From: Montebello, Brazil
5 August 1930
Dear Staats-Anzeiger!
Note: In this article Anselmus Wagner writes about why it took him so long to write again. Then he writes in great detail about a celebration and party that took place at the baptism of Joseph Bender’s child. Eating and drinking. Joseph Kupfer was the godfather. The party lasted from Saturday until noon Sunday.
On Sunday morning Mr. Bender showed the guests his belongings, livestock etc. Then the guests prepared for their trip home. Anselmus writes, “We were sitting in the car already when Ottilia Bauer, nee Maas appeared with two ducks as a present for my brother-in-law Joseph Nagel, who accepted the present with thanks.
People always complain about Brazil and say that living there was just like in a jail. However, here it is a lot merrier and one has more fun than in Emmental, because the baptism celebration equals a wedding celebration. I wonder what one of those would be like.”
We thank brother-in-law Anton Engel in Emmental, Bessarabia for his report and ask him to write more often in the Staats-Anzeiger, because it is the only way we get to know how things are back home.
We send a friendly hello to all, including parents and siblings. We want to let them know that we will move to Rio Grande do Sul in October.
As answer to his request, we let Anton A. Soehn in Canada know that his brother-in-law Joseph Wingenbach resides here with Aloisius Herrschaft. They are doing well and are healthy, only his wife Leogathia does not like Brazil and wishes she were back in Krasna. Then she would never see anybody in Brazil again.
Jakob Dutenhoefer took his wife to a hospital in Sao Paulo for surgery a week ago because there was no cure for her here in Lins. He received a letter from her informing him to come take her home, since she could not have surgery at the present time due to certain circumstances. I will report later on how she fared. This should serve as information for the friends in Balmas, Bessarabia.
We are greeting everyone here and there.
Anselmus and Martha Wagner
From: Montebello, Brazil
5 August 1930
Dear Staats-Anzeiger!
I would like to write once again so that the friends can tell that we are still alive.
There is nothing much new to report, only that the health conditions are good and that we are diligently working with the hoe in order to get done by October, at which time we will be moving to Rio Grande do Sul. Our father lives there and he writes that you can earn a living there easier. (*Editor: The address was changed.) Our brother-in-law Anselmus Wagner who lives here is coming along.
We are greeting the correspondents in the old homeland Krasna, Bessarabia, whose reports we enjoy reading. One is always curious to hear something from the place of one’s birth.
In closing, we also greet the editor Mr. Brandt and all our friends.
I remain, Anton Weber
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From: Santa Izabel, Brazil
15 August 1930
Dear Staats-Anzeiger!
First of all, I want to correct a mistake I made in my report dated 25 May. It should have read that Mrs. Rosa Becker, nee Ihli was supposed to have an appendectomy. I have to say also that Mrs. Becker was sick for several months and all medical help seemed to be for naught in the beginning. A thorough examination by doctors showed that Mrs. Becker would get her health back without an operation. She is feeling much better now.
In Edition # 96 of the paper, I also read the report from Mr. Franz F. Scherr in Tako, Saskatchewan, Canada and found out that our brother-in-law Joseph Kupfer in Revenue, Saskatchewan, Canada had nice visitors from Balmas, Bessarabia, namely Rochus and Marianna Moser, nee Sahli. Mrs. Moser is my wife’s niece. We wish the newly arrived to get along well in their new homeland. We would be very happy if they would write soon. We are thanking Mr. Scherr for his kindness and are asking him at the same time to focus our friends’ attention to these lines.
This is to inform the gentlemen Isidor Leinz in Krasna, Bessarabia and Gotthilf Blatter in Coleharbor, North Dakota, that Sebastian Meer lives about 2 kilometers from us, but he is planning to resettle to the state Rio Grande do Sul in the near future. He wants to buy a lottery ticket for land in Neu-Wittenberg. There are a lot of people from Krasna in the new settlement, namely Isidor Krenzel, Christoph Nagel and his sons-in-law Korbinian and Peter Winter, Philipp Soehn and still many more. Some of them bought land there on hire purchase.
I received a letter from Mr. Franz Volk from the jungle. He writes; “Dear friends Joseph and Mrs. Foeth! Our village doesn’t have a name yet. Up until now 17 German families have settled here, among them are the following families from Krasna and Emmental: Adolf Kokonak, Alfred Bluemle, Wilhelm Froehlich, Egidius Harsche, Maximilian Harsche, Peter Klug, Anton Klug, Hyronimus Klug, Bernhard Winter, Jakob Schlick, Adolf Paul, Franz Volk, Eustachius Meer, and Leopold Merrspacher. There are also 3 families from Leipzig.
There are trees here measuring 25 meters in height and 1 meter in diameter. They are mighty trees! The railroad station is 47 kilometers from here. As yet, we can’t sell any wood. Our post office is Pombea, which is 15 kilometers from us. With a greeting from FranzVolk.”
Further I can report from here that on Sunday, 10 August, Joseph and Katharina Bender, nee Schaell visited us.
Ludwig Bauer, son of Paulus Bauer was engaged to Katharina Bender, sister of Mrs. Bender (*Translater: Should probably be sister of Mr. Bender.) They plan on getting married soon. I wish the young people much luck with their plans.
There is also a death to be mourned. Recently, my brother-in-law Michael and my sister Franziska Winter’s 7-day old child died.
At my brother-in-law Timothaeus and my sister Maria-Eva, the family enlarged by one daughter. Mother and child are doing fine. Brother-in-law Timothaeus is so happy about his Brazilian princess that he forgot to invite us to the baptism.
I am sending a greeting to everyone.
Your correspondent,
Joseph Foeth.
From: Krasna, Bessarabia
18 August 1930
Dear Staats-Anzeiger!
Life is not a picnic and it is hard for most people since there is no possibility to earn income. Many people from our village immigrated to Brazil last year, where they hoped to find a better life. Most of them were very disappointed upon their arrival and complained bitterly in letters to their relatives here for having taken that step. The saying is, stay in the country and make the best of it.
There was a report recently from Soviet Russia letting us know that Father Johannes Furch, who took care of the parish in Selz, has died in exile in North Russia. Details were not reported. (*Editor: We are very sorry to hear about it, since we knew him personally and went to see him 3 years ago in Selz.)
The health conditions here are satisfactory, and everything else would be bearable, if it weren’t for the lack of money. The moneylenders now also want their loaned money back. Caravans of loaded wagons with barley are heading to the loading stations. The barley is almost all gone but the pleading for bani and lei (Rumanian currencies) will continue.
I am sending a greeting to everyone.
Isidor Leinz