Wellingboro June 30. 1878

Dear parents and brothers and sisters!

With a few lines I will send you the news, that last Thursday we got a son and heir and that you, dear father the nice title grandfather and our mother became grandmother and dear Georg and dear Heinrich uncle and dear Lena and Rosina auntie.

My beloved wife and my dear little son are both well, and he will get the name Friedrich Martin

Page two:

Dear parents, how are you, is everybody in a good health? Please give our greetings to all our relatives and a quick answer would give me great pleasure. My dear wife is sending greetings to you, also the little butchers-boy, but first of all is sending greetings to all
Your son and brother.

M. Rothermel (Michael)

Adress following

Mr. G. Rothermel
18 High St. Wellingboro
Norths
England

Translations Bille and Folker Frank

“Dear Parents, since I have sent some weeks ago a Photo from me and my beloved wife to the dear aunty in Hall [Schwäbisch Hall] I didn’t get an answer, I want to know, whether she got the letter. I only addressed it to Frau Messmer , because I have forgotten the street, the last two weeks we had a very hot weather, it was necessary for people to make the hay.

Second page, right side:

Dear Georg I sent our photo to him, but also didn’t get an answer until today, The last letter he wrote came some days after the death of dear Martin which dear Georg didn’t know, that Martin was not healthy. In this letter he asked us both to sending him some shillings if we would have something to spare, but I didn’t send him money, because I thought, that his salary was better now, if he has much money he will drink and smoke much. If we here in England don’t work hard and don’t make efforts we also have nothing.
( Appears incomplete)
Referring to brother Georg whilst doing his military service

Translations Bille and Folker Frank

Irthlingborough, 17th September 1888


Dear wife and children,

First of all - excuse me, that I didn`t write for so long. You should know, that I arrived on Saturday evening in Wellingborough. Michael also would have given a short message to you. I would have written immediately on Sunday, but there was no time. When Michael's parents-in-law heard about my arrival, they wrote to the grandfather, who lives far away in the hinterland and they wanted to visit me and had already arrived on Saturday. To see one another is more easy , but to speak together is very difficult. Michael came to the railway station and fetched us, everything went very well.
Mr. Maier showed me around London on Saturday from the morning at 10 o'clock until the evening at 6 o`clock, first with the coach, then with the underground then over ground with the train, afterwards with the bus, where on a high-rise-bus (double-decker) upstairs and downstairs 25 to 30 people were sitting! I was on the higher deck and could see all around, it is wonderful what one can see here, the rest I will tell you when I see you. In my whole life I haven't seen what I saw here. To shorten the thing, yesterday we visited Georg, he wasn`t at home. Today we came here, where I will stay with him till noontime.
I hope you all are well and there is no lack of work.
Best greetings Georg Rothermel

Over the letterhead left side:
Before I leave I will write to you. I think, that I will do the journey in about two days.
Karl Bekleb and Strecker have spent the night in Heidelberg, they had to take another route on the journey

Over the letterhead right side:
The journey by ship was very nice, from 6 o`clock evening until 7 o`clock morning

Translation Bille and Folker Frank

From father Georg to his son doing Military Service

Hörlebach, 15th january 1878
Dear Georg!
Here you get back your shirts and underwear and as a greeting, we added some apples - enjoy them. It will be something else for you.
Thank you for the little loaf of bread, which you sent to us, it was something else new for us, because we have never eaten Comissbrot (a special loaf of bread for the soldiers). Little Heinrich had much fun with the bread , because he could hold it in his arms and told everyone, that this is from Hansjörgele (child's name for Georg) from Stuttgart.

Image below

Dear Georg,
On 6th January 1878 dear Michael wrote to us again, to tell us what happened with the illness of Martin and that the funeral will be at Monday, 7th January. Michael told us, after Martin had been dead for some hours he changed colour in many places into black and foam came out of his mouth and straight away on 5th January they had to put him into the coffin and to seal the coffin which was very hard for Michael to lose dear Martin so quickly.
On Friday, 28th December, he (Martin) wanted to help to butcher and Michael told him to wait for a day - it would be better to do it on Saturday, because then it is always necessary. He then went early to bed.
On Sunday morning he called Michael and said to him that he had big pain in his abdomen. Michael and his father-in-law came and since then he grew worse and worse until he died.
Later on we will send a letter to you, first we only want to send it to Hall. Auntie cried loudly, she said that she couldn`t believe that Martin had died. We feel the same, that he is no longer on earth. . In the end Michael wrote that nobody can change God`s will , it wasn`t possible to live any longer. His mother in law took care of him as if he had been her own son.

We are sending 10 Marks as a gift.
We hope that our letter will reach you in good health as we are, although it leaves us in great distress
Greetings again
Your parents
Georg Rothermel

Please write soon again


Translations Bille and Folker Frank - with grateful thanks!

Wellingboro, 11th june 1890

Dear parents, just a few lines to tell you, that Herr Meyer is in Germany and will visit you in some days. He will bring to you a salted ox tongue and some pig-condiments As he told me, he will come next Monday or Tuesdy 16th or 17th June to Hörlebach. He asked me, whether he could spend the night there. I told him that he would have good lodgings in your guesthouse.

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If you think, that the innkeeper wouldn`t have good beds in good order it would be necessary to talk with him. Herr Meyer will write to you and tell you of his arrival. If he decides not to go to Hörlebach he will let you know and will tell you where you can meet him.
Do you will begin shortly to make hay? Here people are beginning.

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The weather is very dry here. The last two days we had thunderstorms but very little rain, the ground is still very dry. We all are healthy, but business is going slowly.
I hope that my letter will reach you in good health. I finish with kind regards from all of us to you all of you

Yours faithfully son and brother

Michael Rothermel

( Note: The Meyers had a very large Pork Butchers shop in Wellingborough )

Letter from G.E.F.R.Rothermel, Nottingham

Page 1

My dear children would be so happy to see you once, we look at your photo every day, which is hanging in our living room. Dear parents I have a good place here and a good salary, so I don`t want to leave just now until my children would have finished school, dear Fritz has had a successful examination

Page 2

And is free of school fees. He is going without paying school tax as also is Rosina, which is a big benefit. Herr Hasenfuß who traded with Roth from Eckartshausen was here two months ago, my children played the piano and the violin for him so he was very excited. The new railway station is not yet finished but the

Page 3
Railway has been operating for a long time. It is the best railway station I ever saw. We have an electric tram here in town, they have just begun, so it is brand new. We also have outside of the town a river, called the Trent, it is three times broader than the Jagst near Hessenau. Also there are many motor-wagons without front-horses in our town, where one can go very fast from one place to another. In a short time there will no longer be a need for the horses when the wagons are driving for themselves.

We all send you our greetings and hope that this letter will reach you in good health as it leaves us also, we remain always your son and daughter

G.E.F.R. Rothermel
(Georg Ellen Fritz and Rosina )

Translations Folker and Bille Frank - with grateful thanks!

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