A generous cousin whom I met thru one of these Rootsweb lists recently sent me copies of some letters written by my FEND(E)RICH relatives. I thought I might share some passages from a translation, just in case they might help someone else - I also have a transcript in German if anyone is interested. (Ich habe also eine Abschrift auf Deutsch.) and can send scans of either - but please contact me privately if you wish same. The letter I am quoting from was written July 4, 1833 from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It mentions (I hope I don't skip anyone) surnames BASE (maybe), GSCHWIND, BRÜTSCHI, SCHMID, MIEG, WILD, BRENTANO, POPPELL, BRODMAN, HERRSCHE, MEYER, UMBER, & TRAUTWEILER. In addition to larger European and American cities, towns (in both Switzerland and Baden) mentioned are Laufenburg, Luttingen, Dogern in the Walde, Kaisten, Freiburg, Espach near Heitersheim, Waldkirch, Constanz, Sackingen, Waldshut, Basel, Oberhofen, & Frickthal (I think this is a larger jurisdiction). Also I mention the elusive Sinn, home of my 3ggm, which I have yet to locate with any confidence, and other surnames associated with the family, including SCHLICHTEL and DOERFLINGER. The writer, identified as "Vater Fenderich", I presume to be my great-great-great grandfather Franz Xavier FENDRICH. He was a Swiss politician (Bezirksamtmann), native of Laufenburg, Aargau, Switzerland, born 13 Aug 1773. He studied law at the University of Freiburg (in Baden, then part of Austria's empire). His wife was the former Magdalena SCHLICHTEL, "von Sinn" (not sure whether Sinn is a town in Hesse or someplace else), and they married in Freiburg on 3 May 1801. Apparently they (or possibly just he) had been in Philadelphia since July 22, 1831 (I have yet to find an immigration or emigration record). Since Laufenburg is a border town with Baden, I think that this letter may be of interest to both lists. The letter mentions members of the immediate family that I know of and some that are mysteries to me. His children are: Ignaz Edouard, b. 29 Jul 1802 Freiburg, Baden Josefa Amalie, b. 9 Nov 1803, Laufenburg, Aargau Carolina, b. 10 Feb 1805, Laufenburg, twin to: Carolus (Carl/Charles) b. 10 Feb 1805, Laufenburg Emanuel Rudolf, b. 7 Jul 1806, Laufenburg. Carolina married a Franz Gschwind (I believe he was J. F. Gschwind) and stayed in Switzerland or Baden for a while before emigrating. I believe their family settled in Kentucky. Edward and his father apparently emigrated earlier, and the rest (I believe) followed about 1832, although there is a possibility based on the letter that Rudolf remained back in Switzerland for a while. Josefa Amalie, my great-great-grandmother (sadly, unmentioned in the entire letter), married Joseph DOERFLINGER, a Baden emigrant whose lineage and immigration records have eluded me. Charles later became famous for his lithographs, particularly those of US statesmen. Edward, I believe, became a pharmacist in Pittsburgh, PA, and Rudolf, who later married Sophia Ficher, may have lived in Richmond, Virginia. The letter was written to "Lieber Herr Dr. Vetter und Frau Base", which seems awkward to me, but someone has translated that as "Dear Cousins (Dr. and Mrs.)" and later on he addresses one of them again as "dear cousin": "1) As it looks in Laufenburg, what unfortunately has happened we know accurately, daily emigrants come out from our region: from Luttingen, Dogern in the Walde, and 10 days ago the wood carver from Kaisten came and confirmed still more. He, on his arrival, came directly to us; Herr Brütschi from Dogern, who has a large wine business led him to us. On the spot, which, one must say, is a great piece of luck for him, I provided him with an excellent position with a gardener, Herr Schmid, a very rich gentleman, and if he stays, he can be happy and earn a lot of money. Tell his father about it. 2) 1 have written to my brother-in-law in Freiburg and to Rudolph and have enclosed many necessary letters on the subjects, namely a) A man is here from Espach near Heitersheim who is due 300 (monetary units) from the community. My brother-in-law has the authority and the original promissory note to raise this money, and an extra letter to the Burgermeister is enclosed also. With this money Rudolph is to bring with him the lover who lives in Waldkirch of a man who has a good position here and the two of them can use the money while we will give the same money back again to the man here. Letters to Waldkirch are enclosed as well. Should, however, and b) which I do not believe, there be any objection to the collection of the money; likewise young Carl Mieg owes my son Eduard about 105 (monetary units) and some kreutzer and because he as yet has no formal employment, he can not pay. Included in this money owed to me is not only the fare from Basel to New York, but while he lay very sick near Pittsburgh, my son Eduard unselfishly loaned him the money when he wrote and so probably saved his life. Now he has a temporary position with a tinsmith about 27 miles from here in Wilmington but no particular salary. I have now enclosed to my brother-in-law a letter to his paternal grandmother, Frau Mieg, the governor's wife, in Basel, and asked her to give Rudolph the money for his trip, because one service may be worth another. I think both grandmothers will help and thus Rudolph, who, if he had not been such a pinhead and had come directly with us, could already have earned more than 1000 thalers, can now come with this money. and in good time give the same back to Eduard. He will now come to you, may God protect him, and I beg you to provide him with the passport which he needs only up to Havre, he will show all our letters to you. In particular and urgently Carl, who has set up a beautiful lithograph in the firm, Fenderich and Wild, and where the shop is full of the most beautiful drawings, etc. which come from time to time from Bates because Herr Wild has a brother there, and where hourly the store is besieged by ladies and gentlemen who buy from him all his drawings without any exception, wants you to send that which is still in your possession packed in a crate. He especially asks just as urgently to send him the natural history which he drew in Zurich. He does not yet know that I sold it out of necessity in Constanz. The magistrate Brentano, Father Brentano, your friend the doctor in Sackingen, Dr. Poppell in Waldshut have copies. Try to persuade one of these men to sell it to you. Rudolph will pay for it. Should all effort be in vain, then write under your or some other name to the lithographer Brodman in Zurich and you will get yet another copy. Dear cousin, I ask you urgently about this, allow this