Letter 1879/90

October, 16 [1879 or 1880]

My Dear Sister & Brother,

I know you are wanting to hear from me and I am anxious to write, but I hardly know how to begin. First, I shall ask you to send one of your boys over here and this winter at that, or just as soon as they can, either one or the other, Campbell or George. I think I have found out many things about your inheritance that you did not know. One thing is certain: that women who visited yours that summer I was there and wanted your mother to sign off her right is an old humbug. She was playing two games. If she comes again, do not have anything to do with her and if I was in your place, I would not let her know anything about what I shall here write until it was really necessary. Just four years ago someone wrote from Canada wishing to find out just what I was looking for, but they received no satisfactory answer, if any. I received just what I asked for because I was there in person; one thing I hope you will not be too much astonished to know, you have people over here who can claim relationship and who begged me to give you all their kindly regards. I wish I could see you. I could tell you so much better than I can write it. The papers that I have I think better to keep in hand until I can place them in yours. If they should become lost, it might not be so easy to get them again and they are also in German.

Firstly, in the year 1735, the 10th of March died Herr Johann Eberhard von Gochnat (He was born in the year 1704 den [the] 17th [of] September.) age 30 yrs. and six months. His father and mother were Herr Valentin von Gochnat and Anna Ursula Reicheisen. He was married to Maria Salonie Hüger. Second. In the year 1732, 11 December died Herr Johann Eberhard von Gochnat (ist [was] born in [the] year 1681, 17 October) age 51 & 2 months. His father and mother are Johann Eberhard von Gochnat and Anna Cleophie Wetzler. He was married [first] to Marie Salomia Birr, second to Anna Margaretha Barth. Nun [now] thirdly, in [the] year 1762, den [the] 20th of January died Herr Johann Ulrich von Gochnat (born in [the] year 1696, the 21st [of] March. His father & mother were also Herr Valentin von Gochnat & Anna Ursula Reicheisen. He was married 1736, the 1st [of] March to Marie Salome Dietz. Fourthly, and I assure you, the most important of all, Im [in the] year 1727, 29 August ist [was] born Herr Valentin von Gochnat. His father and mother were Jeremiah von Gochnat and Marie Salonie Schneider. He was married in the year 1757 den [the] 14th [of] November to Anna Cleophie Barth and was Hochfürst[liche] Hessen-Hanau-Lichtenbergischer Amtschaffner i to the town of Woerth; When he died I have not found out; it seems that he did not die in Woerth or in Colmar. I visited Woerth and Strasbourg. As I have found, if you had what you should have had, it would be a great deal of money, if you got it now.

You must begin now or forever let it rest. If the Province [of Alsace] goes again back to the French, there is an end to all German property; this Valentin von Gochnat is the one you want. And it is so strange. You say and all [the] people in Woerth say, he was not married, but I have people that say he was married to Anna Cleophie Barth in the year 1757. This man was still alive up to 1795. What became of him then, I do not know and all [the] books between the years 1759 up to 1792 are gone. Strange to say, but I know where to find a copy of them all, but they must be looked up in person.ii It does not do to trust [it] to strangers. The little town of Woerth has not been so excited since the last French and German Wariii as I made [it] by asking to see the books relating to the town and Valentin Von Gochnat. Woerth is a very small town without any railroad and in the most beautiful part of the Province of Alsace, and in the years 1758 up to 1792 or so, he reigned in the place of the Princes of Darmstadt.iv I was told that the castle of Woerth belonged to Valentin von Gochnat. Perhaps you will be glad to know I visited it and climbed up to the tower, where only a few years ago a letter was found which was written by Valentin von Gochnat. I managed to get a copy of it. I will send you a copy of it as soon as I can have time to translate it in[to] English, but I will keep the other until I can place it in your hand. I have also not found that this Valentin von Gochnat had any brothers, or that he had any children, except one illegitimate boy who was born den [the] 6th [of] September 1775 and was in the year 1782 confirmed. I found this in an old confirmation book, the only one that was left between these years. It seems so curious I cannot even find out that he lived with his wife at all. The grandchildren of the illegitimate son say that he meant always to marry their grandmother as she was very beautiful and that he loved the son very much, but that at the end, there was an estrangement between father and son. How it came about, I will tell you when I see you. The man who now owns the castle would not tell me anything about it and the mayor was also dumb. He would not even tell me that the castle belonged to Valentin von Gochnat. He said he did not know, which was a downright lie. The castle was sold sometime after the Revolution in 1795 for a few thousand and the people who bought up property are afraid it will be taken from them.v

One of the Lutheran ministers said that the most part of Woerth would belong to the heirs, if they could prove their right to it. This said minister was very anxious I should place the case in his hands, but I could hear and see much that they did not dream of. One thing I pretended not to understand French at all, speaking to them only in German; so you see, I heard much more than was intended for my ear. So I would not trust them. After I had found out all I could at Woerth, I returned to Strasbourg. There I could find out nothing except that Valentin von Gochnat was Amtschaffner to the town of Woerth only in the Year 1761 to 1777, which must be false, as you will see by his own letter written in the [year] 1758 saying "I am the Amtschaffner to the town of Woerth." There is much, much more to be found out about this thing, but I cannot do it alone and it is not best to trust to strangers, for they can be too easily bought off by the other side. And another thing is to be thought of, it will cost much less. There is also another thing to be thought of: in the year 1832, there was a law passed in Germany that all Emigrants should at that time come forward and claim their property. If your estate comes under that law, there is no use trying to get it. Still, I have no proof that he was an Emigrant, although your family is: another thing, Alsace did not at that time belong to Germany, so that law had nothing to do with Alsace; that must first be looked after. I hope you will understand what I mean. I can do [it] myself perhaps something in the Spring. I should have looked longer when I was there, but I was not prepared to stay away longer where I could not get to my money, so I was obliged to rather shorten my stay in Alsace, as before reaching there, I had already made a long tour through Germany.

