Still going! Still clearing Fritz's valet/chamberlain Fredersdorf's name from the calumny enshrined in wikipedia that he was dismissed for financial irregularities!
Normally I'm doing at least a page at a time, but in this case, I was contractually obliged to let you see the first paragraph as soon as I'd deciphered it:
Monsieur et tres cher compere!
Ich habe dero zwei Schreiben vom 14te und 16te dieses richtig erhalten. Bey Empfang der ersteren ist die Einlage an der König sogleich besorget worden. Se. Mayt. haben dieselbe sehr gnädig dürchgelesen, ünd mir befohlen Ihnen für dero redliche Gesin- nüngen zü dancken.
Ha. HA! Fredersdorf is still writing to Fritz after the so-called "disgrace", and Fritz is replying very graciously. Died consumed with grief for his lost honor, my foot!
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
ZOMG! I can't translate the other letter tonight, no time, but have to share this with cahn as it alone would justify the entire aquisition from the Prussian State Archive:
Monsieur et tres cher compere!
I received both of your letters from the 14th and the 16th. When I got the former, I immediately handed over the inserted page to the King. His Majesty has read through it very graciously and ordered me to thank you for your honest mindset.
Still working on a better modern equivalent to "redliche Gesinnung" than the literal one, which is a very 18th century expression, but "good intentions" isn't quite it. "Kind thoughts", maybe?
In any case: once you're through with all this, you could contact wikipedia immediately. *g* (And Fahlenkamp, while you're at it. Emmi Wegfraß was already an elderly lady when she wrote her book, she might be dead by now. Oh, and the guy who wrote the essay about Fredersdorf in Frankfurt an der Oder.) Now we have a primary source directly contradicting the slander!
ETA: Considering the letter to Fritz comes with a letter to Leining, it can't have been indiscreetly personal, but still, I'm sure Fredersdorf found a tactful way to convey "You're in my heart, please take care of yourself".
Edited 2023-04-23 17:39 (UTC)
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
ZOMG! I can't translate the other letter tonight, no time, but have to share this with [personal profile] cahn as it alone would justify the entire aquisition from the Prussian State Archive:
EXACTLY! The Fritz-Fredersdorf correspondence doesn't stop after April, we just don't have it! (I also suspect Wegfraß didn't know about Caroline Daum aka Mrs. Fredersdorf destroying letters.)
It also justifies the bleeding eyeballs and the decision to translate the whole Leining correspondence! Originally, when Kurrent was this super hard thing that I could do nothing with and Prinzsorgenfrei was short on time, I was just going to order the page that the box bills project refers to, but then I asked P if they would maaaaybe have time to browse through the rest and tell us if there's anything relevant to the slander, and they said they might, so I ordered the whole thing. And then it turned out that 1) Kurrent is doable with enough determination, 2) the correspondence wasn't just boring bureaucracy, there was all kinds of interesting news. And the rest is history!
Emmi Wegfraß was already an elderly lady when she wrote her book, she might be dead by now.
Yeah, I've been assuming she's dead, which is why I've referred to her in the past tense. But lol, my plan is to write the essay about Fredersdorf and Pfeiffer, get it published, then update Wikipedia to refer to it (an actual citation!), and def. send a copy to Buwert, with a note that he's welcome to forward it to Fahlenkamp if he likes. (I've never been in direct contact with Fahlenkamp, Buwert wrote to him on my behalf and forwarded me the response.)
ETA: Considering the letter to Fritz comes with a letter to Leining, it can't have been indiscreetly personal, but still, I'm sure Fredersdorf found a tactful way to convey "You're in my heart, please take care of yourself".
When you've been life partners for 25 years, you can say things like this that have meaning just between the two of you! <333
This has been a great triumph for the Justice for Fredersdorf Society. *waves society pom-poms*
Edited 2023-04-23 17:46 (UTC)
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
I also suspect Wegfraß didn't know about Caroline Daum aka Mrs. Fredersdorf destroying letters.
