Some Reflections on the Letters Written by Paul and Sophie v. Hahn (1857-58)
(by Angela von Hahn, July 2008)
I would like to read for you a short summary of some of the letters that Paul and Sophie Hahn of Asuppen wrote to their son Paul (inheritor of the Linden estate) and his wife Lucie in the years 1857-58. Paul Sr. is 64 years old at the time of the letters while Sophie is 53 years old. We don't have the return correspondence of Paul and Lucie to their parents. Paul and Sophie also make mention of their oldest son Adolph and his wife Amalie. Amalie and Lucie were sisters and they married the two brothers on the same day in a double-ring ceremony.
Hardwin (Hanafi) Hahn gave these letters to Charlie last fall. I read through them this winter and have through them become interested in the lives of these Baltic ancestors of my husband and children. I've gained understanding of aspects of their personalities and have decided I would have liked these warm-hearted people very much.
The letters are written in an eloquent, flowery German with some very long sentences as the language allows, that I had to figure out phrase by phrase and at which I was not always entirely successful.
The first letters we read are written by Paul Sr. and Sophie in January 1857 from Heidelberg Germany. They were spending their winter away from the cold Baltic climate in the milder climate of southern Germany. They enjoyed daily long walks in Heidelberg, the company of many friends and a rich cultural life.
In the first letter written immediately after Christmas, Sophie responds to an account by her daughter-in-law Lucie of the Christmas spent with their little children in Latvia. Sophie lovingly mentions by name her grandchildren and their unique personalities and responses to the gift-giving of Christmas. Words of concern and encouragement are thread throughout the early letters of Sophie for the health of Amalie, Adolph's wife, who was in poor health following the birth of a child. Lucie, her sister, was very much involved in the care and convalescence of her sister following the difficult childbirth experience.
These early letters contain plans Sophie and Paul and their sons and daughters-in-law have for a summer vacation on the shores of the Baltic coast. Sophie muses about which places on the Baltic coast would be most suitable for all; she details the logistics required to organize the family trip. For example, need for household help, cooks, and servants. She also writes of the need for coaches to be rebuilt or adjusted for the family's use - the mothers and children were to travel separately from the father and sons. Father Paul Sr. needed a specially fitted coach due to his painful arthritis and gout.
Paul Sr. writes in great detail to his son Paul mainly about his agricultural interests. Paul Jr. and older brother Adolph are managing the estates in his absence. He writes of the benefits and drawbacks of various crops, business dealing with various people, the construction of a new railway line near Asuppen. He also throws-in political reflections; not so easy to understand when not familiar with the larger historical context of the time. He writes with great understanding and intellect.
I ask myself why these letters in particular were saved by the children of Paul and Sophie. I think the answer may lie in the serious correspondence that transpired over the winter of 1857-58. Paul and Lucie living in Warriben, Kurland according to the letters are struggling with the illnesses of their four young children. In the letters of both Paul and Sophie from Heidelberg to the family in the Baltics there is fear, hope and longing expressed for the wellness of their grandchildren. Helplessness at their inability to be present and of assistance in the difficulties encountered by their children is also expressed.
Over the course of the winter Paul and Lucie's young son Paul did not recover from his illnesses and died at the age of 3 years. I was greatly moved by the words of empathy and comfort sent by Paul and Sophie to their beloved children before and after their sorrowful ordeal. The Christian hope of the resurrection is beautifully expressed in the letters. Paul and Lucie buried their little son at the family cemetery, on the knoll by Asuppen. As I continued to read the letters I discovered that the burial place in Asuppen held great significance to Paul and Sophie. It was there that they buried their 8-year old second son Nikolaus twenty-one years earlier. Sophie is very frank in her letters on the toll that the death of their second son had taken on her husband Paul and how the death of their little grandson brought his grief to the fore once again. These words in their poignancy and hope are worth every effort that has gone into preserving these letters the last one and a half centuries.
As it came to be, the summer holidays that were planned at the Baltic coast did not occur due to the sorrowful family events the previous winter. Paul and Sophie returned to Asuppen in Kurländ in the year 1857 and the letters did carry on through the healing time of mourning. Sometimes there were two or more letters in a day that were exchanged between parents and children (original text messaging).
As I read the letters I received insight into the daily life of the Baltic land and became a participant in their travels through the area and into Germany. One event which stirred my imagination was an afternoon tea with the Queen of Prussia. I also had to laugh when Paul Sr. writes heart warmingly of his request to his son Paul to buy some muskets in Riga as presents from Opa Hahn to his little grandsons, so that the grandsons couldn't accuse their grandfather of being a "Gebenichts" - a give me nothing grandfather.
Many names of peoples and places in the Baltics are mentioned, some familiar to Charlie from stories he has heard, others not. Sophie and Paul are feeling their ages as they write, making mention of some of the physical ailments that have beset them. Sophie often signs her name as "Deine alte Mutter" - your old mother. Paul often signs his name "Dein treuer Vater" - your faithful father.
The very last letter was written Christmas Eve 1858 from Asuppen from Paul and Sophie to Paul and Lucie in Warriben. They conclude the letter joyfully in anticipation of the arrival of their children and grandchildren on the second day of Christmas with loving thoughts of family togetherness.
Paul Hahn Sr. died in Mannheim, Germany four years later on January 30, 1862 at the age of 68 years. Sophie Hahn died about a year after her husband on March 16th at the age of 58 in Mitau, the capital of Kurländ, where she and Paul had spent some of their earlier married life while Paul was governor of Kurländ.
I hope this has given those of you who haven't read these letters some awareness of the people who are part of your history. These familiar letters are treasures of words that were preserved for you. I am awed and grateful for them and hope they will be shared and valued for generations to come.