My Dear Brother, I really think it is necessary for you to look into this a little closer than I can and to put it into the hands of other people, you will never know how it is. I think it would pay one of the boys, I say your boys because I love them best and would have one of them look after this for the sake of the experience it will give them of the world and also an extra language for either one or the other must learn it a little before they begin. Then, while I am over here, I can travel with them so as to help a little as far as the language goes and I will here also say, I expect to return by the end of 1880, if I live so long. So if you think you can afford to let one of them come so as to be a few months in the country before they start out to look for this thing, it would be much better. And as either one or the other must understand Latin very well, it will be no trouble to pick up the language in the country in a few months. If you receive nothing from your inheritance, there will be nothing lost. I can get in Germany pensionsvi for one person for $25., everything included for one month. I shall be also in the same place after I leave Paris. And then the trip over here is not so expensive as one thinks when you take a return ticket. Another thing: I do not want the boys over here alone, at first. I can tell you it is very hard to get along.

Think this all over well and do not keep me waiting too long. Waiting is dangerous and do not let other persons of your family come over except one of your boys. I want them so much to have the experience. Woerth is a beautiful country to see. Send one of them this winter. I can get board in a German Professor's family for 150 Franks or $50. per month and a very nice Professor. I am now taking lessons with him and like him very much. I can quite understand how hard it will be for one of the boys to leave home. One already in an office and the other expecting to finish school in May, but then one of them must come as soon as possible and them only; if I was rich enough myself to afford it, I should say, let one come at my entire expense, but you will understand, I am not as rich as I would like to be. I have spent so much money traveling and every month a new suit of cloths and a pair of boots for the boy, but I am able to do much to make the expenses less for them while here and I want them to come so much.

I wish also, my dear brother, you would write me your mother's father's name in full and where he was born and also what was your mother's mother's name:vii W as it Barth? As you remember, this Valentin von Gochnat married a Barth. And this same family name died out about 20 years ago, the last one being an old man; consequently, all property either passed into other hands or has been given to the State. I did not get as much out about it as I would have liked, as they did not seem to be willing to speak about it, after I thought much about it, after I found out what was going on at Woerth. If you can claim relation, there (tant mieux , "so much the better"). It is such a strange thing, this Valentin von Gochnat does not seem to be married at all; still he was; She must have died very young or they did not live together at all. This family Barth is a very good and old family. Some of the family Gochnat were barbers, cloth-makers, and so on, but every one a Dr. to his name. I think I must have been impressed with that idea; I wanted Campbell so much to be a Dr. and as near as I can judge, he looks much more like the Gochnat family as he is short. They gave me a very good description of Valentin von Gochnat at Woerth. It would not be unlikely for you to find a painting of him somewhere as he was a very great man, if it has not been destroyed by the Revolution. There is [are] many things more that I heard at Woerth but somehow, I can't get it all in my head in English. If I was in your place, I would not let anyone else read this letter. To be sure, tell all, but the others perhaps would not like it because I make such a preference for Campbell or George, but [it is] the most natural thing, [that] I love my two big lawyer nephews above all and should wish to have them see something of Europe while they are young. Give my best love to all. I think Sister Mary might write once. I have been over here two years and have not had as many letters from her. If you do not understand all what I have written, write and ask as many questions as you like. Today is the 27th of October. I shall hope to have a letter from you by the first of December. Excuse all mistakes. I shall write to Campbell in a day or two. I remain you devoted sister,

E. Grome
41, rue Galileeviii
Paris, France

iTax Collector and Judge for the Prince of Hessia-Hanau-Lichtenberg.
iiPerhaps a reference to the central archives in Paris. It is likely that when the National Assembly organized the Départements in 1789 that they required copies of records to be sent to Paris. It is also likely that recordbooks were kept in Darmstadt, since until 1792, the princes there collected the taxes.
2Battle of the Franco-Prussian War at Woerth, 5-6 August 1870
ivThe castle passed from the Counts of Hessia-Hanau-Lichtenberg to the Prince of Darmstadt [Hessia-Darmstadt] in1736.
vIn 1791, a member of the Trautmann family purchased the castle. The Guide Bleu for Vosges & Alsace Lorraine notes that "it possesses a Gothic tower (14th Century] with stairway to a Renaissance battlement (built in 1555) with a beautiful courtyard and sculpted portal. Furnishings Renaissance & 17th Century."
viroom and board
viiThere seems to be some generational confusion here. Nicholas Wert's mother's mother was Elizabeth Rupert Coughnet. The person she is looking for is his mother's grandmother, who may have been a Barth and may have emigrated to America with Johann Eberhard von Gochnat. Clearly, she is trying to establish some direct relationship to Valentin von Gochnat (d. c. 1795) in order to substantiate a claim. If the author were Nicholas Wert's sister, she would likely have know the answer to this question as well as he did. The actual claim should have been made through Nicholas Wert's maternal grandfather, John E. Coughnet (1736-1810).
viiiRue Galilee is in the 8th Arrondisement, near Place d'Etoile and the Arc de Triomphe; in the l9th Century it was a diplomatic section of the city and not far from the Eglise Protestante, the émigré-American church. The street runs between Avenue Kleber and the Avenue de Champs-Elysées.
Grome to N. Wert/ 4