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Note: Martha never married. Martha received the following letter, dated June 26, 1958, from an inquiry she made to Father Wendelin Schimmel in Bretten, Germany. Bretten is located in the Baden Wurttemberg district/state of Germany. The letter was transcribed exactly as written.
"Buching, den 26, Juni 1958"
"My dears friends!"
"To day I have times to write. In the last times hat been every day un other thing to make. If i will write an letter, I will have my calm. You asked for your ancestors I am not a descendant of Joseph Duffrin. But the Schimmels and the Duffrins have had allways good relations matrimonials jointy. I dont know the singel cognations. My aunt and godmother has been married with Joseph Duffrin, which is already longtimes died. I think , that is an nephew from the Joseph Duffrin, which is go to U.S.A. And that aunt had say the uncle Joseph rest in U.S.A. in St. Laurent next an sea and he had an mill. In the last letter Joseph D. had writn, that in the parish shall build an church. My aunt had say, I shall write. I have written and an lady Rosa Werner had reply but before I have long times seeked. In the meantime my aunt is died. The husband of my aunt, Joseph Duffrin he was before allready died. An daughter of my aunt born Duffrin, has been married in the next village, also died, an other daughter is and an son are married outvards. That son is by the Rollway. I dont know the address. Two others family Duffrins - not next cognations - have rest also outvards. The mans has been line-keeper at the roll-way. This are also longtimes died, also the children and children of children. Only in Bruchsal Baden rest a lady Duffrin. The Husband is died and the Fater of this Hausband ist also from Malschenberg. The husband of that lady has been engine-driver and has been already in pension. but he have had with the bicycle and accident and was died. The only child an daughter is Studienratin+Professorin at the gymassium in Bruschsal, it is an scool superior. The name of that lady (daughter is: Mrs Lioba Grillenberger geborene Duffrin, Studienratin in (17a) Bruchsal, Schonbronstrasse. that town is 15 kilometer to me. Mrs Lioba has the name from the affianced. He is been doctor and has been in the last War in Russia. During the shaving before he will go to home to the marriage, he has been died through an projectile. This has been sorrowfeel for the Lioba, e can not go. And Lioba is during the holidays by the mother. she speake also english better an my self."
"An my family! My father is died 1918, my mother 1914. We has been 6 children, 3 sons and 3 daughter. 2 sisters are died and one brother. I am 65 years, my brother 75 and my sister which is by me 73 years. Do you know Father Seiter? He has been in U.S.A. and knows your family, he has been in Stasborg, he is also allready died."
"To all appearances are the Duffrins came from Ireland. During the persecution ofrom Queen Elizabeth I of England because the religion catholic. much catholic fugative of Ireland are came in France and Germany an U.S.A. Today I have much written."
"Will you come to see me and the village origin of your ancestors Malschberg? But I have not motor car. I have made my services of parish to foot and with they bicycle. my parish-village is little and I can make all my services to foot. My church is built 1772 and I am obliged to renew the interior. In the church is an ancient Madonna from the year 1480. I wish you all the good for the body and life and for the souls."
"with much greetings"
"Yours"
"Wendelin Schimmel,"
"Pfarrer"
"17a Buchig bei Bretten"
"Germany"
"i think, I have make much faults."
Martha received the following letter, dated January 13, 1959, from Lioba, Bruchsal, Germany. The letter was transcribed as it was written.
