Photoessay #2898 - Sophie and the scrapbook

The Sophie I refer to was Sophie Zunder Chase, my great grandmother's sister.  Their father Maier, wrote this note to Sophie on her 38th birthday in 1898 and it ended up in his scrapbook.  It took my student Teri, her father in Germany plus Werner Hirsch from New Haven to figure out a translation.  My intention is to also use this to get the attention of my rabbi third cousin descended from her who has not gotten in touch with me.  Dangle the goods can work, I find.

I'm just about done with the facsimiles from volume 2 of the scrapbooks.  This was the one that was in horrible shape; the archivist wrapped it up after we used it and I don't think they'll let people look at it.  But Charl and I photographed every page.  Plus I have translations for all of the pieces in German.  So now, I can have it copied and sent to the archivist at the Jewish Historical Society of Greater New Haven for somebody else to use.

I'm feeling good about the paper right...I think it will go.

Here's the translations:

So bringe ich dir meine Glückwünsche  dar

          So I bring you my congratulations

O Mögenst du leben noch so manches Jahr

          Oh may you live for many a year

Probire nur und sei immer  munter

          Just try to always be cheerful

Hielt se recht wie eine Zunder

          Hold it like a tinder

In dein Heim sei eine Mutter Chase

          In your home be a Mother Chase

Es wird dich dann bewahren vor allen bös

It will then keep you from everything bad.

Ihre Vater

          Your father,

M Zunder