Correspondence card addressed to Adolf Schallamach, at the time staying in Trzemeszno, c/o Mrs. Bley, sent from Breslau on August 10, 1920.
Correspondence card content:
Vorderseite:
Mein lieber Adolf!
Hoffentlich hast du dich bei Großmama gut erholt.
Mit Muttchen freuen wir uns sehr.
Nur schade, daß sie schon abreisen will.
Grüße alle herzlichst, und sei du von Onkel Josef herzlich gegrüßt!
Translation
Front, left side text:
Dear Adolf!
Hopefully you recovered well at Granny’s.
We have much joy together with Mommy.
It’s just a pity that she will be leaving soon.
Greetings to everyone, and warmest regards to you
from your Uncle Josef.
Front, address field:
Mr.
Adolf Schallamach
c/o Mrs. Bley
Trzemeszno
{Tremessen
Poznań}
Rückseite:
Breslau, d[en] 9.8.[19]20
Liebes Adolfchen!
Hoffentlich bist du gesund und erfreust deine Umgebung durch feines Benehmen.
Du wirst dich sehr darüber freuen, was ich für dich besorgt habe.
Hier ist es sehr schön. Sonnabend war ich mit I[…]s, der Walter ist sehr gewachsen.
Ich habe noch immer keine Wohnung.
Freitag war ich mit G[…]s zusammen.
Ich erzähle dir alles mündlich.
Sei herzlich gegrüßt von deiner Mutter.
Am linken Rand: Grüße Großmuttchen und die O[…]s herzlich.
Translation
Back, main text:
Dear little Adolf!
Hopefully you are healthy, delighting the people around you with polite behavior.
You will enjoy very much the things I got for you.
It is very beautiful here.
On Saturday, I was together with the I[...]s, Walter has grown very much.
I still don’t have an apartment.
On Friday, I stayed together with the G[...]s.
I’ll tell you everything later on.
Warm regards, your mother.
Back, left margin:
Warmest regards to Granny and the O[...]s.
Jason B. Bley, a historian and relative of the Schallamach family, told me the following: “His mother was married to Michael Schallamach. Adolf was born at Posen (Poznań) in 1905. The family later moved to Tremessen (Trzemeszno). About 1905 they transferred to Schneidemühl (Piła). After Michael’s death in 1924, mother and son stayed near Florentina’s brother, Alfons Bley, an owner of a pharmacy in Zurich, Switzerland. When Alfons died in the following year, both moved to Breslau (Wrocław). In 1934 Adolf fled from Nazi Germany to Great Britain. He obtained a Swiss visa for his mother so that she could join him in England, but he could not procure her a transit visa for travel from Breslau to Switzerland. He saw her never again.” Florentyna shared the fate of thousands of Breslau Jews, who were deported to ghettos and extermination camps.
Agnieszka Kostuch
Translated by Joachim Neander
My great-grandfather George Gustav Bley was born in Tremessen in 1877 and emigrated to the US and Demopolis, Alabama in 1891. His parents were Ephraim and Johanna Elkan Bley. Ephraim had a brother Hirsch Bley whose son Robert Blei emigrated and resided in Everett, WA and Dawson City, Yukon during the gold rush. We are possibly related to the Bleys who emigrated first to Mexico City and then California, so we may be related to Jason bley. Thank you for these memories.