This is an excerpt of the book “Mindful of my descent, page 67” by: Val Buegge-Rowley in Australia.

 Letter from Fehmarn dated: November 1891.

This is a copy of an incomplete letter written in Vitzdorf, Fehmarn - Germany in 1891 addressed to Ernst Buegge and his wife Louise and beautifully penned by Heinrich Buegge’s wife Doris, nee Maas. Translated for us by Else Buegge-Wood, who moved to the USA from Fehmarn as a war bride. Heinrich was the older brother to Georg and Ernst Buegge.
 

Dear brother and sister-in-law, Many thanks for your dear letter. We were so elated to hear from you. It seems as if we have come a bit closer together, and dear Louise, although we have never met personally, let us address each other impersonally and continue writing informal. I see from your letter that you are well, which is a great gift of God. We are also all well as well as the relations. I shall tell a bit more about our conditions. Heinrich (born 29.Jan.1843 - married 30.Aug.1864 to Doris Maas) is now, thank God, healthy and strong. He’ll be 47 years old on January 29, 1892. 

We have one horse. Heinrich ploughs alone. We have 4 ½ measure??? land for seed (plants) and one measure rented land for planting. We have four cows and two heifers.

From May to November we hire a maid, in the winter we do without help. We sell all the milk, they fetch it from the house, 10 pennies in winter and 12 pennies in summer per litre. We like this better than making butter. During the harvest we hire one or two hired men. We have the manual trash-machine and we can trash six loads a day. We’re going to thrash another two days next week.

We also keep a small garden around the house where we have planted several fruit trees. We enjoy this so much, because we planted it all ourselves. Apples, pears, cherries, plums, blackberries, and also grapes. The grapes have only been planted a year ago.

Do you have some grapes? We have heard that they grow a lot of grapes in Australia.

Dear brother-in-law, you are surely interested to hear a bit about your home. Your parents’ home and property (farm) has not changed, the outside is still the same. The house with both of the barns and the building for baking, and the large linden trees in front of the house. Only the cow barn has been changed on the inside.

Your old teacher, Mr. Tams and his wife are still living, they live in Burg now.

The old Bensen property has been changed to a dairy.

Mr. Paul Sievert and his wife are also living here in Burg. Their youngest son has the farm. Uncle Matthaus Buegge and wife and also Georg have all died. Fritz is selling livestock. He lives in Luetjenburg, he is in good shape, we saw him during the fall market festival.

<End of letter>

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