Kramer: Letters from Germany

During summers spent in Kansas with my grandparents, I had heard tales that we had extended family in Germany that we lost touch with after the war. Sad tales of letters begging for canned soup during the occupation would break my heart and spark my imagination. Years later after my mother passed and we were sorting her things I was shocked (shocked!) to discover a packet of crumbly letters and a few photos wrapped in an old piece of tin foil (?). These were those letters. I can only assume that when my Grandfather, Mel Kramer, had passed in 2001 that the family had sent what few things my mother had at her parents, along with some family papers, to her and she had neglected to ever mention it. A friend translated one of the more interesting letters and explained the tenor of the series.

• 1904 – Early letters: Short and formal, in the vein of “Dear Sister, Hello, how are you. I’m fine. Congrats on the new baby!”
• 1920’s – More conversational, extended family exchanges. This is where the translated letter sits. “Dear Uncle, I’m such a silly nephew, I got caught stealing platinum from the chemistry lab at where I work as a lab assistant. I was trying to impress my wife, she’s very cute. Can you find me a job in America? I’ll do anything. I have to get out of here.”
• 1945+ The War Years – Nieces and Nephews reaching out after the war, desperate to make contact, ask for help.