Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family
Title
Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family
Creator
Bouman, Jon Anthony, 1873-1958
Identifier
WWP23152
Date
1927 November 21
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
Nov. 21, 1927
Dearest;
I moved into the Pension this afternoon, being my day off, and I will see how I like it. It is true that it will be cheaper, and my room is larger than the hotel room but not quite so up to date; therefore some awful pieces of ancient furniture, no running water and a large old tiled stove instead of central heating. Otherwise clean enough, and the people seem to be quite pleasant. Remains the question of food; for dinner we had cold veal and macaroni, with tea served, ye gods! Finishing with cheese and butter. This made no appeal to me, but we’ll see how we get on. I can always change when I like.
I expect nothing from Pynchon – a dividend cheque would come to me to me direct from the Anglo South American Bank. It often comes with a printed report of the shareholders’ meeting, so be careful you don’t destroy any such before you look and see whether a cheque is inside.
Glad you had a nice change at Barton, letter from which arrived today. I took a long walk through the Tiergarten and beyond today; bands of old women were raking up the leaves which were pressed down in a cart and taken away for leaf mould; not burned as we do in London. It has been extremely cold, freezing hard all day with a cutting northeaster but weather prophets predict milder weather ere long. There is already skating on flooded tennis courts.
Bodker told me he had seen in the Times “agony column” an ad. for a young English girl with an address in the Sendler strasse which is a fine aristocratic street here, but it was some weeks back and I cannot trace it. During my search I came across the enclosed and one in the Vossiche Zeitung of today. Nieman speaks of the place becoming vacant “next spring”; I will look into it presently.
Next week I am to start my fortnight of 730 pm to 3 a.m. work, these hours are ghastly;
I prefer 11 am to 730 pm, but I suppose it has to be done. It will be convenient to live near the office for that reason. I have opened an account with the American Express Co. here so as to have my money in a safe place. As for the insurance co., I suppose I had better take their offer.
It isn’t much, but the policy will be to no use to me now, anyway.
Love to all; give my best to Minnie Bacon when you see her again.
Thine,
J.
Dearest;
I moved into the Pension this afternoon, being my day off, and I will see how I like it. It is true that it will be cheaper, and my room is larger than the hotel room but not quite so up to date; therefore some awful pieces of ancient furniture, no running water and a large old tiled stove instead of central heating. Otherwise clean enough, and the people seem to be quite pleasant. Remains the question of food; for dinner we had cold veal and macaroni, with tea served, ye gods! Finishing with cheese and butter. This made no appeal to me, but we’ll see how we get on. I can always change when I like.
I expect nothing from Pynchon – a dividend cheque would come to me to me direct from the Anglo South American Bank. It often comes with a printed report of the shareholders’ meeting, so be careful you don’t destroy any such before you look and see whether a cheque is inside.
Glad you had a nice change at Barton, letter from which arrived today. I took a long walk through the Tiergarten and beyond today; bands of old women were raking up the leaves which were pressed down in a cart and taken away for leaf mould; not burned as we do in London. It has been extremely cold, freezing hard all day with a cutting northeaster but weather prophets predict milder weather ere long. There is already skating on flooded tennis courts.
Bodker told me he had seen in the Times “agony column” an ad. for a young English girl with an address in the Sendler strasse which is a fine aristocratic street here, but it was some weeks back and I cannot trace it. During my search I came across the enclosed and one in the Vossiche Zeitung of today. Nieman speaks of the place becoming vacant “next spring”; I will look into it presently.
Next week I am to start my fortnight of 730 pm to 3 a.m. work, these hours are ghastly;
I prefer 11 am to 730 pm, but I suppose it has to be done. It will be convenient to live near the office for that reason. I have opened an account with the American Express Co. here so as to have my money in a safe place. As for the insurance co., I suppose I had better take their offer.
It isn’t much, but the policy will be to no use to me now, anyway.
Love to all; give my best to Minnie Bacon when you see her again.
Thine,
J.
Original Format
Letter
To
Bouman Family
Files
Collection
Citation
Bouman, Jon Anthony, 1873-1958, “Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family,” 1927 November 21, WWP23152, Jon Anthony Bouman Collection, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.