Hanover Aug 25, 1959

Dear Neva:
Received the National Geographic Magazine with your letter enclosed and many thanks, was glad to hear from you again and to know you are well.  I'm still keeping myself active and busy at the same time adding to the total every 24 hrs another day that's sure a fine write-up about West Germany and the nice map.  I looked for Darmstadt, Hessen.  It seems quite a size town that's the town I used to hear my parents mention, my father seems to have come from there.  He came to Canada when he was 18 years old and headed for Berlin, since changed to Kitchener, where he learned his trade, my mother's family also came from the Darmstadt Region.  She was 8 yrs when the family arrived in Canada and settled at Neustadt probably you would be interested and would like a little bit of the history of the family.  We'll start with 1882, a very eventful year, that's the year the Railroad was built thro here from Port Dover to Wiarton.  It is also the year my mother died and what a crushing blow that was on top of that our furniture factory and sawmill burnt to the ground, I never heard the word insurance mentioned.  It didn't seem in style in those early years, well there we were, father plently discouraged, he made another start, built the saw mill first, we were now in 1883.  We lose him too, I'm now 9 at this stage August 11, Emma, your mother 3 1/2 years.  D. Knechtel, a competitor in the furniture game but a good friend of my father, he and Mrs Knechtel came with horse and buggyand took her to Hanover.  I remember following the buggy for about a mile to where the railway crosses the road, bush started at that point.  Vy Hill a cousin was with me.  Mrs Hill was an aunt and the Hills lived with us and were preparing at this time to move to the States, Reid City Mich., their destination.  Mr. Hill had gone on ahead some months before.  Mrs. Hill was a sister of my father.  At this time August had gone with the Kalbfleich's, big shots in the town in those days.  I had the choice of going to Diebel's on a farm near Carlsruhe and would be going to Carlsruhe School or Yungbluts a mile east of Neustadt.  I remember the struggle I had with myself and couldn't bear the thought of being separated from my brother.   At Yungbluts I could attend the same school and so I chose Yungbluts, their oldest son about my own age.  I had sometime before acquired a sickness.  I had the same thing about the same time, Edward 1 doctor and I had another.  Edward passed away.  I was saved.   Edward's passing left a void in the family and my coming somehow filled in the vacant spot.  I'm wondering if I'm getting my letter too lengthy before closing I think I should tell you of the time.  It would be about 2 yrs there.  Mr. Yungblut was killed by lightning.  It struck the barn east end gable.  I wasn't very far from him and got the full force of the crash, the pressure, it lasted several seconds seems to drive you right into the ground, my kness felt like buckling.  It was a cold stroke and the barn did not burn, probably in another letter I'll tell you how I took over the job of running the 100 acre farm for the widow at age 12 for 5 yrs, and so until another time...

Kindest Regards
Very Sincerly
Theodore
Box 212