Just for the interest of clarity, though: what we have documented is that she destroyed her own engagement letters from Fredersdorf towards the end of her life, at least that's what grandson Achim says. (I suppose some of these letters could have been between Fredersdorf and Fritz without Achim knowing the better if she didn't let him read them, of course, but he says those were the letters between her and Fredersdorf.)
Separately from this, there's the story of Fritz after Fredersdorf's death sending for his own letters, and Caroline either fobbing him with with only a few and claiming the rest were destroyed already, or telling him they were all destroyed already, and I can't remember which one, nor can I remember where among the many books I read that back in the day. (I do know where the Achim von Armin story is from, because that's in the Caroline post at Rheinsberg.)
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
Emmi Wegfraß was already an elderly lady when she wrote her book, she might be dead by now.
A quick search shows she would be 97 today. Not impossible, but even if she is alive and compos mentis, perhaps we should not bother her. (And I've never been able to track down contact info anyway, back when I wanted to see if I could ask her about that April 9 letter.) But everyone else is going to hear from me! (This is the essay I consider most notable and am most optimistic about finding a publisher for if I can ever finish it; whereas I sometimes wonder if there's enough of interest about Peter Keith's life to motivate anyone else.)
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
I was telling my wife about these latest developments, and we had this exchange:
Me: She would be 97 if she's alive today, which she's probably not. Her: What about the descendants? Me: ROFL! Yes, they need to release a revised second edition, complete with apology!
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
LOL. Well, to be fair: they can always argue the book's main claim - re: Fredersdorf's business dealings with Pfeiffer about Kiekemal - is true, and documented by her. Just her conclusion that honest, honest Fritz upon hearing this was horrified, broke of relations with Fredersdorf and Fredersdorf died with a broken heart and grieving his lost honor has no basis whatsoever.
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
Yes, but they have to remove the libel even if it's not the main point! Also, your "honest, honest Fritz" reminds me that we need to tell them about the Polish coin dies. ;)
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
Don't we just. :) I was thinking that at the time, because her Fritz image is so traditionally Prussian, pre WWI almost, but that's understandable, given her age and the fact that most school books need a few decades to be updated. Also, anyone doing the amount of research she did for their local history (i.e. Kiekemal) without any academic training or payment, just out of enthusiasm, deserves respect.
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
Agreed. That's why I said in all seriousness we should not bother her if she is alive, and also that I blame her less for not finding the Leining correspondence. And to be fair, maybe the Prussian archives weren't searchable when Fahlenkamp was writing, either.
It's just a pity that she speculated so much there and so many other people copied the fact. Like you said, copying is endemic and hard to eradicate!
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
(I actually like both the literal meaning of "redliche Gesinnung" along with the non-literal one, because this whole thing is exonerating Fredersdorf from being dishonest! :D )
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
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Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
Monsieur et tres cher compere!
Ich habe dero zwei Schreiben vom 14te und 16te dieses richtig
erhalten. Bey Empfang der ersteren ist die Einlage an der König
sogleich besorget worden. Se. Mayt. haben dieselbe sehr gnädig
dürchgelesen, ünd mir befohlen Ihnen für dero redliche Gesin-
nüngen zü dancken.
Ha. HA! Fredersdorf is still writing to Fritz after the so-called "disgrace", and Fritz is replying very graciously. Died consumed with grief for his lost honor, my foot!
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
Monsieur et tres cher compere!
I received both of your letters from the 14th and the 16th. When I got the former, I immediately handed over the inserted page to the King. His Majesty has read through it very graciously and ordered me to thank you for your honest mindset.
Still working on a better modern equivalent to "redliche Gesinnung" than the literal one, which is a very 18th century expression, but "good intentions" isn't quite it. "Kind thoughts", maybe?