request to be taken to heart, because Carl wants to publish this here with English text and he can make a profit of maybe 10 - 12000 Thalers from it. You see therefore how extremely important this request is. c) We have taken a house on one of the most beautiful streets (Callowhill Street), which has all the comforts in it, but Carl and E. Wild must pay each year 500 guldens in our money in rent alone, a lot of money for one year. We already have several workers, and must have still more, our own press, and we cannot work enough, you see that in the end, all is going well for us. Every one is well. Except for my little self which is of little importance. We would wish only to have you and Herr Herrsche with us, then we would be heartily satisfied, thus however we must be satisfied with the sweet recollection. Now 3) Dear Cousin, a heavy weight lies on the hearts of me and my wife when we look at our daughter Carolina who hangs under your portrait in our room. It seems to us as if she looks cheerless and melancholy. On the 22nd of this month it will be 2 years we have been here. You wrote to us your curious letter, but not a syllable from Carolina. Rudolph wrote two letters, after his fashion the page half empty, and also in these letters not a syllable from Carolina mentioned. Neither you nor Gschwind wrote, we do not know where she is, one says in Basel. If she is dead, dear cousin then tell me directly, it is much better to have certainty than uncertainty, and better to find out their fate from relatives than from strangers. Even my brother-in-law is silent. Every minute I think of her and her children, and I have neither rest nor peace. Is she not allowed to write? Or does she despise her parents? She might indeed think that even though I was only a few hours away from her, I in my location and circumstance could indeed not see her. It is better without a farewell, when my heart is breaking. She can and may not doubt as to my love for her. What hinders her from writing to us then? I believe she is being persecuted, however a time may come when I will send you money through Frau Gschwind, now it is not yet possible. Dear cousin, tear us from this most agonizing awkward situation. Rudolph, if Carolina is still alive, has instructions, if it is possible, to confer with Carolina face to face. The letters from Eduard and Carl you will already have received. Why you did not write to us via the wood carver is incomprehensible. He told us the Councilman from Oberhofen also wants to emigrate, has already sold everything, and the town, for payment of his part of the town debt have filed a suit against him. The injustice does not yet stop in our Frickthal. 0 free America! Land of happiness and contentment. If there is retribution, then the Almighty God will some day punish even the most shameful injustices which in every respect were committed against me. R. in Pace. Eduard and Carl could have the most wonderful parties here. Carl is as phlegmatic as a stone, and laughs if I and his mother ask them to get married. Carl is in every respect the same old person that he was in Laufenburg, and I would swear, he had not yet kissed a girl. Likewise Eduard is not inclined towards marrying, with regard to kissing, however, I will not swear. He is highly regarded and respected here, he is a member of the most respected societies, and is secretary of several. I think before he himself starts a business, he will not get married, not unless one of us dies. In our business I am the German, Eduard the English correspondent, Carl speaks, reads and understands English fairly well already. I am no longer learning this mishmash assembled from all languages although I understand a lot. I do the bookkeeping, do embellishments, prepare the paper and colors etc., and am as they say the major domo. An extraordinary number of Germans, mostly Wuerttemburgers and Rhein-Bavarians are here. The Swiss almost without exception go into the interior … Ohio, Missouri, Virginia and Northern Florida and in a few years make their fortunes, if not they themselves, then certainly their children... On the island of Cuba in Havana cholera caused terrible devastation, and in a few weeks more than 27,000 people died... Eduard has strong trade connections in Havana, and inquired vigorously about the fate of Herr Meyer. A man from here whom Carl made a portrait of and who came from Havana without losing anything although he suffered a shipwreck, told me he knows Herr Meyer not only very well, but he has given him 1000 thalers for products delivered to him. Should Herr Meyer, the town clerk, whom I warmly greet, have no news from him, then I want to report about his death or living. It takes 3 or 4 weeks' to go from here to Cuba, and Eduard this autumn goes to New Orleans on his boss's business and will certainly make a sidetrip to Cuba in order to supply Carl a large market there for his art products, because there they are still little acquainted with art but have enough money. What makes my wife and me sick is the situation that Herr Umber has no position. 0! Government of farmers. Greet warmly for us Herr Umber, his wife and daughters, magistrate Brentano, Franz and especially the district administrator and his wife and brothers-in-law. The marriage of dear Joseph we have learned. The customs official Meyer, and his wife and sister, are not to be forgotten. Also greet my stepmother and and her husband warmly for us and whenever opportunity occurs, then we will gladly send you, dear cousin, a case with American products, and I wish with pleasure to insert a keepsake for my stepmother who takes so much interest in us. The fate of the bleach I have heard about, gladly I let Trautweiler have it. I feel heartily sorry for my master godfather apothecary Brentano, tell him I have him greeted very warmly and my wife along with his wife and daughter. Dear cousin, the longing, Herr Herrsche has brought this wish to my heart already a thousand times, to be near you every month only 1/2 hour. An idle wish. I no longer yearn to return to Europe, for I feel the all-pervasive power of the golden freedom in this land… Now farewell, dear cousin, every three months I will send you news from us. Please do not forget the drawings and natural history and tell Herr Herrsche that it would please us immensely if he also would write to us who love him so much. Your dear round wife we press to our bosoms and commend ourselves to her remembrance. Rudolph can arrive until the end of October and he will find us right away at 215 Callowhill Street on the corner of 8th Street. I press you to my heart and remain always your cousin Father Fenderich Philadelphia the 4th of July 1833"