German Sewing Diary page two

Continued from page one, the German Sewing Diary and Helli.

Sorry no pictures allowed.

If I can go by what Barbara says (girlfriend to Oliver), Oliver has become obsessed with this story as I have. It makes me giggle to think of our own story unfolding as we search for clues in the writings of a woman more than 80 years ago. There are layers and layers to this adventure. Should we say like an onion? But that would make you think it was stinky or produces tears. Then maybe it is like a rose with petals unfurling and revealing a center and fragrance oh so sweet. I have yet to figure out which it is to be.
Onward shall we?
Since we left Helli last, I have found/acquired another document that is very helpful to our story. Our curiosity lead both Oliver and I to the internet. Oliver found the name Neutzner in the diary. It was the last name of a set of grandparents. Paternal or Maternal we were yet to know. We found a family of Neutzner’s in Omaha, Nebraska. In particular a man named Heinz. By putting the last name in Ancestry.com we found even more.
On Monday of this week I found a phone number listed in documents on Ancestry.com for a Heinz Neutzner. With fear and trepidation I called the number. Thus began a whirlwind of conversations and discoveries. All of which I wish I could put here in this blog. But alas, there are living family members that I feel obligated to protect and honor their requests.
To help ease the pain of not concluding this mystery as I had hoped, I can tell you this much about Helli and the diary. Helli and her family did live through WWII. Her entire family immigrated to the US in 1954. She is alive and well and as I understand from speaking to her brother and sister, is still very lively and willing to chat with me. I hope I can in the near future.
While Helli was cleaning out her house to make a move to a smaller apartment and the notebook was tossed, thinking it had no significance anymore. Helli’s younger sister is not happy about this. She has contacted me and asked if she could buy back the diary. Since I have scanned the whole book and contents, I agreed to sell it back so it can remain with the rightful family. I am very sensitive about family heirlooms being lost, that is, a portion of why I reached out to find the Neutzner family. This Diary was looking more and more like a baby book.
Helli’s sister has spent many years collecting and writing a family memoir, with hope to publish it. They were kind enough to share it with me. It was this book, a very comprehensive look at not only the Neutzner family but a part of WWII that has been hidden and un-researched, that allowed me to know Helli and especially her mother on a very real level. Knowing why this woman who had so precisely logged the clothing and life events of Helli’s first 6 years, was the most important part for me. I have my answers now.
Some of you (my blog readers) with whom I have shared other details about this diary, I will be able to tell you more of what I learned over dinner sometime. But, alas, those of you who do not know me personally I will have to end the tale of the Sewing Diary here. And I was so looking forward to sharing with you page 14 & 24. Maybe at another time.
Auf Weidersehn.

A glimpse of Heli

Her name is Helene, but on the day she was born, September 11, 1930 her mother flushed with the birth of her first child began to call her Heli.
That is the first paragraph of the most interesting auction item I have ever purchased. The description of the item on the Auction website was “Up for auction is an interesting crafting notebook from the 1930's. It features different swatches of cloth and clothing designs. Included are some sewing cards and old postcards. Everything appears to be written in German.”

The photos were scarce and only a few of the items were pictured. So to bid on it was rather risky. But my gut told me that anything to do with sewing and a diary of sorts would be interesting no matter how small the information was, nor how hard it would be to translate it from German into English. So bid I did and won it for $17.00. I noted that the item was coming from the Iowa/Nebraska area. Knowing that many Germans immigrated to that area it made me curious when the diary/notebook had actually got to the US. These questions were just the beginning of a mystery that I am deep into now. Not only me but several of my friends. . .and now you if you continue to read.


When the book arrived I immediately determined that there were two languages to contend with. German, yes, but also something that looked to be Czech or Polish. The notebook which I will call a Diary was obviously in German. But the postcards and other ephemera were in the Czech/Polish. I began by scanning the Diary into jpegs that I could share with my many friends in Germany to enlist their help to translate. Oliver, in particular loves old books and old languages. I sent him the first page thinking he would not be interested in a woman’s sewing diary. Oh I was so wrong.

Oliver (part of my band of Krazy Krauts, they know I mean that effectionately) quickly told me the first page was written by the mother of Helene. Here is his translation.

Established/started (the diary) on 25. of June 1932
Sunday the 11th of September 1930 between 3:45 and 4 in the afternoon, our daughter Helene was born. After she had a bath (was cleaned up) I looked at the small, chubby-cheeked and red-cheeked child which was put into bed beside me. She weighed 3,75kg (8,27lb).
On the 23th of September at 7:30 in the morning, we’ll get her baptized.
The grandparents Neutzner, Franziska and Johann stood godparents. Heli got a nice “Taufbüchlein” (“baptism booklet” indicating that they were protestant, I think) with a pink ribbon, containing a 5 Kr (Czechoslovak koruna) piece with the year and birth-year 1930, as well as 300 Kr which we put on her savings account (unsure... maybe they just put the money in the abovementioned booklet). She was very good and quiet during the whole baptism ceremony. After a small breakfast, we dispersed (sounds better in German! maybe “we went separate ways”) only to all get back together in the evening for a “Taufschmaus” (baptism dinner).




Data from the first page: It begins on June 25, 1932. The mother is writing it in fountain pen. Helene (Heli) born on 9/11/30, christened 9/23/30. Godparents are also Grandparents Johann & Franzeska Neutzner.

Join me as I discover more about this little girl named Heli and help me. . .
Turn the page.