In any case: once you're through with all this, you could contact wikipedia immediately. *g* (And Fahlenkamp, while you're at it. Emmi Wegfraß was already an elderly lady when she wrote her book, she might be dead by now. Oh, and the guy who wrote the essay about Fredersdorf in Frankfurt an der Oder.) Now we have a primary source directly contradicting the slander!
ETA: Considering the letter to Fritz comes with a letter to Leining, it can't have been indiscreetly personal, but still, I'm sure Fredersdorf found a tactful way to convey "You're in my heart, please take care of yourself".
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
EXACTLY! The Fritz-Fredersdorf correspondence doesn't stop after April, we just don't have it! (I also suspect Wegfraß didn't know about Caroline Daum aka Mrs. Fredersdorf destroying letters.)
It also justifies the bleeding eyeballs and the decision to translate the whole Leining correspondence! Originally, when Kurrent was this super hard thing that I could do nothing with and Prinzsorgenfrei was short on time, I was just going to order the page that the box bills project refers to, but then I asked P if they would maaaaybe have time to browse through the rest and tell us if there's anything relevant to the slander, and they said they might, so I ordered the whole thing. And then it turned out that 1) Kurrent is doable with enough determination, 2) the correspondence wasn't just boring bureaucracy, there was all kinds of interesting news. And the rest is history!
Emmi Wegfraß was already an elderly lady when she wrote her book, she might be dead by now.
Yeah, I've been assuming she's dead, which is why I've referred to her in the past tense. But lol, my plan is to write the essay about Fredersdorf and Pfeiffer, get it published, then update Wikipedia to refer to it (an actual citation!), and def. send a copy to Buwert, with a note that he's welcome to forward it to Fahlenkamp if he likes. (I've never been in direct contact with Fahlenkamp, Buwert wrote to him on my behalf and forwarded me the response.)
ETA: Considering the letter to Fritz comes with a letter to Leining, it can't have been indiscreetly personal, but still, I'm sure Fredersdorf found a tactful way to convey "You're in my heart, please take care of yourself".
When you've been life partners for 25 years, you can say things like this that have meaning just between the two of you! <333
This has been a great triumph for the Justice for Fredersdorf Society. *waves society pom-poms*
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
Just for the interest of clarity, though: what we have documented is that she destroyed her own engagement letters from Fredersdorf towards the end of her life, at least that's what grandson Achim says. (I suppose some of these letters could have been between Fredersdorf and Fritz without Achim knowing the better if she didn't let him read them, of course, but he says those were the letters between her and Fredersdorf.)
Separately from this, there's the story of Fritz after Fredersdorf's death sending for his own letters, and Caroline either fobbing him with with only a few and claiming the rest were destroyed already, or telling him they were all destroyed already, and I can't remember which one, nor can I remember where among the many books I read that back in the day. (I do know where the Achim von Armin story is from, because that's in the Caroline post at Rheinsberg.)
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
In any case, even if we can't back up that claim, we no longer need to, thanks to Leining.
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
A quick search shows she would be 97 today. Not impossible, but even if she is alive and compos mentis, perhaps we should not bother her. (And I've never been able to track down contact info anyway, back when I wanted to see if I could ask her about that April 9 letter.) But everyone else is going to hear from me! (This is the essay I consider most notable and am most optimistic about finding a publisher for if I can ever finish it; whereas I sometimes wonder if there's enough of interest about Peter Keith's life to motivate anyone else.)
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
Me: She would be 97 if she's alive today, which she's probably not.
Her: What about the descendants?
Me: ROFL! Yes, they need to release a revised second edition, complete with apology!
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
It's just a pity that she speculated so much there and so many other people copied the fact. Like you said, copying is endemic and hard to eradicate!
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph
Aw, this is great <3
(I actually like both the literal meaning of "redliche Gesinnung" along with the non-literal one, because this whole thing is exonerating Fredersdorf from being dishonest! :D )
Re: Leining to Fredersdorf: Letter 10, first paragraph