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| C4017 |
The Rustemeyer Family Papers from the State Historical Society of Missouri are among the collections chosen for digitization this year. The papers contain correspondence written to Bernard Rustemeyer and his family by friends and family in Germany after his immigration to Osage County, Missouri in 1882. The letters, originally written in German, have been transcribed and translated into English by Raymond Backes.
These letters kept Rustemeyer up to date on the lives of friends and family from his hometown of Körbecke, Germany. The collection consists of five letters from former neighbors Henry, Joseph, and Heinrich Alteköster, and twelve letters from Rustemeyer’s cousin August Stöckebrand. The most prominent themes in the letters are the living conditions in post-war Germany. This includes the poverty, famine, and the influence of America and France on the lives of Germans civilians. These topics are particularly interesting as they are coming from a German point of view.
The letters, which span 1920 to 1927, provide insight into the suffering in Germany during and following the war. In this letter to Rustemeyer from his former neighbor, Joseph:
“today, thousands in cities are going hungry, and the newspapers report that many have already starved to death...the crop this year is the worst in my lifetime..poor cattle are practically down to eating manure. If America doesn't come to our aid, thousands of people will starve.”
“The French have now been in Germany for a year...unemployment now makes its appearance. I firmly believe its going to come to one person killing another. It was fortunate this year that the potatoes were good. Otherwise, I believe that the workers from the factories would already have come to us out of the cities in order to plunder."
In addition to correspondence, the collection also includes newspaper clippings, German currency, and photographs of the Rustemeyer, Alteköster, Stöckebrand, and Giese families, and Rustemeyer’s hometown, Körbecke, Germany. Bernard Rustemeyer passed on July 13, 1953.
“Dear Friend, now I want to write something, on my word of honor, about the truth of the world war... When the war broke out on August 2, 1914 everyone in Germany was patriotic and united without regard to class or political party, until at the very least Kaiser Wilhelm called and everybody, everybody came. There was an enthusiasm for the war that knew no bounds. Everybody men, youth, and even grayed heads from the people up to 60 years of age were obliged to freely take up arms. My personal experience allows me to recognize clearly and without a doubt, that if we had not been cut off from every business and world commerce, so that we might have been able to import raw materials and foodstuffs into the country, we would not have had to give up the war. No people in the entire world do or can comprehend what sacrifices the poor people in Germany had to make...
"I cannot adequately describe how drastically the people and the times have changed since you left. Contended community in Germany is a thing of the past. The only money we have is rapidly devalued, which plunges us into misery every day.”
In a letter to Rustemeyer from his cousin August Stockenbrand, Stockenbrand stated:
"I cannot adequately describe how drastically the people and the times have changed since you left. Contended community in Germany is a thing of the past. The only money we have is rapidly devalued, which plunges us into misery every day.”
In a letter to Rustemeyer from his cousin August Stockenbrand, Stockenbrand stated:
“today, thousands in cities are going hungry, and the newspapers report that many have already starved to death...the crop this year is the worst in my lifetime..poor cattle are practically down to eating manure. If America doesn't come to our aid, thousands of people will starve.”
“The French have now been in Germany for a year...unemployment now makes its appearance. I firmly believe its going to come to one person killing another. It was fortunate this year that the potatoes were good. Otherwise, I believe that the workers from the factories would already have come to us out of the cities in order to plunder."
In addition to correspondence, the collection also includes newspaper clippings, German currency, and photographs of the Rustemeyer, Alteköster, Stöckebrand, and Giese families, and Rustemeyer’s hometown, Körbecke, Germany. Bernard Rustemeyer passed on July 13, 1953.
