Helene and Alexander Braunhart's daughter Anna immigrated to America in 1909.  She married her husband Harry Tulman on November 7, 1915.  Below is a letter from Helene to her daughter  congratulating her on her wedding. Unfortunately within the letter is a reference to the death of an "Aunt Baumgart" who had died a month earlier.  We do not know who she is, possibly Helene's sister, or possibly Helene's aunt.  Maybe some day we will know.

Also, there is a line of congratulations from Anna's youngest sister Frieda, as well as a few lines from Anna's brother Carl's wife Hedwig.

There is a reference to the Markheim family in the letter.  Anna;s cousin was Cecelia Bernstein Markheim. When Anna arrived in New York City in 1909, she lived in the Markheims home and served as their maid. Anna often complained during those 6 years that she was mistreated by the Markheim family.

The letters are presented in 4 pages. First are the original German letters, dated November 27, 1915 from Schubin, Germany; followed by the translation to English.

Thanks to my German friend Matthias Steinke for this translation:


There are messages from three of the Braunhart women.


From Mother Helene Braunhart

Schubin 27 November 1915

Dear children!

From the last postcard, we saw that your wedding has already occurred to which we heartily congratulate you.
We wish that you will live happy and contented, which is the main thing before all earthen (material) goods, because where peace is, there is happiness.

We hope, dear son, to welcome and embrace you once as our son. That you got an economical and thrifty wife, you will convince yourself, because Anna was always a good example for her siblings. It was your own will dear Anna to go to America, hopefully you have a good husband, after your descriptions, about whom we will be proud of.

You did well, to reconcile with the Markheims; as the dear Cecelia I know, she has a good and honest character. 

Write to us in detail what kind of business you started. We would be delighted if your dear Harry also would write.

Unfortunately, I have to announce that Aunt Baumgart died the 26th October in the hospital in Posen after a 16 week illness. 

We are well and hope the same of you.

Farewell for today, and be dearly greeted by your loving mother Helene. Please send a warm greeting to the Markheims.

 
From sister Frieda

Hearty Congratulations to your wedding is sending your sister Frieda.


From sister-in-law Hedwig Braunhart - wife of Carl

My very dear,

Also I do not want to miss, to congratulate heartily, I wish, that you will become happy and we want to hear only good things. Carl would have written personally, but he is always very busy so I do it in his name. Also our little one congratulates as well. He is a cute guy. 

By sending again my best wishes,

I remain your sister-in-law Hedwig

Carl and Heinz greet you many times.

Theodor Braunhart was the youngest son of Alexander and Helene Braunhart.  Born in 1898 in Schubin, Germany, our earliest evidence of him in adulthood is a postcard sent from the Ukraine, where Theo as he was called, served as a member of the German Army.  After his stint in the Army, it appears that he and his brother Phlipp were together in Berlin.

Below is a letter that Theo wrote to his sister Anna, who was living with her husband Harry and daughter Mildred in Brooklyn, New York.

In the letter, written in 1920, Theo states that he has been quite ill for three years, which would suggest that he became ill while serving as  a soldier.

Theo, it seems was ill the majority of his life. He spent many years in the Shanghai Ghetto, and later in Palestine.  He contracted tuberculosis later in life, and in his return to Germany after World War 2, was unsuccessful in reconnecting with his wife Lucie.

Below are the 4 pages of the original letter, followed by the English translation.

Translation of above letter.  Again, thanks to Matthias Steinke for the excellent translation!

Berlin  January 20, 1920

Dear sister Anna!

Luckily, I already received the little package, although it was heavily torn, but I have it.

The package contains:
2 cans fat
2 tins of milk
1 glass of fruit
1 package rice
1 package of coffee (torn)
1 can sardines
1 piece of chocolate

All beautiful things I haven’t seen for already 5 years. So a thousand, thousand thanks for everything. I have everything honestly shared with Philly. Now my dear sister I have to tell you that the box is already in Hamburg, already since the 5th of January, as it was reported to me, but I haven’t it yet, although I already wrote 2 times to the Hamburg-America Line. But finally, it will get it.

