this is an email from Christian K, the elder grandchild of Mr. Heinrich G in Ladenburg, Germany. Last week, my grandfather told me about your letter and I was almost as surprised as he was. Actually, I was sort of happy to hear about that because he had already told us about his uncle who went to the U.S. during his childhood. So it's a very exciting news for us.

The reason I write is that I've offered my grandfather to translate the letter he's already written and sent to you. So I don't know, if you've already received it. I hope not to be misunderstood but after I've read your letter I think that it will make it easier for you to get an "english version".

Here it is:

Dear Larry,

I was very happy and surprised to get a message from the U.S.A. My uncle Johan (John) is your grandfather. In the years of famine in 1931-33 he has sent me a letter with a 50 cent coin to my school in Stawropol every month. So I could go to a "Torchsin," a shop where you can buy stuff for gold or foreign exchange. These 50 cents helped me to survive the famine. I could buy me rice, barley, sugar, flour and butter every month. My father Heinrich and uncle Johan kept in touch through writing letters in that time. I knew that uncle Johan had 6 children but that's all I can remember.

My father, my mother and the brothers and sisters Marta, Anna, Aleksander and Viktor died in World War II. I've tried very hard to find the family but I couldn't. My father Heinrich lived in Beketny (northern Caucasus) from 1920 on. His adults lived in Romanowsk about 20 km away. His father died before 1918.

In the year 1921 in Russia was a big famine. Mother sold her possession in Romanowsk and came to Beketny with the two youngest sons to tell my father that she decided to go to Kuban (southern Caucasus) because there would be enough to eat. My father tried hard to convince them not to go. It would have been possible to survive in Beketny, too was what he said but he couldn't hold them back. As my father got the message that thousands of people starved to death in Kuban he went there to find his mother and the two brothers but he couldn't find them. They've also starved.

The whole W family lived in Beketny. As far as I know they all have died. I was born at the 1st of January in 1916 and I am over 83 years old, now. I'm in good healthy conditions, still drive a car and I have a big garden around my house I cultivate by my very own. My wife has died so I also do the household on my own. I have a daughter and two grandchildren who live in their own house.

Dear Larry, write us what you are doing, how it's going and how you live, please. Uncle Johan had 6 children. Maybe you could also write us from other Gallawa-relatives, where they live and how it goes.

Yours,
Heinrich
Ladenburg, Germany

Well, I hope I didn't make too much mistakes translating the letter. Feel free to write back although I have to say that I'm in Munich right now, so my grandfather could only get your messages by phone (or if I print your emails and send it to him - which will result in a short delay!) If you think that it would be easier for you to do it that way, feel free and contact me as soon as you want. I think after all these years a delay of one or two days will not break up the connection.

Best wishes to your family and you from Munich to Washington State!
CHRIS

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