Heinrich Hillmann to Johann Christopher Von Lehe and Tiede Von Lehe, January 10, 1893

Cappel-Altendeich, January 10, 1893

Dear Brother-in-Law, dear Sister,

We received your letter from December 10, 1892 on December 31, 1892. It was good to read that you are all alive and doing fine. During the last 10 years, we actually did not know whether you were living or dead.

About 36 years have passed since I was over there.[1] In the meantime, we all have become old. Many things have happened, and many changes took place.

We received the photos on January 6, 1893. Unfortunately, they were broken in 10 pieces. But the rest of the package was in good shape. The 2 big pictures were also damaged badly. Christoph’s right arm is cracked from top to bottom. We also received the gloves and the shawl. Everything looks fine and we don’t think that anything was stolen. I kept the big picture and the picture of your son Friedrich for myself, also the one of Dietrich’s wife with the little child. The other day I brought the rest of the pictures to Christian von Lehe. Except for the other big picture showing Catharina Holwegs, there were three more.

Christian lives at his parents’ former place. His mother is still alive. This spring, Johann will be dead for three years already. He died from abdominal cancer. Johann left three children behind. Christian is married and has several children as well. One of his daughters is supposed to live in the Sietland.[2] I don’t know for sure. The other daughter, Sophia, was married to a farmer by the name of Ernst Koster from Misselwarden. He is in jail now; she is dead. I saved a newspaper clipping concerned with this matter. I will add it to my letter, because I don’t want to write more about the gruesome matter. It happened in 1891.

The year before last year, 1891, was a very bad year for us. We had so much rain that the grain reseeded itself. The potato harvest was very meager and of poor quality. One ton of potatoes yielded only 4.5 Thaler. The year 1892 was much better. The harvest was plentiful and of good quality. Prices went down almost 50%.

All things considered, everything here is the same with us personally, except for the fact that we are getting old, and the children have more or less grown up. Our youngest son is 13 years old. Many of our relatives have already passed away. Lena Holtz, the wife of F. Strass, died from hernia surgery. Stina Tants Horeis died years ago. Johann Luhn is dead, Heinrich and Wilhelm are still alive, but their parents passed away years ago. Hinrich Hillmann and Catharina are dead as well. Eibe is the only heir. He sold everything he had. What he is planning now, I don’t know. He is heavily involved in brandy.[3] Trina Tants is living close to us. Her daughter married Eibe Carstens. They built a house at the Niederstrich[4] close to the house of the Hey family. Eibe Carsten is a cabinet maker. Our son Heinrich learned this trade as well. He now works together with Carsten. Old Heinrich Carsten died long ago. His widow Trina emigrated to America (New York), where the rest of her children are living. Trina Tants sends her regards; she is now 75 years old.

By the way, I sent my last letter to you in 1892, not in 1891. Unintentionally, one of us must have mixed up the dates.

I could go on for a while telling you about more recent events, especially about all the changes that took place here. A new paved road, 27 feet wide, was built recently. It passes close to our front door. The cost per Rute was 50 Thaler.[5] Each morning at 8:30, coming from Dorum, the mail carriage passes our house and again at 2:00pm returning to Dorum. During the last few years, there has been a lot of quarreling about a railroad track connecting Cuxhafen with Bremerhaven. Three different tracks are under discussion. If the one closest to us will be built, much of the farmland will be cut into pieces. The lines Bremerhaven–Bremen as well as Cuxhafen–Harburg–Hamburg have been in operation for some time. Now a connection between the two lines is planned.

Groceries here are now much more expensive than in America. As you mentioned, butter in America is 20 cents; here it costs 25 cents and sometimes more. Recently, we can buy imported American bacon and meat at very low prices. Almost every grocery store carries these goods now.

While I am writing this letter, it is very cold outside. We are having a harsh winter this season. The windows are covered at the inside with ice up to 1 inch thick. The water smells badly because it does not get any fresh air. I should add another sheet of paper because I have so much more to tell. This one will not do. But I don’t want to spend more money for postage.

Notes:

[1] The author means since he had been in Charleston.

[2] „Sietland“ is a North-German dialect word for lowland, partly covered with water.

[3] This means that he was involved in smuggling brandy.

[4] Niederstrich was part of the dike system.

[5] The Rute was a former German measurement differing slightly in length from state to state. In the kingdom of Hannover it equaled 16 feet.