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Monthly Archives: January 1937

January 7, 1937 – “It was the most wonderful New Years Eve ever.”

07 Jan
January 7, 1937 – “It was the most wonderful New Years Eve ever.”

January 7, 1937

Starting this letter before my husband comes home for dinner, trying to answer your last 4 letters.

Also I gave up my “business” because it was costing too much. I intend to continue making hats here in our 1 room at the Devonshire Hotel.

Room at Devonshire

Our 1 Room at the Devonshire

I even started working again for C-R where I stopped in to just say “hello” and they asked me if I would like to come back to work.

Of course it is better to earn some money instead of playing cards or something and losing money. All I did for the last 4 weeks is moving and I am glad I will have now regular hours again.

C-R

C-R Millinery Co

Ernale’s English gets better with every letter. Keep it up. Leonard is so happy when he can read and understand your letters by himself.

Devonshire Hotel

Devonshire Hotel

Can you keep the letters I write you for a little longer? I would very much like to have them since they are like a diary, but really have no room for them until we move to a bigger place, which we intend to do soon.

[Continued after dinner.]

We finished some duck which we had at Bill Thompson last night. He has a friend who raises fowl on his roof.

Aunt Henny sent us a big box of grapefruit and oranges and Leonard’s sister sent a shoebox full of nuts.

Big Bill

Big Bill Thompson

Hope you started the new year OK. For me it was the most wonderful NY Eve ever. We left our room at 10:30, I in my beautiful brocade dress from 2 years ago and Leonard in a tuxedo, which was awfully tight on him.

First we stopped in the bar here in the hotel and had 2 drinks with some friends in the building. Then we went downtown in a hotel where we had dates with various friends. It was terribly crowded. Then we went to the Morrison Hotel, where I had my 1st date with Leonard, but did not stay because they asked for $6.50 each just to sit down.

We met some friends and the 6 of us went to a very big nightclub where I had not been before. We saw 2 very wonderful floor shows and at 4:00 a.m. we ate breakfast there. At 6:30 a.m. we met our friends again, in our hotel bar. At 8:00 a.m. we went to another place but I had only 1 cup of coffee.

When we came home we ate some herring and bread and butter and finally went to bed at 10:15 a.m. I felt so good, although I had about 18 drinks in 12 hours, that I would have liked to go skiing. But too warm, no snow, no skis.

Love,

Trudel

 
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Posted by on January 7, 1937 in Chicago, diary, immigrant experience, Letters

 

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January 8, 1937 “Trudelchen gets such happiness out of your letters.”

08 Jan
January 8, 1937 “Trudelchen gets such happiness out of your letters.”

January 8th 1937

My dear Father and dear Sisters Lotte and Erna:

Trudelchen gets such happiness out of your letters – she just lights up, and her eyes dance whenever she hears from you – your letters make her happier than anything – and I enjoy them too. I must admit she makes them clearer to me when she reads them to me – for I have forgotten so much of my German that I learned as a student.

I am more in love with precious Trudel every day . . .

But I have a surprise for you. You can never guess – so I’ll tell you. I am more in love with precious Trudel every day in every way! She is so wholesome, so genuine, so fine. We are very happy together. I have just read her letter – or should I say her book – that we are enclosing with this. How many pages she writes, and since I have read it all just now, I must say there is little more for me to add to what she has written.

How wonderful it would be . . .

Business has not been good, but that was no reason to postpone our happiness. We get out of our love, pleasure and life what money can not buy. So we are rich with each other – without money. How wonderful it would be – if things would just get better, and I could help bring you here. But one thing at a time. With God’s help, the things we all want in life will come in their rightful time.

Trudel

Trudel

Should you ask me how Trudel looked Sylvester Abend – I would answer you – There was no lovelier, more beautiful little woman in the country. Trudel was radiant in her metal cloth evening gown and red velvet jacket and cape, and Mrs. Olive McDonnell with us in Blue velvet gown and cape was also lovely. Mr. McDonnell said his wife was the prettiest woman in town. I agreed, that was why I imported Trudel I told him. And beauty is as beauty does, and Trudel does everything beautifully.


A Happy New Year to each of you, in which Trudel joins,

affectionately

Affectionately your son and brother Leonard



  • Erna and Lotte are Trudel’s sisters. They remained in Germany for several years when she came to the United States.
  • LJG refers to the letter Trudel wrote on January 7, 1937, which was posted in this blog on the anniversary of that date.
  • “Sylvester Abend” is New Years Eve.

 
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Posted by on January 8, 1937 in Chicago, family, immigrant experience, Letters

 

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Jan 23, 1937 “Hope I have answered all of your letters.”

23 Jan
Jan 23, 1937 “Hope I have answered all of your letters.”

[I have discovered a couple of letters that were not posted in order. Here, from January, 1937 is is the first of them. Later it will appear in the correct place in the order of letters but for convenience here is a link to the letters that appeared before it in January, 1937. LAG]

Jan 23 ‘37
Hope I answered all your letters. Now I have a whole big stack of mail to be answered.

I bought some black wool material and will have a winter coat made from it. Madge, my sister-in-law, sent me a lovely watch for my birthday. It is to be worn on the lapel of a suit.

Have gone to bed very late every night this week.

Monday I finished a hat for a friend, Tuesday as usual with Trudel Batzner, Wednesday delivered a hat to friends and had dinner with them, and the 4 of us went to a movie, and then back to their house for something more to eat.

Trudel Batzner

Trudel Batzner


Thursday met a niece of Engelbert Hriss with whom I had been trying to get together for one year.

Leonard had to go to a political meeting and Trudel B, that girl [the niece of Englebert Hriss] and I visited together until midnight. Last night, Friday, Aunt Flora, Leonard’s favorite aunt who lives in Indianapolis, was here in town and invited us for dinner. She was staying with Leonard’s cousin on the far south side, all wonderful people.

I took home a couple of hats to be remodeled. Glad to have a good reason to go there again. Since his divorce, Leonard had withdrawn from all his relatives and friends. He wanted all of them to be friends with his ex-wife and daughter and he did not care about himself.

Trudel

Trudel

The price for hosiery is between $0.65 and $1.25. But in the summer I wear only knee hose which is about 35 cents a pair. Besides I wear a lot of “footlings.”

Ernale please write me a letter describing exactly what you do at work, in English. Maybe Aunt Flora can help find a job for you here.

Love,
Trudel

Trudel Batzner (later Nachmann) became my mother’s closest friend and they remained close the rest of their lives. Oddly, there is no account of their first meeting in any of Trudel’s letters. LAG

 
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Posted by on January 23, 1937 in immigrant experience, Letters

 

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