The following four letters were written between 1932 & 1945 by Messer cousins from Gilfershausen, Germany, to their American relatives. Some of the children of Karl & Elizabeth (Henert) Messer stayed in Germany, & others, like my great-grandfather Adam Messer, came to America in the early 1860's. Adam settled in Odebolt. Adam's son, Charles Messer, & Charles' son, Floyd Messer (my father), were residents of Ida Grove.
Thanks for Judy Bauer for contributing these letters.
The following several pages will contain copies of pertinent letters. The first one will be one from Johannes Messer, acknowledging my letter complementing him for the fine family pictures he had made for us. We were then in the last year of the 1929-32 Depression and they were in the last year of "Von Hindenberg" first term as President of the German Republic.
Gilfershausen, May 5,1932
Dear Cousin Edward:
Both of your letters were received, and see you were pleased with my letter and the family pictures I had made for you.
The way I read in your letter, times are not as good there either, but hope they are better than here. They are very bad here, times here in Germany are really the worst in the memory of man. But it is evident the Deputies in the Reichstag are playing it down in the newspapers.
What your father writes about our village from memory is in most part correct. It amazes me how well he remembers the different locations of the various points of interest after being away from here about 79 years, and he was merely a boy of 13 1/2 when he left.
We have a population of 370 people living here. Farming is one of our principal occupations. Most of us do have to supplement our farm income with some other sideline work. A few of the farms contain as high as 100 acres, but the average runs from 40 to 50 acres.
Among our relatives here, Karl Messser has 25 acres of land, and runs a "hotel in their house", Johannes Messere has 20 acres and does carpenter work on the side, George Messer owns 6 acres of land and works for the railroad at Bebra; Henrich Schmidt has 8 acres of land, and goes to Bebra to work for the railroad, Daniel Mohr also has 8 acres acres and goes to work for the railroad, and there is Adam ?. who owns 30 acres of land and makes the living for the family from the produce they raise, he also does some teamwork with his team of horses.
But the prices of farm produce are very low and slow. Rye brings 10 marks per cwt., that goes yet; but oats is only 7 per cwt.; fat hogs are priced at 30 per cwt.; and fat cattle runs from 20-22 per cwt., but there is practically no demand for fat live stock on account of the lack of money.
Land values are very slow and low too. At a recent sale a farm sold for 500 per acres, but most people have no money to buy any land.
There is a tax of 1 1/2 to ? assessed monthly against each acre, which makes it very hard from even "an heir" to hold the estate he received from his parents, much less try to buy one.
Many business establishments are going broke, but the newspapers are not publicizing this ruinous condition very freely.
I will close, write when you can. Greetings to all.
Johannes Messer
This is a copy of a letter written by Friedrich Hartig about 7 years after the preceding one written by Johannes Messer. (Hartig is a son-in-law of Johannes). Von Hindenberg had been re-elected for another term but Hitler managed to get a lot of favorable seats elected, so to get a working coalition, Hindenberg appointed Hitler as the Premier-which in effect made him practically the leader- and Hitler just set to work to do this, working himself in as a "Dictator". Presently Hindenberg passed away, and thus leaving Hitler to take over the running of the German Government - Hitler and his clique then ruled Germany with a dictatorial hand. Cousin Hartig described some of the prosperous conditions Hitler created.
Gilfershausen, September 2, 1939
All you dear ones;
We received your letter of January 1938, for which we thank you very much. The way you write all is going quite well with you folks. Hope the unemployment in your country will ease up. In regards to that trouble we can only write good. Generally speaking we have no more unemployment. There is plenty of work for every one who wants it.
The harvest was good with us. Rye, wheat, oats, barley and potatoes were very good. The prices are fine. We don't derive much revenue from our farm produce as our acreage is small. Johaness Messer, my father-in-law, and his son George works in addition to the farm work at the carpenter trade as their main means of livelihood.
We are still living with father-in-law, but when spring comes we will move into our own house we have built near the new school house. It is finished, but since it is still wintry cold we will stay here yet. I would like to send you a picture of our new house, but have not one made yet. Hope to have one to send you in my next letter.
We will soon have our industries thriving again. There are valuable copper deposits in the neighboring "hill lands", and so mining for copper has begun again. A lot of miners from Westalen and Sudenland have come here to work the mines. Large refineries have been built in the Iba, Neutershausen, Sontra and Solz where people are busy refining the copper ore. Another larger refinery is being contemplated at Komberg. All of this activity is taking place right here in our immediate community.
Our father, no doubt knows where all of these villages are located, and remembers that during his boyhood days copper was mined at these places in paying quantities. (I recall of father telling me about the mining activities at Iba. He used to walk to the church in that village for his catechism lessons that were given by Pfarrer Schmidt).
All of this copper industry has become actively resume. And since "Adolf Hitler" has become our "Schirmherr" (Protector-Leader) everything economically in Germany is thriving. Therefore everyone should be thankful to him; and this gratitude must be from the heart, and remain loyal to him.
