Handwritten letter

Handwritten letter discussing shipping of belongings, with inventory

1940from München (Munich), Germanybetween Julius Oppenheimer, Elsa Oppenheimer, Mina Weiler, Josef Oppenheimer, Irma Fuldauer, Bernhard Göschel, Jacob Kaufmann

Original — Deutsch

Liebe Mina! Von München b[e]kamen wir heute einen
verzweifelten Bf.; anscheinend sind in Stuttgart
weder für Julius noch für Betty Zusatzpapiere
eingetroffen. Max-Chicago habe telegrafiert die
Papiere gingen nächste Woche ab. woran liegt
nun die grosse Verzögerung – an Bella in Boston
oder an Tante Hermine?
Übrigens haben die Münchener 4 Kisten und 5 Koff[er]
hierhergeschickt, [durchgestrichen: auch[?]] wir lassen solche
mit einem der nächsten Schiffe verladen
und musst Du dann solche in Verwahrung nehmen
Vorraussichtlich wird eine Familie
Bernhard Gröschel aus Forchheim und/oder ein
   [»oder« ist unter »und« geschrieben]
Herr Jacob Kaufmann aus Bayreuth das Gepäck
mitnehmen; diese reisen am 28. dſ.[?] hier ab.
Vielleicht schicke ich es aber auch mit
einem andern Schiff dann lasse ichs Dich
telegrafisch oder per „Clipper" wissen.
Kiste: 6963 mit Couch Decken Betten etc
       6964  „ } Haushaltungssachen
       6965  „ }
       0066[?] „   Bücher etc
Koffer J.O. 1, 10, 12, 14 u 15 enthaltend
       a[?] Kleider, Wäsche, Geschirr u Bilder
Du musst eben sehen wie Du zu Streich[?] kommst.
An Hellers schreiben wir heute auch noch
                    Herzl. Gruß Arthur

[linker Rand, senkrecht:]
Wie ist eigentlich Deine genaue Adresse  145 West 86th St etc oder
                                         700 West 180th  „  Apt 44

[rechter Rand, senkrecht:]
Fam. F. Weinbaum
Zürich
Goldauerstr. 36.
Von Julie haben wir leider im[... Blattrand abgerissen]
nichts gehört.

[Kopf und Fuß des Blattes tragen, um 180° gedreht, weitere Zeilen von anderer Hand in deutscher Kurrentschrift; sie sind nur teilweise lesbar:]

[am Fuß des Blattes, kopfstehend:]
sie verzweifeln ja da draußen. Schreibe ihnen gleich einen ausführl[ichen]
Brief (wir haben deinen vom 6. II. auch nachgeschickt) über Fam. Wein-
                                                            baum, Zürich,
die besuchen[?] über die Schweiz [... unleserlich]

[am Kopf des Blattes, kopfstehend:]
L. Mina, vielen Dank für Deinen l. Brief u. Telegr. Hast Du nun die
Kopien der Zusatzpapiere an uns geschickt, da doch nach drüben
soviel verloren geht u. auch einiges[?] dauert. Schreibe[?] Wir können
dann von hier aus in St.[?] [... unleserlich] dort die Papiere weitergeben. Bleib[e?]
bitte nochmal [... unleserlich] Fam. [... unleserlich] wir bürgen[?] [... unleserlich]

Translation — English

Dear Mina! From Munich we received a
desperate letter today; apparently neither for Julius
nor for Betty have supplementary papers arrived
in Stuttgart. Max-Chicago has cabled that the
papers would go off next week. what is the reason
for the great delay now – Bella in Boston
or Aunt Hermine?
Incidentally the Munich people have sent 4 crates and 5 suitcase[s]
here, [struck through: also[?]] we are having them loaded
onto one of the next ships
and you will then have to take them into safekeeping
Presumably a family
Bernhard Gröschel of Forchheim and/or a
   ["or" written beneath "and"]
Mr. Jacob Kaufmann of Bayreuth will take the luggage
along; they leave here on the 28th of this month[?].
But perhaps I will send it by another
ship, in which case I will let you know
by telegram or by "Clipper".
Crate: 6963 with couch, blankets, beds etc
       6964  "  } household goods
       6965  "  }
       0066[?] "   books etc
Suitcases J.O. 1, 10, 12, 14 and 15 containing
       a[?] clothes, linen, crockery and pictures
You will just have to see how you get to Streich[?].
We are also writing to the Hellers today
                    Cordial greetings, Arthur

[left margin, vertical:]
What actually is your exact address  145 West 86th St etc or
                                     700 West 180th  "  Apt 44

[right margin, vertical:]
Fam. F. Weinbaum
Zurich
Goldauerstr. 36.
From Julie we have unfortunately st[... sheet torn off]
heard nothing.