Unfortunately, the money which Philly and I really need didn't arrive yet.

I hope you, beloved sister, Harry and your little daughter are alright. You see, I can speak English. 

Dear sister, as I wrote in my last letter I do not know how to begin. A job is not available and for 250 per month, I can starve due to the situation here. Now comes something that's hard to write for me because you will probably think, I am unashamed, but that’s not the case. It is not easy for me to write it. I thought if it would be possible, that you and Martha loan me a small asset, so that I can start here a small business, as I already had one with my saved money, but my illness in the summer took everything. 

Now my dear Sister so help me God, if you help me, I will work and pay every penny back you give me and already had given. If its not possible what I asking for, the I have to go away from Germany, maybe to Russia or Brazil, because such a life like now I can't and won't continue. I would love to go home, again to the beloved parents and siblings. I haven't seen them for so long. If I go, who knows if I see our dear parents again, because they are no longer young and the time does not stand still.

Dear Anna, I'm broken from all the concerns in the past 3 years, with 22 years ill, maybe forever. My nerves are like twines. so thin from the constant fever, and concern for the daily bread. With the money from you, which I now get, I have to pay my debts at the doctor, pharmacist and others, and then I was sick again.

If you can help me, I maybe will recover. Tomorrow I go to Ben ... Bru ....

God knows I do not like begging, but what should I do?

If the 25 dollars arrive, Philly will get half, as you wanted, and then he went home, I cannot, because I have to play Soldier and I got fed with it.

When I get the box and the money I will write to you.

From Cilly I had a letter in which she wrote that she received a letter from you. Carl, Hedwig and the children are well.

So, I don’t know what else to write.

Again many thanks for everything, greetings to Harry, your child, Martha, Bernard and their children, you yourself also receive warm greetings and kisses from you brother 

Theo

Don’t be angry because of the letter.

Leo Metzner, the father of my dad's first cousin, was in the U. S. Army in World War I.  The following article was written as a tribute to him at age 88.  It was written in 1983 and published in the Las Vegas Sun newspaper on Veteran's Day.

The article describes some of his adventures while in England and France in 1917 and 1918.

Let's just say that a case of the measles, contracted while being shipped over seas - saved his life.

Thank you Leo, for your service.

Below is a letter from Philipp Braunhart and his family, wife Else, children Horst, Bernhard, and Gisela, as well as Else's brother Theodor to Philipp's sister Selma Braunhart, who had previously escaped Germany to reside in England. The letter refers to Philipp's escape via the Japanese steamship Kasima Maru, which had a planned voyage from Naples, Italy  departing on October 8 of 1939.  Apparently, according to the letter, Philipp had booked passage on that ship, which was bound for New York City.

I researched that particular voyage, and it did arrive in America on October 16 1939.  However all the passengers were Japanese refugees, who were fleeing Europe as the war had already started. Sadly, Philipp was denied boarding on the ship, and as we know and have written about, Philipp was later killed in a Nazi concentration camp at Sachsenhausen.

Below are the three pages from Philipp and family to his sister Selma, followed by the English translation.

The following is the German to English translation.  Even in tragically harsh times, the mood seemed happy.

6 August, 1939


Dear Selma,
Bernie received your loving card this morning.  He was very happy and went to Theo immediately. He is showing the card to everybody and is very proud about having received mail from his Aunt in England. Many thanks. On Friday we finally got news from G.W. that Philipp can leave from Naples on 8 October 39. The steamships name is "Kasima Maru." Hopefully everything will go fine and he will get out lucky. Here with us everything is still the same, everybody is healthy and awake. Work is still going OK.  We are very happy, dear Selma that you are fine. Stay healthy and heartfelt greetings,
Else


Dear Aunt Selma,
Thanks a lot. I was very glad.
Heartfelt greeting and kiss,
Bernie