We
send our greetings to everyone of you,
From
your family Hartig and Messer;
With
the German Greeting - "Heil Hitler"
Following is a copy of a letter Cousin Anna, daughter of Johannes Messer, wife of Fritz Harting, wrote me within a few months of the one appearing on the preceding page, written by Hartig, himself. Germany was then right in the upsurge of the "Hitler Regime". Everything was booming, with every able bodied person busy with something- building highways, the famed "war machine", and quietly readying the nation for war of revenge and conquer. Everywhere patriotism was running high, punctuated on every hand by the yell- Heil Hitler!
Dear Loved Ones;
I must write you a few lines again. We received your most welcomed letter and see that you dear ones way out there in the distance are getting along real well which pleases us very much.
Thank God we here are enjoying favorable economic circumstances again. Everyone is enjoying plenty of work, with good wages. All lines of business is booming and the prices for farm produce are good, and also reasonable for the people to buy-as the other living costs are fair.
Our "Fuhrer, Adolph Hitler" has formulated a fine system of state aid f or the taking care of the worthy needy and sick citizens for which we are most thankful to him.
Maybe you have heard over the radio the ardent way we celebrate a "Party Holiday", or a harvest festival. You should come over here and experience for yourself the enthusiastic spirit that prevails in our celebrations. I'm sure you would form a very high opinion of our great "Fuhrer's" solicitude for the German people, and for their wellbeing.
Hitler is also much concerned about the welfare of the German citizens that are living in our neighboring countries. Hope our neighbors do realize his good intentions and give him the "glad hand".
All of our family are still together. Grandfather is well and husky. Daughter Anna (Frau Hartig) bought a piece of land near the new school house on which we are building a modern styled house. It is not finished yet. We are building it by degrees, that is, as we can afford to buy the material and pay for the labor we have to hire.
Johannes' son, George is married now, and they live here with all of us in grandfather's big house. We all join in and do the work together. Daughter Elise is married to Herr Mueller, and they live in Bebra, and have a little girl. Daughter Lieschen is married to Jacob Schmidt, and they live in Frankfort. They also have a little child, a son, names Hans. Our own little daughter of 6 years (the one standing by grandpa in the family photo) has passed away from a very painful sickness. We now have another daughter who is two years old, we named her Ursula.
Since I have nothing more of interest, I will close for this time.
Many greetings to all, we remain
Your family Hartig (daughter Anna)
and family Johannes Messer.
Please answer soon-"Aufe
Wiedersehn"
Mit
Deutschen Gruhe---Heil Hitler
These last two letters were the last I received from the German cousins before the Hitler war. Shortly after we received this letter Hitler began invading neighboring countries-which then stopped our letter writing.
I happened to be in my father's house in Dysart on our 1939 Iowa trip, discussing the two Hartig letters, and the thriving times Germany was enjoying under the "Hitler Regime".
While we were doing this father turned on the radio to hear the forenoon news. About the first thing we heard was a "flash from Germany" stating; "Hitler Invades Poland". Shocked by this news, father turned to us and says; "Hitler should not have done this. The poor Germany people will have to fight another war-and will again be defeated. The United States will have to help us do this. This is just too bad, the Germans had enough from the other war." (How true this prophecy came true).
Following is a copy of a letter Friedrich Hartig wrote about 7 years after the last one he wrote before the war. In this one he describes briefly the results of the "Hitler War", and how the people now feel towards that awful dictator.
Gilfershausen, August 8,1945
All you dear ones;
The time has come when we are permitted again to send you a few lines. We are so far well and hope the same of you. It has been a long time since we received a letter from you. We saved your address so now we can write to you again.
We are all living yet, except Johannes Messer's son, Georg, from whom we have heard nothing since December 1942. he was in the Stalingrad Campaign in Russia, and evidently was "lost" there.
Georg had two sons-one is now 8, the other 5 years old. I'm the "god-father" to the second one, and gave him your name "Edward", because you have always written to me.
Johannes Messer is getting along pretty well, but worries greatly over the lack of news from his soldier son, Georg. He is getting up in age which is now slowing him down in his farm work, and also carpenting.
I was a soldier in a German railway brigade in the war, and was wounded on my head and left arm. I'm still unable to work on the railroad, so am remaining at home in the state of recuperation.
We are living with my wife's folks again, while our own house has been taken over by the American Army to quarter some soldiers in it. Some of the village women folks are doing laundry and ironing of the Soldiers clothes. These Soldiers are treating use villagers fair enough.
Some of those who can read German translate letters for us. I'm going to entrust this letter to one of these soldiers, and when he gets to his home in USA he will mail it. (By doing it this way we avoided the censor. This soldier lived in Landsdown, Penn. He mailed this letter on October 3, 1945-about two months after Friedrich handed it to him. I was most happy to receive it. Mr. Hartig enclosed the promised picture of their new home, and another of their family.)
I'm sure, continued Mr. Hartig, you have been fully informed of how we had been brazenly lied to and grievously betrayed by the "Hitler Regime". I would never have believed that the German people were so stupid that they would have a man like that thick he was "leading them" for their best interest, while instead he was woefully 'seducing' them for his own aggrandizement.
I will close for today, and send our hearty greetings to all of you. I'm in hopes of receiving a much anticipated letter from you soon.
From
your Gilfershausen and Friedrich Hartig.
Greetings