"Bruchsal, January 13th, 1959"
"Dear Miss Martha,"
"I was very astonished when I received a letter from the USA bearing the name "Duffrin." Reading the first sentence I knew why I got that letter. Father Wendelin Schimmel has already told me about a certain Miss Duffrin living in America. So I was very excited to to read your letter and I enjoyed it very much. I thank you very much for it. But I am not sure wheter I shall be able to answer your questions. When I was studying my ancestors I found out my grandfather was the son of Josef Duffrin and his wife Elisabeth Duffrin, maiden name Bender. My grandfather was called Johannes in English John Duffrin. Your father had the same name as my grand-grandfather and your grandfather had the same name as my grandfather. Isn't that curious? Both of them (my grand-grandfather and my grandfather) were born in Malschenberg near Heidelberg. My grandfather John Duffrin was born in 1853. You write that your grandfather went to America in the 1850's. So he must have been older than my grandfather. The cannot have been brothers because they have the same Christian names. But I don't think it impossible that they have been cousins. May-be that their fathers were brothers. You do not know the name of your grandfather's father, do you? If we knew that name we could ask the clergyman of Malsch whether he would mind looking up in his register-book. Maybe he would find such a name and the name of his wife and his children. I would be very interested in getting to know something about your grandfather John Duffrin. Then we could find out whether we are relatives or not. I am sure that we are relatives in any way because the name does not appear very often in Germany. Well, as to the Marques of "Dufferin" in Scotland. First the "e" was never in the German name. All my ancestors spelt Duffrin. Maybe the marques has added the "e" if he has anything to do with the line of our ancestors at all. Second one of my relatives says she has found out that our ancestors had come from Ireland. One branch of them had gone to England, and the others had emigrated to Germany near Heidelberg. These had been very poor. So it might not be impossible that some of these poor people emigrated to American to find a new home there. And it seems possible that some who were in England went to Scotland. On of my friends was in England some years ago. And she says she had found the name of a certain Duffry or Duffrin - I am not quite sure about the spelling - in England. The Duffrins had left Ireland at the time of religous troubles, says our relative. In any case I was very glad to hear that someone having my name lives in USA. You are of the same age as me. I was born in 1913. I have been a teacher for the same time of years as you have been. I passed my examination in 1935 and since that time I have been teaching. My subjects are English, French, and Latin. I am teaching children from 10 to 19 years of age. I also live together with my mother. She is 76. She has been ill for eleven years. She has had a stroke and has been lame on her left side since that stroke. I have a housekeeper. Otherwise I could not go to school. My father was hit and run by a truck when he was cycling to do the shopping while my mother was already ill. He was dead at once. That was in 1948. Having no sisters I did not know what to do. My mother was ill in bed, I should go to school and you could not find anybody to help at that time. They wanted to have goods so that they could exchanged them for other things they needed. You could not buy anything for money. Mother was brought to the hospital and she had to remain there till I found a nurse who cared for mother very well indeed. In 1939 I was engaged and I wanted to marry in 1940. But then my fiance had to become a soldier and in 1941 he had to go to Russian and fell there in 1941 in November 15. You see I was not married, but I took his name because we had known one another for eight years. We could not marry because he had no yet finished his study as a physician. When he had finished war broke out and he died. So I am still at school and I like being a teacher. Once I was in England in 1952. I got to know very nice people. They came to see me three years ago. They live in Oxford. I have friends in Wales and in Scotland. I get letters from the USA and Seatle. There lives a coupld who write me although I have never seen them. At the time when we were in great need in Germany a teacher before she has got married. So you see I have friends all over the world. I should be very glad if I and and visit Germany to find out where your ancestors came from? And of course to come to see me and mother. To your question: How father Schimmel is releated to you, mother says she is not quite sure about that relation. In any case he is a long line relative to us. I do hope that you will understand what is was writing and that it will help you a little in finding out something about your ancestors. I was looking for a photo of me and my mother. But I could not find a suitable one. the one is too old and the other is not very good. But I have just taken some photos of mother and me. They are not ready yet. If they succeded I shall send you one of them. I would be very glad to get another letter from you. The picture that is on the front page of your letter is very beautiful. I like much pictures very much. I thank you very much for your photo. It gives me a good idead of what you and your mother look like. Your mother seems to be very well with her 86 years. When mother saw the photo she said if i could stand on my feet as this lady. She cannot do anything alone, she must wait for someone to take her out of bed and putting her dress on. I think it is a terrible fate. And I often wonder how well she is bearing it. But God helps always."
"With much love"
"Yours"
"Lioba"
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