[On Back of Envelope Return Address]

from Marie Gesang Förtha by Eisenach (Thuringia) 
Germany
Russian Zone

[On Front of Envelope Address]

Family
Charles Cornelius
Bellevue Jackson 
County Iowa
R.R. 4
U.S.A.
[Postage stamp and most of postmark are missing]

[Transcript of the letter, mostly following a translation by Paul C. G. Lutz. For clarity I have added some paragraph breaks that do not occur in the original.]

					Förtha, June 6, 1948

My Dear Family Cornelius;

Today, on the sixth of June, on which your daughter is being married, the time of departure draws near when she shall set up her own household. So we wish everyone good fortune and blessing and good health to accompany them. Don't let this parting fall too heavily upon your two families, for bread is being baked everywhere. She has her husband by her side and he will provide for his dear little lady. 

Now, dear Bertha, first off many thanks for the lovely letters which you have written us. They arrived June 2nd, on my birthday and we were all happy to note that you are well. 

We are sending to you the handsome picture of our still single and is also only 20 years old and no doubt has a few years before she marries. Now they also have another daughter, named Renate, but she is only 10 years old. 

For the little children it is very bad here. No piece of cloth, not even an undershirt can be bought, nor even a roll of yarn with which to patch things up. Oh it strikes one very hard even if one is accustomed to this sort of thing. Worrying soon eats one up, and so for the children's sake one hopes from day to day that things will get better. 

Our Fritz has a son, Erich, who has been sick-a-bed for two weeks in the hospital. He has had a tonsillectomy. We hope he can soon come home again. 

Now, my dear ones all, let the young couple go their way with God's blessings and wish them all good things and may the peace of God always dwell in your hearts. 

Very kind regards to you all, 
Aunt Marie, the Orthey family, and the Möller family