January 27, 1933

Dearly Beloved Brother and Sisters-in-law,

From me, your Sister-in-law and my four children. First, I will share with you, I with my children are still well. The same health I wish you also. My greetings to you, and in the spirit of love be kissed.

I and the children find ourselves in Alexandertal at the moment, except one child, Henry. He is working in the coal mines. Whether we will see him again or not, is not known. That is the way it is with us. We have nothing permanent. We are like the birds, and we look that way, too. We are shadows of ourselves. All we have to eat is what our two younger children are able to beg. The crumbs from the people would be fine, were they only enough. By evening, those from whom we beg don’t have very much themselves. I can’t write or tell you how sad it is with us. Therefore, dear Brother-in-law, Sisters-in-law, Uncle and Aunts (from the children) if you don’t help immediately, we will die of hunger. You can’t possibly imagine how it is with us.

Dear friends, please help us, or we are lost. The help can come by check. Put money in the bank here, send us a check and we can cash it here. Tell them when you deposit, to send the money to Jacob Hoffner at Neu-Norka in Torgsin to Kamyschin. There you will also send letters and everything else.

Why you should not send it to me in my name, you should already know. Jacob Hoffner is Jacob Schmidt’s brother-in-law. He is married to Katie and lives in Norka. He will see to it that I receive it, no matter where I am.

Further, dear friends, I had written you a long time ago, but have not had word from you since. In that letter, I wrote how things were with Heinrich and his heart trouble, and on October 23, 1932 he died in Soreztna. Dear friends you can’t imagine how difficult it was to arrange the burial as we were in a strange city with many strangers around and I knew no one.

Dear friends, from Jacob and Katrina Hoffner. Would you write and let them know where Jacob Schmidt is, and if you see him, tell him to write his sister Katherine and send $5. They have written to him and have had no reply.

Regards,

We hope and wait.

(From Suzanna, also called Sana, wife of brother Heinrich)