[The head and foot of the sheet carry further lines in another hand, in German Kurrent script, written upside down; only partly legible:]

[at the foot of the sheet, inverted:]
they are in despair out there. Write them a detailed
letter at once (we have also forwarded yours of 6 February) about Fam. Wein-
                                                            baum, Zurich,
they are visiting[?] via Switzerland [... illegible]

[at the head of the sheet, inverted:]
D[ear] Mina, many thanks for your dear letter and telegram. Have you now sent
the copies of the supplementary papers to us, since so much
gets lost on the way over and some things[?] also take time. Write[?] We can
then pass the papers on from here in St.[?] [... illegible] there. Stay[?]
please once more [... illegible] Fam. [... illegible] we vouch[?] [... illegible]

Historical context

An emigration letter of 1940 written by a correspondent signing himself Arthur to "Liebe Mina" — apparently Mina Kaufmann, the American relative, whose New York address the writer is trying to confirm. The first half concerns the American visa file: supplementary affidavit papers ("Zusatzpapiere") for Julius and for Betty have still not reached the American Consulate in Stuttgart, and the writer is trying to work out whether the delay lies with "Max-Chicago", with Bella in Boston or with Tante Hermine. The second half is a packing list for household goods being shipped out ahead of the family: four crates numbered 6963–6965 (plus one whose number is written 0066, apparently intended as 6966) and five suitcases marked J.O. — very likely Julius Oppenheimer — which are to be loaded on one of the next ships and taken into safekeeping by the recipient, possibly hand-carried by a Bernhard Gröschel of Forchheim and/or a Herr Jacob Kaufmann of Bayreuth who leave on the 28th. The inverted Kurrent lines at head and foot, and the reference to a letter of 6 February and to Fam. F. Weinbaum in Zürich as a neutral-country forwarding address, appear to place the sheet in the winter of 1940, when mail and papers between Germany and the United States were routinely routed through Switzerland.

On this transcription

Machine transcription (claude-opus-5) — not yet checked against the original scan. 10 passages marked doubtful in the text.

Re-read from the original scan on 2026-07-28. Legibility: good. [?] marks are deliberate gaps, not transcription errors. SCRIPT: the main letter is in ordinary Latin cursive, not Kurrent, and is unusually legible; the two inverted blocks at head and foot are in German Kurrent by a different (harder) hand. • "wie Du zu Streich[?] kommst" (line 25) is the single least secure word of the main text. The initial glyph is a crossed loop identical to the writer's "St" in "Stuttgart" (and unlike his uncrossed capital H in "Hermine"/"Haushaltungssachen"), and the ending is clearly "-eich" with an i-dot — hence "Streich". But "zu Streich kommen" is not idiomatic German; the sense the context wants is "wie Du zurecht kommst" (how you manage). A human checker should look at this word first. • The fourth crate number is written "0066" — the first two figures are plain ovals with none of the hook the writer gives his 6s in 6963/6964/6965. Transcribed as written; almost certainly meant as 6966. • "am 28. dſ. hier ab": the abbreviation after "28." is a d with a long s (= "dieses [Monats]"); it could also be read "d. M.". The month is not stated anywhere in the main letter. • "Max-Chicago habe telegrafiert" — "habe" is what is written; "hat" would be the expected form. • "Bernhard Gröschel" is written with a clear r (Grö-schel), not "Göschel" as in the supplied metadata. • "Koff" (line 8) and "im" in the right margin both run off a torn right edge; "b[e]kamen" (line 1) has letters lost in a vertical tear through the first two lines. • "und/oder": the writer wrote "und", underlined it, and wrote "oder" beneath it — an alternative, not a deletion. The struck-out word after "hierhergeschickt," is probably "auch". • The small "a" before "Kleider" is an unexplained mark, possibly "à" or an abbreviation. • "Von Julie" — reads Julie (not Julius); the name is not on the supplied list. • The inverted Kurrent blocks are given with heavy [?] marking and should be treated as provisional throughout; "6. II." (6 February) is however written clearly with over- and under-bars. Their reading order is ambiguous: the salutation "L. Mina" sits at the head of the sheet and the passage about Fam. Weinbaum at the foot, so when the sheet is turned round the greeting falls at the bottom. Faint diagonal show-through from the other side of the leaf crosses the whole page and has not been transcribed. Revised readings: Initially read the last name in line 13 as "Göschel" to match the supplied metadata, then settled on "Gröschel" — the r is unambiguous at high magnification. Initially took the inverted writing at head and foot for bleed-through from the verso; a mirror test showed it is real ink on this side of the sheet written head-to-foot, so it is transcribed. Initially read the fourth crate number as "6966" by sequence, then changed to the literal "0066" that is on the page. The obvious-looking reading "Streich" in line 25 is probably wrong even though it is what the letterforms give.