1853 02
Submitted By Roy Pfeiffer
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Letter from Maria's brother Erhard in
Germany to her husband, Anton Pfeiffer, in Texas
(( 1 OF 1, INCOMPLETE ))
LAABER, FEBRUARY 19, 1853,
DEAR BROTHER-IN-LAW,
I HAVE RECEIVED YOUR ESTEEMED LETTER
DATED JULY 23, 1848. AND THAT
MICHAEL AND BARBARA HAVE DEPARTED YOU PROBABLY WILL KNOW(.)[AND ALSO THAT]
JOHANN [HAS] ALSO DEPARTED TWO YEARS LATER.
((IT IS STRANGE TO WAIT 4 YEARS TO ANSWER A LETTER))
MICHAEL HAS WRITTEN SEPTEMBER 1851 THAT
HE HAS HEARD FROM YOU THRU A LETTER THAT YOU SINCE JULY HAVE HEARD NOTHING FROM
US; THAT CAN HARDLY BE THE CASE. I
HAVE ANSWERED MICHAEL'S FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD LETTERS AND HAVE REQUESTED HIM
EACH TIME TO FORWARD TO YOU THE LETTER OR ITS CONTENT. NOW MICHAEL WRITES ME JULY 15, 1852 FROM COLUMBIA (TEXAS)
THAT HE HAS RECEIVED FROM US NO LETTER. WHAT
POSSIBLY MAY BE THE CASE. THE FIRST
HE WROTE US FROM COLUMBIA ON THE 1ST OF SEPTEMBER 1851, THE SECOND FROM
WASHINGTON (TEXAS) JANUARY 12, 1852, THE 3RD AGAIN FROM COLUMBIA JULY 15, 1852
AND I ADDRESSED MY LETTER TO HIM EVERY TIME TO THE PLACE FROM WHERE HE WROTE AND
BY THE TIME HIS LETTERS HAD REACHED ME AND MINE HAD BEEN SENT OFF, MICHAEL HAD
AGAIN DEPARTED. SO I AM TEMPTED TO
WRITE TO YOU SO THAT YOU CAN INFORM HIM OF THE CONTENT OF THIS LETTER.
HE WRITES ME THAT HE GOT A LETTER FROM YOU DATED DECEMBER 1851 … ???
…;
MOREOVER THAT JOHANN HAS GONE TO AUSTIN
AND SINCE MARCH 8, 1851 HAS HEARD NOTHING FROM US AND HAS WRITTEN NOTHING THAT
INTERESTS US WHILE HE COMPLAINS THAT WE PROBABLY ALL HAVE DIED.
PLEASE BE SO GOOD AS TO ANSWER MY LETTER
AT ONCE AND TO LET ME KNOW HOW YOU ARE.
PETER KELLERMAIER AND BARBARA ((THIS IS
BARBARA DEINHARD, MARIA SISTER, WHO MARRIED PETER)) AND JOHANN HAVE NOT WRITTEN
AT ALL: WRITE US AS SOON AS POSSIBLE HOW YOU, ARE WHETHER THEY ALL ARE WELL AND
ALIVE, WHAT I HEARTILY WISH. AS TO
US, WE ARE ALL WELL AND ALIVE ESPECIALLY SCHREIDER AND HIS WIFE ARE IN GOOD
HEALTH AND ALIVE.
AS NEWS I CAN WRITE YOU THAT MICHAEL
KELLERMEIER HAS SUFFERED AN ACCIDENT THRU A KICK OF A HORSE WHICH CAUSED THE
LOSS OF HIS KNEECAP AND HE HAS BEEN UNABLE TO WALK SINCE A YEAR.
FURTHER CAN I WRITE YOU THAT WE HAVE HAD THIS YEAR 1852 A VIOLENT HAIL
STORM ON HOLY WHITESUNTIDE WHICH HAS CAUSED GREAT DAMAGE TO THE FARMERS IN
LAABER AND AUGENHOFEN AS THE HOUSE WAS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING AND BURNED DOWN.
THE DAMAGE CAUSED WAS ESTIMATED AT FL 80,000.
AS I HAVE RECEIVED YOUR ESTEEMED LETTER
OF JANUARY 14, 1853 ON MARCH 2, BEFORE I CLOSED MY LETTER(,) SO SHALL I ANSWER
IT AT THE SAME TIME. THE REVOLUTION
OF 1848-49 HAS NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND HAS NOT SUITED THE DEMOCRATIC;
THERE WERE SOME NEW LAWS ENACTED THAT ARE FAVORABLE TO THE PEOPLE; ALL
TITHES ARE ABOLISHED; TITHE AND "GULT" ARE CHANGED INTO "BEDRANGNIS"
AND THE HUNTING GROUNDS ARE OPENED TO THE PEOPLE AND ARE DIVIDED INTO DISTRICTS
AND LEASED TO AMATEURS.
IN OTHER TOWNS, ESPECIALLY IN MAILAND
THEY ARE KEEN FOR THE EMPEROR OF AUSTRIA AND IN OUR TOWN.
((THIS LETTER IS INCOMPLETE))