der Staats-Anzeiger Letters

In previous posts to this blog it was explained that many of the Germans from Russia wrote letters to the German language newspaper der Staats-Anzeiger as an easy way to communicate with their friends and former neighbors. This North Dakota newspaper was distributed widely in South Russia, Argentina and throughout areas of the United States where these immigrants settled. My grandfather, Joseph John Merck, was a frequent correspondent as were his Eberle brothers-in-law. As a volunteer working with the project of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society to translate letters from the newspaper archives, I attempt to locate those written by relatives. The latest letter I discovered was written July 15, 1912, shortly after the Merck family arrived in the United States from Argentina. I think it is unusual that this letter makes no mention of that journey, so I believe there may be other letters yet to be discovered that were written about the same time. These letters are available online at the GRHS website to members of that organization.