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- Blankenburg March 4, 1947
My Dear Maude:
Please excuse me that I haven't answered your letter sooner because I got it in the middle of February. The bad conditions we are having here make it difficult. Thanks for the picture. I had a picture of George's boys and home in Michigan, but lost everything when bombed out in Dresden, and all our memories went with. On January 31 I thought of George and our lives. If he were living he would have been writing about me. I hope he didn't worry too much about us the last days of his life.
You asked our ages - Agnes 84, Carl will be 81 and I am 74. We thought we would have it better in our old age.
We are thankful from the bottom of our hearts for your warm feelings and desire to help us so much. We are very thankful that Milton is going to send things to us. I only hope that all the packages will get here because they go through so many zones. I will write immediately when we receive a package. Please write very clearly Carl or Marie and Goldberg 14-A. There are about four families with the name Thilo. Your offer to send tobacco and cigarettes would be very much appreciated.
It is very hard to write because of the intense cold. Our house consists of two rooms and a kitchen. We have to live, sleep, and cook in one room because we can not get much coal or wood. The temperature inside is thirty nine degrees which makes writing difficult with numbed hands. The light is turned off and we go to bed at seven in the evening.
We can't get gas and heating supplied and can't properly prepare food. Since December 10th everything is frozen and we get water from next door. Living in Germany is bad. You should be thankful you are in America. I love my
fatherland but if I were young I would leave it. The saying is you can't take an old tree and transplant it.
Carl is not getting any pension, Henry lost his life going against Hitler. Gunther made a remark and nearly went to prison. Everywhere you went you couldn't talk because of spies. If George would have written anything we told him and his letter were opened it would have been difficult for us. Many families were in trouble.
Agnes is living with Edith in Mariemburg. She thinks of you often and she helps us as much as she can. Edith's husband still has the factory. She has all her furniture but have their difficulties and have to work hard. Agnes had three eye operations and her heart at her age is not too good.
Our children Gunther and Gretle help all they can and both are working hard to make ends meet. Gunther works for a family.
I hope dear Maude this letter will arrive.
Hearty greetings to all,
Marie
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Reference:
Letter to Maude von Beschwitz
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