Can't judge a book by its cover
By TheRealDawn
@dawnald (85135)
Shingle Springs, California
August 16, 2010 11:54am CST
or a letter by it's envelope...
We're having a heritage day thing at work in a couple of months, so I thought I'd get back onto translating my last couple German letters, and set up an exhibit.
For those of you who have missed all the excitement, I have 8 letters from 1922 & 1923 that were sent to my great-grandfather by relatives who were still living in Germany at the time.
The challenge has not so much been the German, since I'm fairly fluent, as with the old script that they wrote in back then. I got printouts from the internet, actually, and started working, and now I can actually read the stuff. And I haven't run into too much archaic German or dialect either, lucky, I guess.
Anyway, the first 6 letters are translated, and the 7th is deciphered except for a few words that are hard to read. Usually when I go back later, I'm able to get them though.
But Letter #8, now that is interesting. From the gorgeous handwriting on the envelope, I just figured this one would be a piece of cake. Nope. The writing on the letter itself is quite messy. I may need help with this one.
But I have learned a bit about that side of the family and what they had to live with, and it's fascinating. Also, heartbreaking. When I'm finished, I'll publish it all in my blog and link to it with a discussion here.
Did you ever get fooled by an envelope?
3 people like this
12 responses
@ElicBxn (63252)
• United States
16 Aug 10
no, but I'm sure if people get letters from me, they have been, I will write really clearly for the envelope (well, I do want it to arrive!) but after that, it gets worse and worse...
mind you, my dad's was so bad that they joked when he retired that he was going to give penmanship lessons at the Med school to aspiring doctors....
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (45586)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
16 Aug 10
When I lived on Bird Road, I more than once received mail for the same number on Bridgeport...
2 people like this
@vandana7 (98952)
• India
16 Aug 10
Here is my confession!!!
In seventh standard, I prepared these envelopes and stuffed them with a nice white paper written April Fool. And it was placed in front of each teacher that came into class. We had a good time!!! Of course, my English teacher was hopping mad but the class didnt reveal my name!!!
2 people like this
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
16 Aug 10
Yes.....my son still gets mail here once in a while from someplace in California...what's inside makes it not even worth opening...I have tried to get them to stop as he has not lived here in years! But they come every couple of months. It's too naughty to even tell you about. He also doesn't know how they even got his name!
2 people like this
@p1kef1sh (45681)
•
16 Aug 10
Usually it's me fooling the envelope. I stick a letter in and then change my mind and tear the envelope open so that I can edit it. I used to get a lot of envelopes with OHMS printed on the front. I thought that it meant "Open Here My Sweet", like SWALK "Sealed With A Loving Kiss" which myopic girls used to send me occasionally when I was younger. Imagine my dismay to discover the OHMS means "On Her Majesty's Service" and the contents were my tax demands!
2 people like this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
16 Aug 10
@pikeFlsh
You are so funny. My first smile today. Thank you!
2 people like this
@incus99 (1083)
• Philippines
16 Aug 10
Yeah, several times already.. most of the time the envelopes are computerized or type written then the inside letter is hand written... but as I can recall I receive more E-mails than snail mails with a staggering ratio of 1 snail mail is to 200 e-mails.
@w1042510118 (35)
• China
17 Aug 10
Most of I got are emails, and most of them are junk mail. I hardly receive letters which are hand written. Maybe the next generation will not see the hand written letters, because emails are so important.
1 person likes this
@Ceekay1989 (323)
• United States
16 Aug 10
I definitely agree, you can't judge a book by its cover i;ve read so many books that covers look crazy but have turned out to be so good! so definitely don't judge a book its the worst thing you can do really.
2 people like this
@mr_pearl (5018)
• India
17 Aug 10
Hi... I have not had such an experience yet... But I am excited about the letters. I am a history fanatic and would love to read about the life in Germany in those days. 1922-23 means shortly after the end of First World War. I have read that it was extremely tough in those days. Everything was too expensive to buy and people went through a lot in Germany... Please let us know when you publish the blog... Thank you!
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
17 Aug 10
It was very tough. The letters actually detail the inflation over a period of a year. I think (going from memory here) the price of a letter to America in the first letter was something like 20 marks, and a year later it was 200,000 marks. My relatives came from a part of Prussia that was given back to Poland after world war I, and they moved to an area that went back to Poland after world war II. They were poor, they were sick, they lost children in the war and to disease, had children wounded in the war, etc. yep, it's fascinating reading, and when I do post the blog, I will definitely post a discussion here with the link.
@BarBaraPrz (45586)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
16 Aug 10
I ran into the same trouble when I was corresponding with an uncle in Poland... too often his a's were written as o|.
1 person likes this
@sharie16 (2212)
• Philippines
17 Aug 10
I seldom receive letters with the generation today, mostly are emails only, and if I receive mails it was only a billing, probably it's all pure business...But before I used to receive letters and, yes, I have been fooled before, receiving an envelope with a blank paper inside....
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
17 Aug 10
I've never received a blank letter before, but I do have this sister-in-law who used to love stuffing envelopes with confetti! One day her grandmother stuffed all the confetti back in and sent the letter back to her!
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
17 Aug 10
What you’re doing sounds do fascinating! Just the fact that these letters were written so long ago would spin me out! You should consider a book Dawn, it would make very interesting reading and I’m sure its cover would be great too!
1 person likes this
@much2say (53944)
• Los Angeles, California
17 Aug 10
Your family letters sound interesting! Personal and historic!
The only time I can remember being fooled by an envelope is back when they started using that handwriting type face on snail mail junk mail. It was designed to make you think it was a personal letter - at least to make you open it!
I did, however, fool everyone one year with our New Year's greeting card - from me and hubby, who was the boyfriend back then. I designed it to make it look like a wedding invitation (the card was even laid out like wedding invite) - ha ha - and everyone freaked until they read it carefully! My friend even said her first reaction to it was "what am I going to wear?" - hee hee.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
17 Aug 10
hehehe
Well this has nothing to do with letters, but I do recall being given a gift, and being told to put it in the freezer right away. Then later, on the day of whatever occasion it was, when I opened it, I found out that it was socks.
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
17 Aug 10
Nope, but they sure didn't warm my feet any!
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
19 Aug 10
Oh yeah! All the time.
Specially when I was still looking for work. I would get these thick envelopes with the company's logo in front. I would then get excited thinking that it must be good news. Only to get disappointed after reading the letter inside.
1 person likes this
