From: Larga, Bessarabia
15 February 1920
Worthy Staats-Anzeiger!
I cannot abstain from telling the editorship that I have my doubts about the Staats-Anzeiger ever greeting me again. Today is already the fifth week that I have not received a paper. Tomorrow, 16 February, I will drive to the post office again still hoping that perhaps finally something has arrived. If not, then all hope seems to be in vain. It would be depressing. I had decided to convey some interesting news to my friends in the New World. I was also hoping to receive some news in the near future from my friends in America. Especially from my sons-in-law Eduard Richter and Ignatz Gross, but this hope is fading. (*Editor: Most likely you would have had a lot of news already from your relatives and friends in this country, if the mail service were not so shabby.)
Where could Emilie Täubel be, the daughter of Georg Täubel, the colonist from Rastatt? Three years ago she was married in America, but I do not know her husband’s name. Her stepfather Joseph Keller would like to know where she resides.
On 8 February, Johannes Nagel, the son of Rochus, died in Emmental. The wife of Konstantin Frisohn, Elisabetha died in Bendery. Sebastian Merk, the son of Johannes, died in Elsass in the Cherson region.
More next time. First I want to see the dear newspaper again.
Greetings to the editor and the reader’s circle.
Romuald Dirk
From: Elardee, Saskatchewan, Canada
10 March 1920
Worthy Staats-Anzeiger!
Due to the long lasting cold winter, we have a terrible lack of feed. The three and four year old straw is almost gone. Even for money you can’t get any more feed here. Many cattle have already died from hunger and if the winter continues like this many more cattle will die.
The farmers are now buying feed in the east and west, and having it shipped here by train. The government is paying for the shipping of the feed for the farmers. I myself bought two railroad cars of hay for $31.50/ton. The hay is very nice.
I would like to challenge the readers in Krasna, Bessarabia to correspond more diligently to the Staats-Anzeiger. We were very happy about Mr. Anton Gedak’s report.
Last year we had a bad harvest, but we are looking forward to a good harvest this summer, which we all need very much.
In closing, I am greeting my mother Margaretha and my siblings Menges as well as my brother-in-law Philipp and my sister Katharina Söhn in Krasna.
Respectfully,
Joseph Menges