Dear Eugene:
I cannot refrain from replying in a few lines to your letter dated the
16th of May, which came to hand on the 30th of June, although for two
reasons I am compelled to be brief. In the first place, because
Theresa is hurried in regard to dispatching the package tomorrow and,
secondly, because I am somewhat indisposed and compelled to pass the
greater part of the day lying on the sofa. This may be due chiefly
to the intolerable heat, from which I always suffer greatly, which is
greater this summer than I remember to have endured in all my life.
According to the newspapers this heat seems to have prevailed all over
Europe.
That I now have also in the new world a grand-child on your side is
very gratifying to me. In the old world my name will probably
become extinct, since Joseph's marriage has remained childless for some
years. In all probability Joseph will be placed in different circumstances
in the near future, more pleasing to himself than a lieutenantcy in
time of peace; it is also pleasing to me for the reason especially that
he will be nearer to me. It is the intention to have him
become a member of the railroad directorate, which will require him
to leave the army and make Hanover his domicile, although he will have
to spend a great part of the year in traveling. He is at the present
time in Stade in order to fetch his wife to Hanover.
That your business is prospering gives me pleasure, but in a letter
which your grandmother received lately there is a somewhat unintelligible
intimation that you intend to give it up, to go into the country and
there to carry on a wholesale business. As you make no mention
of this at all in your letter to me, I surmise the statement in part
at least rests upon a misunderstanding. Moreover, we have received
tonight evidence of your business activity of late, since Mr. Wisthof*
has sent us a small barrel of flour from the mill of Gauss and Weidner,
which Theresa greatly praises as better than any made here. By
chance at the same time we had received a jar of butter aus dem Altenlande
from Joseph's wife, -- so there was nothing wanting for an omelette
from my children in foreign countries but the eggs from William's chicken
coop.
We were very much pleased with the Daguerre picture which your dear
wife sent Theresa. The workmanship is better than I have ever
seen in any Daguerre picture made in Europe. theresa reciprocates
with two copies of her picture, which Mr. Angelroth will bring, one
for you and one for William. Besides he will bring at the same time
for the same distribution two lithographs of my portrait. They
were reporduced from an oil painting last winter, which was made here
six years ago. The original of this oil painting by a Copenhagen
artist got to St. Petersburg and a copy for Mr. Sartorius remained here
from which the lithograph was made. The picture was at that time
considered a very good likeness. Now I have probably become very
much unlike it.
I have also to thank you for the map of Missouri and Arkansas which
arrived at the same time with the picture. Grandmother has probably
written you that Ewald was married again last year.
With hearty wishes for your welfare, your affectionate Father,
C. F. Gauss.
Göttingen, August 9, 1846.
Collector's notes following transcription:
Charles Henry, first child of Eugene and Henrietta Gauss,
was born August 14, 1845, in St. Charles, Missouri, and was the grand-child
in the new world, referred to in first part of this letter.
Joseph Gauss, son of C. F. Gauss' first marriage, who
remained in Germany, later had a son, his only child, named Carl, who
is still living (1926) in Hameln, Germany.
Ewald, mentioned above, was the German Orientalist, who
first married Minna, C. F. Gauss' daughter by his first marriage.
Minna is said to have had a good deal of her father's mentality, but
died a few years after her marriage to Ewald. Ewald married again,
as stated in above letter.
C. F. Gauss' second wife was also named Minna, and her
daughter was named Theresa. Her sons were Eugene and William,
who both came to America. Theresa married after her father's death.
After her death her husband married again and it is worthy of note that
his second wife in her will had the fairness to return to the Gauss
family the property or a portion of it that had come from that source,
a fairness not always shown. Thus Eugene Gauss after many years
received from Germany a small additional inheritance, as his share of
this returned property.
*Note from Dorris Keeven: this should be "Westhoff"