Dear Half-brother Otto Kraus and Family,

Nice greetings from your half-sister Victoria Graf (born Kaufmann). We received your address from Virginia, so now we want to get in contact with you. We were longing to hear from you for the past years, but it was impossible even though we had received your address. (Virginia and her husband and children visited us but could not stay long. They promised to come back soon, then we can talk more about our relatives.)

My husband and I and 4 children arrived in Germany on ? March 1976. Three children remained in Russia. That was the most difficult part for us.

My husband, 56 years old, works in a sheet-metal factory? I am 50 years old but I am not working yet. The three older children, son 30 and single, and two daughters 17 and 19, take language courses near Bonn. The youngest son is in 9^th grade here in town.

My mother, Pauline Kaufmann (maiden name Kraus), 75 years old, is the youngest sister of your father. She is the only one alive of the sisters. His oldest sister Anna died ten years ago. Her only daughter died before her.

Uncle Martin, his two brothers Karl and Peter, died in the first year of the concentration camp (work camp) during the war. There was great famine and no salt. It was like that everywhere and a lot of people just died.

Uncle Karl’s three children are married and live in North Kasakstan, near Karaganda. Uncle Peter’s wife and one son are still alive and live in the same area. But we have no contact at the moment.

In 1929 our grandparents, Uncle Martin’s parents and also Aunt Julie’s parents were evicted from their houses and farms and had to leave empty-handed. At first they stayed in small huts close to the village and lived partly with their grandparents. Shortly after that, they were driven out again from their huts and had to escape to the forest, where they lived in dugouts, (or dirt huts). There they lived until 1931. During this time their lives were extremely difficult. At night they were searched and if they had anything worth having, groceries or otherwise, it was confiscated. They practically had to hide everything by burying it, but eventually even their hiding places were dug up. Even the people that investigated us lived in the kolchos (collective farm, Kolkhoz).

In 1931 they were moved again, to North Kajakstan to the open steppes (or prairies). There they had to build mud huts or dugouts again. There was nothing to eat and sickness increased and many of the old people and children died.

Also the grandparents, Pasha’s parents, Nikolai Kaufmann and Anna Kaufmann (maiden name Keller) they were half-brother and sister; they were sent to South Kajakstan also to the empty steppes and prairies empty handed without any shelter and they died there.

My father David Kaufmann was a pastor. In 1934 he came home and in 1935 they incarcerated him again for five years. The reason for imprisonment was that we had received some help from America, and that was only 10 dollars. He was sent to the far eastern parts of Russia.

In 1938, in the Spring, we received the last money, 40 ruble and 29 copec, and that was it.

In 1937 and 1938 a lot of people were imprisoned (time of Stalin). The German population was taken prisoner and sent to Kalims (?). There, thousands of people were starved to death, shot, drowned, and killed in various ways. All vanished. My husband’s father and the older brother disappeared in this way. During the war all were left behind at the river Volga. Also, the Handstrecker were to be evacuated. They had to leave everything behind, and had to get out fast because of the "Germans". Everybody had to suffer a lot. Lots of good people stayed behind.

Dear half-brother, what type of love should you have toward your home country? Can they be blamed that they wanted to get away from there? It hurts us to see some of the children left behind. We were rejected everywhere and not at home. Especially after the war. We were always called the "Cossacks" or the "Russians". There was never a German that had a high position unless he was a communist.

Dear Otto, if there is something else you are interested in, write us. Give greetings to all our half-sisters, also Virginia’s mother. We were happy to visit with Virginia and we talked for quite a while. Now we are waiting for that opportunity again. It would be nice if they could get together with you. Please come and visit us. We would be happy if you could. My brother Otto also lives in Andernach. He is fixing to write to you too.

Greetings to your wife and children. We thank you for the photographs. We will send some of them to Mama. She will be very happy.

Please write and tell us about yourself.

Greetings from our heart to yours.

Victoria Graf