This is a letter from James Blair to the children of Theresa Kohl Merten.  It is copied from Stella Roberts' genealogy compilation that she printed in March 1971.  I have tried to reproduce it exactly as she did without changing any spellings or grammatical errors.

                                                                                                                                          Nucla, Colorado
                                                                                                                                           April 1938


Dear (to children of Theresa Kohl Merten),
    
          When you were here last, I was telling you of things Aunt Kate told me about her life in the old country.  When they left, Aunt Kate was about fifteen and your mother was about six years old.  I never heard your mother speak much about it. 

          One of Aunt Kate's most cherished memories was that Queen Victoria sent a letter to Aunt Kate's Uncle, Dr. Pringel, on his good work as head master of a school in Hanover for fifty years.  They were near the same age and were playmates in childhood.  Aunt Kate was a firm believer in "Divine Right to Rule".  She did not claim to be of the nobility although she knew most of the names of the reigning families of Europe, back to the time of Charlemange.

          The Burbons of France, the Hohenzollerns of Prussia, the Hapsburgs of Austria and the romanoffs of Russia; all these she was acquainted with.  She often mentioned Prince Albert in Saxe-Conberg, but when learned some things of the King of Sweden, they seemed to take (?) the Royalty quite seriously but Napoleon put General Bernadotte on the (?) throne of Sweden and Norway.  Bernadotte was a son of a barrister in one of the smaller cities in France.  She seemed to feel badly because when Bismark in quoting a german Empire, the King of Hanover (?) was compelled to spend the rest of his life in the Court of France Joseph the King of Austria.

          When I ask her where she obtained so much information of the reigning family of Europe, she said she heard her Grandfather and his cronies talking in the great hall in the castle where he was often having his cronies to visit him.  This hass was a large room with a stone floor, with a great fireplace.  The logs were so large it took two or three men to bring them in once in a while.  The room had lots of animal's heads.  Two boars' heads, deer heads and mounted birds.  There were some foreign skins hanging on the walls.  Grandfather had hunted animals in foreign countries but Aunt Kate didn't know where in Asia or Africa.

          Their home she called a castle.  She said the walls were very thick of solid stone, there were a number of rooms in the upper story.  Their smoke house was connected with a  great fireplace.  From her description, there were several car loads of sausage and meats.  The Major Domo or the man who seemed to have charge of the people on the estate would sometimes take me into the smoke house and give the the most delicious sausage I ever tasted.

          There as a man, a shoemaker that worked a great deal for making shoes for the family and the servants.

          When they started for America although it was not a colony, a number of families clubbed together and chartered a vessel.  the vessel that was brought to them was not satisfactory.  My father being the most influential man among them started legal proceedings.  We were in Breamer Haven six weeks before we obtained a satisfactory vessel.

          When we arrived in America, everything seemed very strang; the little wooden houses, but we got along very well until my mother died.  Then my father married again.  It wasn't long until he died with cholera.  Father owned 160 acres of land in the heart of which is now known as Joliet, Illinois; also five lots where the Ft. Wayne Depot now stands.  We don't know what became of it.

          Your mother was placed in a family by the name of Lange.  The boys were put in an Orphan Asylum.  My step-mother died in poverty, the friends and advisors obtained all the linens and clothing of my father and mother.

          Mik Diversey was administrator.  Diversey Avenue in the north side of Chicago was named after him.

          Aunt Kate didn't know much about her father's brothers and sisters.  Her father was a younger son.  His share of the inheritance was sold.  The older son was to take possession of the home place.

          Your grandfather's body was laid in the hall for several days after he was dressed ready for burial.

          This is part of the things I remember.  There is lots more but I can't recall them at present.

Yours truly,
With love,
Uncle Jim      (James Blair, husband of Josie Merten)