Letter 10: Selma, Reinhold and a hoped-for visit

English translation

Square brackets mark uncertain words or editorial explanations. Songs are translated for meaning; their speakers are not necessarily the writer.

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Page 1

Mount Vernon, June 11, 1859

Dear brother-in-law,

May the blessing of the Most High be with you.

Dear brother-in-law, we received your dear letter on June 3 and were heartily pleased, especially about the state of your health and your circumstances generally.

As for us, thank God, we are all still well. Your mother in particular is a testimony to God's love and mercy in her old age. She [praises/loves] the dear God and thanks the Lord daily. By day and night [she offers] fervent prayers with tears [for you], and asks the Lord that he might also [open the eyes of] your soul. [The exact verb in the final request is uncertain.]

As for me, I am still blessed with health. It is my daily prayer that the Lord may grant me and all of us health and crown us with grace. Up to now [he has not allowed] my faith to be put to shame, for the dear God has done so much for us, in body and soul.

[The next sentence is not securely deciphered. It appears to refer to a shared religious experience involving "all three," but its event and wording remain unresolved.]

[The final lines refer to celebrating Pentecost and compare the gathering with Jesus's disciples long ago; some connecting words are unclear.]

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Your dear sister was afflicted with illness this winter, after Christmas: namely, inflammation of the chest and lungs, for ten to eleven weeks. It was hard for her and for us. God has helped her, and she is now quite well again and [has regained her former strength — wording provisional]. [Thanks] to the dear Lord.

Dear brother-in-law, I need not write to you about Reinhold, because he writes to you himself. He would like to see the oxen you have bought. I said to him, "Perhaps he will bring you one." Then he said, "Oh, [Father?], it would be better if I wrote to my uncle that he should bring the oxen along."

You may also wish to know something about our Selma. She is healthy and well, [lively and cheerful — descriptive words uncertain], and gives us and her mother much pleasure. She is now two years and five months old.

Dear brother-in-law, we learned from your letter that you intend to visit us next summer. This pleased us greatly, and we wish you much good fortune with it.

I cannot write much to you about business. The house I bought I have [rented out?] to a friend, [for] 110 dollars. [The transaction verb is provisional and the payment period is not stated.]

[Johann/Jan] Zimmermann is still with us and sends you many greetings. [He has a bride; the passage concerns a possible wedding when you visit. Some connecting words remain uncertain.]

Page 3

Franz [Kappemann/Kappenmann?] had his wedding two weeks ago to Catharina Hoffmann. I and [another person, possibly my son] were there too.

[Name uncertain] has run away with [a cooper, according to the historical translation] to [Louisville?].

The girls are all getting married. Catharina [Stiehl?], a fine, tall young woman, is still available and sends you many greetings. [Another greeting includes names not securely deciphered.] Friedrich is still in Alsleben. [The following wording about letters and addresses, including August, remains uncertain.]

You mention the Staats-Zeitung [newspaper]. [The following phrase concerns a wish to read it, but is not completely deciphered.] It costs 2½ dollars, whereas the [Apologet?] costs only 1 [dollar a year?]. If you want it, I will send it to you. [The subscription period and the exact identity of the paper need confirmation.]

In Mount Vernon [many/each year — wording uncertain] fine houses are being built, and Main Street is now being paved. [A further sentence concerns land still available near the town; the figures appear as "10 - 6 - 2," but their units and meaning are unresolved.]

I will close in the hope that our letter finds you in good health. We all send you heartfelt greetings. Write back to us at once!

Your loving brother-in-law,

[Gotthold Leukroth; also recorded as Lenkroth]

The sources behind this letter

The family photographed these manuscripts at the UW archives and made the library scans shown here. The complete scans are preserved below. A formal collection, box and folder reference remains to be added.

Reading notes and remaining questions

Two historical translation pages compared, including their handwritten family-research annotation. Several important earlier readings are corrected by the manuscript.

Reading notes: The little girl's name is Selma, not Paulina. She is two years and five months old, suggesting approximately January 1857 if the age is exact. The recipient proposed visiting the following summer; the passage does not describe an intention to farm or settle on the land. Friedrich is still in Alsleben; the earlier Daniel/Bethlehem reading is withdrawn. The following difficult references to letters and addresses do not independently establish that August was alive in 1859.

Johann/Jan Zimmermann's passage concerns a bride and a possible wedding when the recipient visits, not a garden or a piece of land. The recent bridegroom's surname is provisionally Kappemann/Kappenmann, not Roggen-. Catharina Hoffmann remains the bride's reading. The runaway's name is uncertain; Ferdinand should be withdrawn. The historical version describes departure with a cooper to Louisville, still a reported episode rather than a verified event. The other newspaper is provisionally the Apologet, not simply an English-language paper. The 110-dollar house transaction does not supply a secure payment period.

Do not follow the older version here: The manuscript reads oxen (Ochsen), not the historical singular calf. Reinhold calls the recipient his uncle and is said to be writing separately; no matching enclosure has been identified.

Separate annotation from letter: A later note favors LEUKROTH as the surname, identifies him with the friend in the early correspondence and Christel's husband, and associates David with Centralia, Washington. That last place is not a contemporaneous address in this 1859 manuscript and must not be used to establish his residence on this date. The surviving evidence supports Selma and Reinhold as the sister's children, not David's children.

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