What can old letters teach us?
Don Schmitz & Grandkidsandme 

While exploring my family genealogy, I discovered two vintage letters from 1879. What a treasure! My great-great-grandfather Frederick Schmitz wrote the letters to his brother Johan in Germany while living on his newly settled farm in southern Minnesota.

My ninety-eight year old Aunt Regina tells the story that some time back in the '40's, a reporter from the Faribault Daily News was looking for stories of the early pioneers. She shared her letters with the reporter, and the newspaper typed the letters for her. She saved those letters for over fifty years in an old worn box waiting to be rediscovered for the treasures of information they held.

I read the letters again and again, pondering each word. Frederick wrote about the cost of horses, the price of wheat and the amount of time it took to clear the land. He wrote about the health and well-being of his children and family. He asked questions about the family he left behind in his motherland, Germany.

After reading the letters, I had more questions than answers. What were their lives really like? What did my great-great-grandfather look like? Do I resemble him in any way? Who was my great-great-grandmother? What about the Indians that lived in the area? Were my forefathers afraid? Why did they leave Germany and come to settle in Minnesota? 

These questions were soon replaced with a realization that I couldn't expect answers if I didn't do anything about telling my own stories. It became increasingly clear to me that I had to tell the stories of my family and forefathers. If I didn't, the heritage, the values, the lessons, the stories would be lost.

But what could I possibly write about? My stories couldn't possibly be as exciting as my great-great-grandfather's! But then again, I'm sure my great-great-grandfather didn't think buying horses and clearing the land was exciting either. Time has a way of immortalizing things from the past.

The stories and lessons from our forefathers can teach us much about the origins of our values and about who we are today. It is my hope that this story will inspire you to write your own stories that someday will have value to future generations.

Don Schmitz is a popular speaker and writer on parenting and grandparenting. He is the author of The New Face of Grandparenting…Why Parents Need Their Own Parents and founder of The Grandkidsandme Foundation and Grandparent Camps. Don holds graduate degrees in Education, Administration and Human Development. He is the father to three sons and nine grandchildren. Contact Don@grandkidsandme.com