Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family

Jon Bouman to the Bouman Family

Bouman, Jon Anthony, 1873-1958

WWP23184

1928 June 13

Letter from Jon Bouman to his family.

Gift of William C. and Evelina Suhler

Germany--History--1918-1933

Correspondence

Berlin, Germany

Rachel Dark

Denise Montgomery

English

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.

                       
Dearest,

     After chasing about town for days flathunting, I have decided to take one, the first I saw, but came back to it after seeing many others. Mary has been to see it today with me again, and she agrees with me that it is a desirable apartment.

     It is on the second floor, easy stairs, entirely private, five rooms, kitchen, bath and box room. The whole flat is in excellent condition, thoroughly well furnished, a guaranteed capable and honest maid in attendance, so will you please walk in on July 1; there's nothing more to do. Except the signing of the contract which I have undertaken to do next Friday. Rent 300 Marks (£ 15) per month.

     The house is situated two underground stretches of tube from the office plus a little walk, on the Lichtenberger Strasse in the immediate neighborhood of a charming park, Victoria Park which has a genuine waterfall. No extra charges for the waterfall. Bill can look it up on the map. I can walk all the way to the office in half an hour if a transport workers strike breaks out. Shops in abundance in the adjoining main road (Belle Alliance Strasse) and a market just round the corner.

The flat belongs to a recently widowed lady, Mrs. Gertrud Schmölke and strange to say, a small American family rented it up to July 1 when they are going to Vienna. I found this lady (born in Manchester) and she said that she had been very comfortable here and would have liked to take the maid with her. But the maid prefers to remain here as she is much attached to Mrs. Schmölke with whom she has been for 4 years. She does the cooking, also washes stockings and light things - I saw her do it in the bath; reminded me forcibly of your Monday mornings! Her name is Martha, she gets 55 Marks (shillings) per month and her insurance fee (which we pay) runs to about 12 more. So that's not so bad, as she does everything including the ironing of such washing as goes out of the house.

• We shall need our own bedclothes & covers, as Mrs. S. wants her own. She goes to relations in another part of Berlin. Table silver there is enough for 12 persons, so we need not bring that over.   

Now as to the equipment of the house. There are 5 rooms, one being a small bedroom which Martha uses. Mrs. S. said time was when servants were required to sleep in the box room but you don't get them to do that any more. That leaves 4. One large double bedded room excellently equipped, and another bedroom with one bed. Room for a sofa, which is there. Another sofa for another bed available in the living room, so that we could sleep five all right. If necessary, we could buy one of those collapsible beds. There is also a nice roomy corridor with good accommodation for coats and hats etc., which will delight your heart. The kitchen is also very clean and well equipped. As Mary says, there isn't an offensive thing in the whole flat, and I think it will turn out OK. Very nice parquet floors and the usual German stoves which are very efficient. Bath with geyser. The bathroom is small, but one can't have everything. On the whole, I think we have been lucky, after seeing so many other flats, which were rather frowsy as to paint and paperings. The two stairs I hope will not trouble you, as it is not more than you have to climb now, from the street. All the furniture is good and the rooms all look nice.

     I have been so often interrupted in writing this letter at the office that I am afraid it is rather jumbled up. I have been working this week from 8 pm to 2:30 am so that I had good time to go about in the day time. Sometime I will tell you stories about the flats I saw, and their owners, the widows of army officers who ran through a fortune and left me stranded, mein Herr! Other quaint and curious personages; one man I found ill in bed and he wanted to let his flat because he wanted to go to London, but of course he couldn't and neither could he say when he would be better. Then there was the lady who insisted on telling me her whole life story before she would mention the rent which was 500 marks but it was a dandy flat, with a grand piano, and she had great ideas about making a "music room" for my daughters! By the way, we shall have a gramophone, and a very nice one too, also a canary bird. I am afraid I am just "havering" along; I think I'd better stop. Anyway the morning papers are coming in. Mary is writing too. 

                              With love,
                              Thine,
                              Jack

Letter

Bouman Family