Dear Aunt,
I as well am sending you heartfelt greetings.  Please write again soon.
Horst


Dear Selma,
I have just stopped by at Else's and I am sending you heartfelt greetings from here.
Theodor Schmalenbach


Dear Selma,
Now it will soon....go. We will see! It is a pity though that it doesn't seem to wnat to go on with Theo anymore. Julis is very ill. Seigi in the hospital. Apart from that, everything is still the same. Consider yourself greeted and kissed affectionately by your brother.
Philipp


Dear Aunt Selma,
Greetings and kisses from your Gisela.

My favorite ancestor, Samuel Braunhart, who was my great great great Uncle, was known for his scrappy, feisty, and often obnoxious behavior. A spokesman for the every man while in the State Senate and State Assembly of California or the Board of Supervisors for San Francisco, he was often getting into trouble with his colleagues.

This demeanor served him well, I guess, in that he was often able to get his principled stances on various issues articulated, but he didn't make too many friends along the way.

He almost got into a physical altercation in more than one instance at a Board of Supervisors meeting and was arrested for perjury in a meeting of the State Assembly.  He was exonerated and after three days, returned to his fervent oratories in the assembly hall.

Just recently, while searching old newspapers, my favorite family history research activity, I discovered the article below,  which was published in the Sacramento Daily Union newspaper on August 31, 1870.  While living in Santa Barbara, California, apparently he got into a dispute with a physician.

The clipping below describes the altercation.  Sam, who was not an imposing fellow at all, resorted to pulling a pistol to make his point:

Moritz Braunhart was the oldest child of Alexander Braunhart and Helene Baszynska Braunhart - at least that is what we think. There is no absolute proof that he was the oldest but it sure seems the case.

This is what we do know about Moritz.  He was a soldier in the German army in World War 1. When he returned it appears that he was living in Leipzig and we have no reason to believe that he left there and likely lived the rest of his life there. From letters he mentions (or his relatives mention) his wife - although we do not know her name. There is no mention of children.

But we have a binder full of untranslated letters from his sister Anna, who immigrated to America in 1909 and lived her life in Brooklyn, New York. So possibly there will be some clues in those letters.  Let's hope so!

Furthermore, we know from family stories, that Moritz was a morose individual and likely suffered from depression. In any case, rumor has it that there was a divorce and that he committed suicide.

Let's hope that we can present some positive stories about Moritz and that further information can be found.

Below is a gallery of some photos of Moritz - in the army, with his fellow work colleagues, with 2 photos with his wife on vacation (at least we think that it is his wife.)

And more importantly, below the photo gallery is a letter that he wrote to his parents in 1919 - the original and the translation.

And very many thanks to my new friend in Germany - Matthias - who was kind enough to translate the letter.

Translation of above letter.  Again, thanks to Matthias for the excellent translation!

Leipzig, the 17th September 1919

My beloved!

I got your last letter, dated the 8th of this month a few days ago. To your reassurance I can inform you, that your assumptions about my well-being are irrelevant. I don’t know, what I have written in my letters that you came to such conclusions. I am certainly in general quite well and I am still in my old job at Althoff.

However, I am thinking about a change, because I want to earn more money. I read also the other information you sent. I also don’t hear from Berlin very often. Maybe I'm on business next week in Berlin.

The carpet I acquired for you at that time costs today ...... each M.(Mark) 1000, - and the rugs at least 75, - each.
You can send me a copy of the certificate occasionally and I will make inquiries then.

On this occasion, get my deepest and most sincere congratulations for the upcoming change of the year.
May you getting the coming year and everytime only good and enjoyable things. If it is possible for me, I want to visit you soon, only getting a passport causes many difficulties.

Write again soon and be heartily greeted.

By your good son and brother


Moritz

So Moritz - we know little of you and we expect you to show yourself soon - either in more letters, documents of your death and marriage, and maybe even a new photo or two.