee hose which is about 35 cents a pair. Besides I wear a lot of “footlings.”

Ernale please write me a letter describing exactly what you do at work, in English. Maybe Aunt Flora can help find a job for you here.

Love,
Trudel


Trudel Batzner (later Nachmann) became my mother’s closest friend and they remained close the rest of their lives. Oddly, there is no account of their first meeting in any of Trudel’s letters. LAG

 
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Posted by on January 23, 1937 in immigrant experience, Letters

 

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December 17, 1936 A love letter from Trudel’s husband to her family.

December 17, 1936  A love letter from Trudel’s husband to her family.

Letter typewritten on Leonard’s letterhead

Dec. 17th, 1936

Lieber Papa, Doddo and Erna:

Wir haben es gethan! Wir sind Verheiratet, but it is so much more natural for me to love and cherish my Adored Trudel and tell you what I think of the Adler* under the American Eagle, in English. I am a lucky fellow, and all my friends join in approving of my precious Trudel.

LJG LETTER

My Dear Father . . . .


What is so rare as a perfect Love? Not a gilded lily or a crimson rose with thorns, but a Violet, modest forget-me-not of the Garden of Life, with blushing sweetness and poise, eyes dancing with a new light as we were pronounced man and wife, this is a word picture of OUR Trudel for she belongs to me now, tho before Dec. 5 she was yours not mine.

Radiant, gorgeous, lovely Trudel, on our wedding day told me her thoughts were with you, as mine were, and both our thoughts were with our Angel Mothers, May God rest their souls in peace. I know my own Mother would love Trudel for her fine wholesome qualities.

Mother’s sister writes to my own sister beautifully about Trudel after a visit with her, and my darling baby sister, years older than Trudel, is already in love with Trudel tho they have never met, but we are invited to make the trip, down to Sumter South Carolina when and if we can get away, to visit my sister and her lovely family.

For a long time we have looked forward to the day. We could not until conditions got better, take the step, we thought. How foolish. Everything is better from the moment we got married. The world loves a lover, and we are loved by some good friends, and they all think I am to be congratulated on my beautiful and wonderful bride. So may I thank you, dear Papa, who gave her to me, and you dear sisters, for the newest happiness in my life, and my greatest love – Trudel.

LJG-Signature

With Love to you all, Leonard




“Adler” means “eagle” in English.

 
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Posted by on December 17, 1936 in Chicago, family, immigrant experience, Letters

 

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Thanksgiving 1936 – Last night we decided to get married on the 5th.

Thanksgiving 1936  –  Last night we decided to get married on the 5th.

This letter was written a couple of days after Thanksgiving, 1936, which was earlier that year. But because it mentions Thanksgiving and has exciting news, I am taking the liberty of posting it today. Trudel did give her family a few days more warning than it seems.

Devonshire hotel

Devonshire Hotel

11/23/1936 Good news: Last night we decided to get married on Saturday the 5th. No big fuss, just by a judge, a civil wedding. As long as I have no family here I thought it was ridiculous to have a big reception and Leonard agreed with me.

To start I will move into the Devonshire Hotel with Leonard. I will keep my business for the time being.

Four for dinner.

Trudel, Leonard, Henny and her sister.

Thursday we had an excellent Thanksgiving dinner at Weils.

Thanksgiving 1936

Thanksgiving, 1936



The following story appeared in a Chicago paper the next week.

Woos and Wins

Headline News

For the story behind the headline see Trudel’s letter dated August 31, 1935 .

 
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Posted by on November 28, 1936 in Chicago, family, immigrant experience, Memoir

 

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