translation needed

    Hi Tim,


    it is a bit difficult do give you a proper English translation yet, because two "translations" are needed:


    First to transcript the letter in Latin letters - which is not so easy. I tried to read it but didn't get all expressions. Especially in the second half the handwriting is not too easy to read. And it seems to me that Rosalie Lechner sometimes doesn't make proper sentences.
    (Am I right that it is a letter of Rosalie Lechner to her brother Ludwig Gmach in England? I looked up your other posts and puzzled the relationship)


    Second is the translation to English.


    I don't know the competences of the members of this forum in details but people who are able to read the old german handwritings are often a bit older, so that their English knowledge may be limited. On the other side younger people are more used to English and may do the translation but often can't read the old handwritings.


    Mayby a double strategy will be helpfull:
    - First to ask people to help with the transcription in modern letters (in the section "Suchanzeigen/Lesehilfen" in this forum.
    - Second to ask for an English translation.


    But now my first expression of the contents of the letter - as far as I could read it (but not the proper translation):


    Rosalie Lechner is very ill and in hospital. She thinks she may die soon and aks "Ludwig" (maybe her brother?) to help because she has some last things to organize which she hadn't done by then. (I think it is about financial (?) help and support for Marie and Franz (she uses the expression "duties about Maries and Franzs future").
    She tells Ludwig about Marie (maybe their handicaped sister? - maybe insane?). Because of the war Marie was sent to a nursery home (or even a lunatic asylum) which seems to be one of the (worst? - can't read the word) in Bavaria. Franz (Rosalies husband?) decided to pay a monthly fee to the asylum to prevent Marie from beeing killed in the gas-chamber. The next sentence is not quite clear but I think it means that Rosalie mourns that the gruel gouvernement of Hitler did actually kill many insane people and even used them as guineapigs. She knows that from a reliable source. (I am not sure if she thinks that some thing similar happened to Marie - the sentence is not quite clear.) She hopes that the future gouvernment will do better.


    She writes that Franz should not take the whole responsibility and financial load for Marie when she (Rosalie) won't be there anymore. So she asks Ludwig to support Franz with it. They should try to transfer Marie to a better asylum when it is possible and normal life and order has returned (after the war). And they should visit her some times, if it is not to expensive.


    Then she has a last wish: That Ludwig should support Franz (organizationally and perhaps financially) in getting a small farm (?) or property where he can keep 3 cows an so on - but only if it financially possible for him (Ludwig). (The next sentence is hard to make sense of but I think that Franz should have that farm as personal property - not on loan/credit - so that he is provided in the case of illness or when he should need nursery).


    In the last chapters she writes about Franz and how he cared so much for "Father, Marie and me". She proclaims his selflessness and that she never met a better man (human) than him.
    I think the last sentence is: "He's done unpayable good deeds for us all and even father didn't care as much for Marie as Franz did. And if it is possible, our family should ... (there it stops - you only posted the first page).


    So much for now. As I said, I couldn't read everything. Maybe you can post it for the transcription first. Use the section I mentioned before and perhaps you write:
    "Ich habe hier einen Brief in altdeutscher Schrift, den ich nicht lesen kann. Könnt Ihr mir bitte bei der Entzifferung helfen. Danke."


    Maybe the details will get clearer if the whole letter can be read properly.


    Greetings from Germany


    Bärbel

    thank you for your help


    yes Rosalie Lechner, maria and ludwig are brother and sistres ludwig is my great granfather and franz is her husband so you are correct as you said i found this with the will of rosalia that some other nice person translated for me.


    the rest of the letter is all news to me i don't know very much about rosalie or maria or franz and trying to find out more from old papers that i found at ludwig english home that my anty has just left.


    All i do know is she died not long after writing this letter and that she had a son or daughter.


    thank you for your help tim

    Hi Tim,


    your wellcome :-)


    The papers of your great-grandpa tell a lot of interesting stories.
    I am especially very impressed and full of consternation about his insane sister and how your relatives cared for her and managed to prevent her from beeing killed during the Nazi-regime. - So many innocent people were killed by this terror-regime.


    I looked up Taufkirchen/ Vils in Google and Google-maps.
    Look here: http://maps.google.de/maps?hl=…um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl



    The nursery/asylum/hospital where Marie was sent to was placed in the -today nice little - castle on the island of the small lake. Looks quite nice today, doesn't it?
    I don't know where the records and papers of this institute for the years 1933 to 1945 are. But I am sure you will find out more about Marie and her supporters if you get access to this papers.


    Good look for your research.


    Greetings from Germany


    Bärbel