Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family
Title
Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family
Creator
Bouman, Jon Anthony, 1873-1958
Identifier
WWP23165
Date
1928 January 24
Description
Letter from Jon Bouman to his family.
Source
Gift of William C. and Evelina Suhler
Subject
Germany--History--1918-1933
Correspondence
Berlin, Germany
Contributor
Rachel Dark
Denise Montgomery
Language
English
Requires
PROOFREADING
Provenance
Evelina Suhler is the granddaughter of Jon Anthony Bouman and inherited the family collection of his letters from the years of World War I. She and her husband gave the letters to the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum in 2013.
Text
28 Zimmerstr., Berlin
Jan. 24, 1928
Dearest,
Your letter of last Thursday arrived OK. also Mary’s photo and letter, many thanks. Frau Hauns, who is always asking when my “Tochberchen” is coming, was very complimentary about it, and “was fur ein neffes Kragelchen hat sie an!” I find that the other reported chance (near the Petrii) has come to naught after all, and so the only job I have heard of hitherto remains the Schurholz outfit, if we bar the Niemanns (with the larger family.) I never knew Mary was so like my side of the family – it is alarming! She is quite the feminine edition of some of my earlier photos. Sorry and all that, but I suppose it can’t be helped. I have been much interested in Mary’s and Betty’s letters. How nice it will be for Mary to meet her old school friend here.
I think your programme of action is quite excellent; it is quite plain to me, indeed I had thought of something on the same lines, altho’ I had not remembered your sewing machine. Only I wasn’t sure of your attitude about our household sticks, possibly I was influenced by old Dr. Jacob who is a bachelor and very violent against the AP’s action. “I’m sure it will break her heart to part with her furniture?” he kept saying, adding hopefully: “won’t it?” I could only say I didn’t know but hoped it would not.
As to the lack of instructions, it should be remembered of course that I was kept hanging on week after week because of those interminable delays of those wretched flyers. Of course I couldn’t help that, nor could the office – anyhow that’s all over and done with now. I will enclose Smith’s letter which I forgot to do last time.
By the way, next time you send bulky letters, have them weighed because I had to pay penalty postage on one or 2 occasions, also on Mary’s photo. I now wish I had similar ones of all of yez.
I have been turning over in my mind an idea that you should come over here for a week or ten days before Mary comes. You could very well be both away at the same time, I imagine. Then we could have a look round, and afterwards Mary could come some time in advance of taking up her duties here; so as to become acclimatized.
I had a letter from Aunt L. She is keeping very well, and says the next time I am passing through, she wants to know so that she can come to the station and see me, if only for a few minutes.
I am much cheered by your letters about the coming change and only hope your health will not suffer by the harass it entails.
Last Sunday I had a ticket for Ruth Draper, the American diseuse. She’s a marvel, you must see her when she comes to London again. She sold out the Coliseum every time, I’m told. She is staying at the British Embassy, Lady Lindsay being an old school friend of hers. Coming out I met Mrs. Spray (wife of D. Chronicle correspondent) who is also looking for a flat with poor results. She says they all want such huge premiums and the flat they are now in has no kitchen and they have to take all their meals outside, which is very inconvenient with a little boy of 6. Yesterday I ran across Edwin Wilcox and his sister, kindly enquiring after you. The change in the ownership of the D.T. is of course their principal topic.
Out of Enderis’ library at the office I picked up Galsworthy’s “The White Monkey.” A ripping story, of the Forsyte series. Try and get it; it’s worth reading. At odd moments I am dipping into Mark Twain’s “More Tramps Abroad.” Blen Enderis and his library!
This is my day off, but I have had bad luck lately with days off, as it is drizzling and the streets filthy after a thaw; we had a little snowfall until yesterday and frost on top of it, but it is all gone now.
Norman Collins must be a bit of a genius; a signed article in the D.N. at his age is pretty good, I think.
The girls mustn’t mind if I don’t write them personally, as I know they will get all my news.
Love to you all,
from
Doc.
Jan. 24, 1928
Dearest,
Your letter of last Thursday arrived OK. also Mary’s photo and letter, many thanks. Frau Hauns, who is always asking when my “Tochberchen” is coming, was very complimentary about it, and “was fur ein neffes Kragelchen hat sie an!” I find that the other reported chance (near the Petrii) has come to naught after all, and so the only job I have heard of hitherto remains the Schurholz outfit, if we bar the Niemanns (with the larger family.) I never knew Mary was so like my side of the family – it is alarming! She is quite the feminine edition of some of my earlier photos. Sorry and all that, but I suppose it can’t be helped. I have been much interested in Mary’s and Betty’s letters. How nice it will be for Mary to meet her old school friend here.
I think your programme of action is quite excellent; it is quite plain to me, indeed I had thought of something on the same lines, altho’ I had not remembered your sewing machine. Only I wasn’t sure of your attitude about our household sticks, possibly I was influenced by old Dr. Jacob who is a bachelor and very violent against the AP’s action. “I’m sure it will break her heart to part with her furniture?” he kept saying, adding hopefully: “won’t it?” I could only say I didn’t know but hoped it would not.
As to the lack of instructions, it should be remembered of course that I was kept hanging on week after week because of those interminable delays of those wretched flyers. Of course I couldn’t help that, nor could the office – anyhow that’s all over and done with now. I will enclose Smith’s letter which I forgot to do last time.
By the way, next time you send bulky letters, have them weighed because I had to pay penalty postage on one or 2 occasions, also on Mary’s photo. I now wish I had similar ones of all of yez.
I have been turning over in my mind an idea that you should come over here for a week or ten days before Mary comes. You could very well be both away at the same time, I imagine. Then we could have a look round, and afterwards Mary could come some time in advance of taking up her duties here; so as to become acclimatized.
I had a letter from Aunt L. She is keeping very well, and says the next time I am passing through, she wants to know so that she can come to the station and see me, if only for a few minutes.
I am much cheered by your letters about the coming change and only hope your health will not suffer by the harass it entails.
Last Sunday I had a ticket for Ruth Draper, the American diseuse. She’s a marvel, you must see her when she comes to London again. She sold out the Coliseum every time, I’m told. She is staying at the British Embassy, Lady Lindsay being an old school friend of hers. Coming out I met Mrs. Spray (wife of D. Chronicle correspondent) who is also looking for a flat with poor results. She says they all want such huge premiums and the flat they are now in has no kitchen and they have to take all their meals outside, which is very inconvenient with a little boy of 6. Yesterday I ran across Edwin Wilcox and his sister, kindly enquiring after you. The change in the ownership of the D.T. is of course their principal topic.
Out of Enderis’ library at the office I picked up Galsworthy’s “The White Monkey.” A ripping story, of the Forsyte series. Try and get it; it’s worth reading. At odd moments I am dipping into Mark Twain’s “More Tramps Abroad.” Blen Enderis and his library!
This is my day off, but I have had bad luck lately with days off, as it is drizzling and the streets filthy after a thaw; we had a little snowfall until yesterday and frost on top of it, but it is all gone now.
Norman Collins must be a bit of a genius; a signed article in the D.N. at his age is pretty good, I think.
The girls mustn’t mind if I don’t write them personally, as I know they will get all my news.
Love to you all,
from
Doc.
Original Format
Letter
To
Bouman Family
Files
Collection
Citation
Bouman, Jon Anthony, 1873-1958, “Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family,” 1928 January 24, WWP23165, Jon Anthony Bouman Collection, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.