From: Santa Izabel, Brazil
2 April 1932

Honored Editor Mr. Brandt!

Our report dated 15 November for some reason was not published. (*Editor: It never did arrive here.) Since that report was important, I want to convey the most important news items again.

Georg Dutenhoeffer, son of Paul had a successful appendectomy and now has recuperated enough to resume his work. The state paid for Georg’s surgery.

Since 1 November 1931, our mother Katharina Foeth has been in the care of an ophthalmologist. Her eyes were really bad, especially her right one, of which the healing the doctor had given up on. But with God’s help and his talent, he succeeded with curing the eye.

I am informing Mr. B. Bachmann in Canada that I have not yet received the letter he had mentioned. Please write a second one. Mr. Bachmann, we also give you permission to urge our friends Rochus and Marianna Moser, nee Sahli, and Joseph and Dorothea Sahli in Canada to think of us and write a letter to us. Mr. Bachmann, could you perhaps let me know where Anton and Christina Roth, nee Sahli are currently residing?

I send a friendly hello to the people in Balmas and Mr. Johannes Merz in Canada. We would like to inform Mr. Thomas Haag in Fox Valley, Canada that Zelestina Nagel, nee Loeb wife of the deceased Joseph Nagel lives with her two children at my neighbor Anton Schaefer’s place. We will write you details about this in a letter.

We thank Mr. Joseph Stefan in North Collins, New York, for his greetings and greet him back. The address of your Uncle Christoph Nagel is: South America, Brazil, Ponta Neu-Wuerttemberg, Porto Felix, Estado de Rio Grande do Sul. We will send your report dated 15 January to your uncle by letter. As far as I know no one in Porto Felix reads the Staats-Anzeiger. They would love to read it but can’t afford it. Mr. Stefan let us know if you originated from Krasna, Bessarabia. The local people from Krasna do not remember such a family name.

Emanuel Dutenhoeffer bought a lot the size of 24 meters wide by 25 meters long for 3,300 milreis in Penna on 11 February. He had to make a down payment on the spot of 2,300 milreis. The remaining amount he has to pay off by 1 October 1932.

Heinrich Ternes left the coffee plantation several months ago and moved to the state Rio Grande do Sul, where he bought a colony of land in the Ijuhi region. The size of the land he bought is 1,000 meters long and 250 meters wide and cost 5,050 milreis. Nowadays anybody with money can get good bargains. (*Editor: We have published this already in the newspaper.)

Gertruda Seifert who had arrived here unmarried with her brother Raphael Seifert in August 1925 has left her brother in the beginning of 1926. She had driven to Sao Paulo, the state capital city with her two out-of-wedlock born children and has disappeared without a trace. Heinrich Ternes recently wrote that she is residing in the state Rio Grande do Sul and that she is supposed to be married.

Uncle Valentin and Aunt Magdalena Schmalz in Kandel, Soviet Russia are herewith informed that we have received 2 of their 5 mentioned letters and that we answered them.

We ask the honored correspondent Ludwig Stroh to please draw the attention of our friends to these lines. We send them friendly greetings and thank them very much.

Not too long ago Lydia Beck, wife of the deceased David Beck from Helenofka, Bessarabia and Mr. Hans Bauer from the small town of Lins paid us a nice visit. Mrs. Beck lamented about the loss of her husband and about the loneliness they experienced when they were both sick with typhoid. One could not help the other. The children were still too small and weak in order to care for the sick parents. Furthermore, there was not a friend or relative near by. Besides that, they were without any means. Their savings of $100 they had sent to their father Gottlieb Beck in Helenofka shortly before they became ill. The deceased David Beck had the intention of returning to his old homeland. Yes, man proposes and God disposes! This disease suddenly struck both of them and took away our good friend. Mr. Bauer, a German did not spare anything in order to help this needy family to at least save the wife, because David could not be saved. There are still people that love their fellow man! Mrs. Beck asks her father-in-law Gottlieb Beck in Helenofka to please send her some money because she and her children are in dire need. During the visit, Mr. Bauer promised to order the Staats-Anzeiger. We gave him some sample editions.

In regard to church services, I must say that we had the opportunity to celebrate Easter in our cathedral in Peuna (Penna?). Along with our reverend Bishop, there were 8 other priests present. Unfortunately, the holiday was not as pleasurable for me because I had a really bad cold and was in bed for 2 days. Even today I am not yet completely well. I hope to get well soon, because I want to live on and remain a co-worker of the Staats-Anzeiger. (*Editor: May God grant you this dear old friend.)

We thank Mrs. Helena Schaell in Balmas for her greeting and greet her back. We inform her that her children with their families are healthy. The letter was received and answered.

Uncle Melchior Jaeger in Berwick, North Dakota is informed that our mother has received his letter dated 26 February. She thanks him very much. A reply will follow soon.

The month of February has brought us violent thunderstorms along with a hurricane- like storm that took the roof off of homes and uprooted trees. Several people also became victims of the bad weather. ……unreadable text…

This year the rice harvest here was meager. We harvested only 4 sacks and 4 liters, which is hardly enough to live on.

Joseph Foeth