Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family
Title
Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family
Creator
Bouman, Jon Anthony, 1873-1958
Identifier
WWP23163
Date
1928 January 9
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 Monday,
Jan. 9, '28
Dearest;
An earlier planned visit to the Petrii having gone agley owing to my journey to Poland &c. They asked me to tea yesterday, so I went in the afternoon. They live on the ground floor of an apartment house, apparently very prosperous and happy altho they say they want a better house, because this one is “old”. But what I saw of it was quite comfortable. Mr. Petri is a very cheerful fat and jolly man; whatever he has suffered in the war has not left much trace and we had tea in English fashion with the German addition (for Mr. P. and myself) of a little schnapps. I must say all those people live damned well! Mrs. P. looked astonishingly young and apparently also got over her troubles allright, altho she must have had some awful times with her young children when there was very little to eat in Germany after the war. There was also one young son of 17, who still remembered a good deal of Dutch, and his friend the young son of my ex-colleague Bouton. So we had a nice chat until it was time for me to go to the office, 5 pm.
What with recounting old history on both sides, there wasn’t much time for the serious subjects; a flat for us and Mary’s plans. Of course we talked about them, and I was horrified to find I must beware of certain streets, of which one side may be allright but the other “buggy”. Now write her a letter dear, she will be delighted to hear from you and would be ready to give you any advice in regard to shopping &c. when you come. Mention the case of Mary, never mind about a flat, they don’t know anyway and want one themselves. Her address is:
Mrs. Joseph Petri, Nassauische Str 35,
Berlin – Wilmersdorf
She knows Stanhope Road very well indeed; she went to Channing House School as a girl and afterwards to Miss Buss. And her husband who speaks English fluently, used to live in Claremont Rd, just round the corner!
Tomorrow I shall see the Schurholtz outfit and the flat is also having attention. One must have permits &c. for that.
Thine
Jack
Berlin Monday,
Jan. 9, '28
Dearest;
An earlier planned visit to the Petrii having gone agley owing to my journey to Poland &c. They asked me to tea yesterday, so I went in the afternoon. They live on the ground floor of an apartment house, apparently very prosperous and happy altho they say they want a better house, because this one is “old”. But what I saw of it was quite comfortable. Mr. Petri is a very cheerful fat and jolly man; whatever he has suffered in the war has not left much trace and we had tea in English fashion with the German addition (for Mr. P. and myself) of a little schnapps. I must say all those people live damned well! Mrs. P. looked astonishingly young and apparently also got over her troubles allright, altho she must have had some awful times with her young children when there was very little to eat in Germany after the war. There was also one young son of 17, who still remembered a good deal of Dutch, and his friend the young son of my ex-colleague Bouton. So we had a nice chat until it was time for me to go to the office, 5 pm.
What with recounting old history on both sides, there wasn’t much time for the serious subjects; a flat for us and Mary’s plans. Of course we talked about them, and I was horrified to find I must beware of certain streets, of which one side may be allright but the other “buggy”. Now write her a letter dear, she will be delighted to hear from you and would be ready to give you any advice in regard to shopping &c. when you come. Mention the case of Mary, never mind about a flat, they don’t know anyway and want one themselves. Her address is:
Mrs. Joseph Petri, Nassauische Str 35,
Berlin – Wilmersdorf
She knows Stanhope Road very well indeed; she went to Channing House School as a girl and afterwards to Miss Buss. And her husband who speaks English fluently, used to live in Claremont Rd, just round the corner!
Tomorrow I shall see the Schurholtz outfit and the flat is also having attention. One must have permits &c. for that.
Thine
Jack
Original Format
Letter
To
Bouman Family
Files
Collection
Citation
Bouman, Jon Anthony, 1873-1958, “Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family,” 1928 January 9, WWP23163, Jon Anthony Bouman Collection, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.