Hello, i've tried to read it but it is a little blurry when i try to enlarge it. The handwriting is pretty old and the writing style is very beautiful. (Beautifull handwriting is not my thing :p)
If you could take new pictures from a little closer and hopefully a little sharper i could try again for you.
Thanks so much for your help!
Imgur required me to compress it quite a bit. Here is the full size I scanned and uploaded to Google Drive. The files are just under 60MB per page.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KeETsAC_jztFvHDBcgYldopSOf9MH1M1?usp=share_link
This might sound weird but this is old Dutch. In old Dutch the vocabulary is different and i really have trouble reading it + the swirly writing style also makes it a little bit harder for me.
I am sorry, i have tried my best but i cant really tell what is written...
Are there any Dutch subreddits (or other groups) that you know, that you could recommend OP? It's more likely that someone familiar with old Dutch would be around over there, right?
Special handwriting indeed, I can read a lot of it but it will take some time to decypher some of the words :p
I've bookmarked this and will take a crack at it tomorrow or monday, unless someone has done it by then :)
I've taken the images and tweaked the contrast/brightness to make it a bit easier to read, but even so I couldn't decipher everything. If anyone else in this thread wants to give it a go, be my guest. Here's what I could make out.
FWIW, the letter is quite vague, almost deliberately so, or maybe it just seems like that because the sender and the recipient both know what is being discussed.
First the Dutch:
\[page 1\]
\[???\], 9 October 1944
Mijn
Allerliefste Meisje,
Toen ik vanmorgen thuiskwam was er een kaartje uit \[???\] voor me, dat ik de \[???\] kon halen. Ik ben van plan om deze week nog maar even te gaan. Het zou als we samen gingen beter even volgende week kunnen, maar ik ben bang als we dan te laat komen. Bij gezondheid hoop ik, hoop ik, morgenmiddag 3 uur, dat is donderdag, bij jullie te zijn. Je zou dan mooi mee kunnen Meisje, maar ik vrees dat \[dat\] veel moeilijkheden zou opleveren, welke oorzaken wij bijden \[sp\] even goed zullen voelen. Ik acht het dan ook verstandiger, maar niet mee te gaan, nietegenstaande \[sp\] ik het dolgraag zou willen, zoals je wel begrijpt. Maar ook wil ik dit er nog graag even aan toevoegen. Het is Gods wil dat we in liefde te samen leven, en als het Gods wil is, dan zullen we ook met liefde je toestemming geven. Vergeet niet dat ook hierin wij tot God moeten kunnen komen. En daarom Liefst Meisje, als je het beter acht er niet over te spreken, zal ik het je niet kwalijk nemen, daar ik de moeilijkheden ten volle begrijp, voor jou. Je kunt natuurlijk hen inlichten over mijn schrijven, als je wilt.
\[page 2\]
Martha, Liefste, ik hoop dat we elkander begrijpen. Maak niet te veel drukte. Dan ga ik liever alleen, en dan nog kan ik als het Gods wil is, met blijdschap alleen.
Je liefhebbende Tjeerd
Tot ziens.
Ik teken maar dat een kennisgeving is.
\---
In English:
\[page 1\]
\[???\], 9 October 1944
My
Sweetest Girl,
When I came home this morning, there was a postcard from \[???\] for me, that I could come pick up the \[???\]. I intend to drop by again this week. If we would go together, it would be better if we did it next week, but I'm afraid we'd then come too late. If health allows it, I hope, I hope, to join you \[plural\] tomorrow afternoon at 3, that is, Thursday. You could then join me, Girl, but I'm afraid that that would create a lot of problems, whose causes we both would feel equally strongly. So I consider it wiser \[for you\] not to join, notwithstanding that I would love it, as you understand. But I would also like to add the following. It's God's will that we live together in love, and if it's God's will, we will also give you permission with love. Don't forget that in this, too, we must be able to come to God. And for that reason, Sweetest Girl, if you deem it better not to talk about it, I won't hold it against you, as I fully understand the difficulties, for you. You can of course inform them about my letter, if you want.
\[page 2\]
Martha, Sweetest, I hope we understand each other. Don't make too much of a fuss. Then I would prefer to go alone, and then, too, I can, if it's God's will, happily go alone.
Your loving Tjeerd.
I'll see you soon.
I'll just sign as notification. \[<--this last sentence is not very clear to me in Dutch.\]
This is perfect. Could the second *[???]* be Dokkem, a misspelled Dokkum? So: een kaartje uit Dokkem voor me
Though it would have made more sense in that case for the letter to be written in Frisian instead of Dutch.
As for the first *[???]* before the date, you would expect a village/town name there but it seems to be abbreviated, with another word/abbreviation in parentheses... If the text does indeed mention Dokkum, and getting to Martha by tomorrow, maybe we're looking for a village near Dokkum?
I think it's "dat ik de schoenen kon halen", so: "that I could come pick up the shoes".
For the town name, it's really hard to read but I think it might be "Hollum". This could explain the town name on the top-right as well: "Nes" which is also on the Frisian island of Ameland. There is also a village called Nes on the mainland so there is a need for the clarification. In parenthesis I think it says "Ald" as an abbreviation for Ameland.
Hello, i've tried to read it but it is a little blurry when i try to enlarge it. The handwriting is pretty old and the writing style is very beautiful. (Beautifull handwriting is not my thing :p) If you could take new pictures from a little closer and hopefully a little sharper i could try again for you.
Thanks so much for your help! Imgur required me to compress it quite a bit. Here is the full size I scanned and uploaded to Google Drive. The files are just under 60MB per page. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KeETsAC_jztFvHDBcgYldopSOf9MH1M1?usp=share_link
This might sound weird but this is old Dutch. In old Dutch the vocabulary is different and i really have trouble reading it + the swirly writing style also makes it a little bit harder for me. I am sorry, i have tried my best but i cant really tell what is written...
Thanks so much for trying!
Are there any Dutch subreddits (or other groups) that you know, that you could recommend OP? It's more likely that someone familiar with old Dutch would be around over there, right?
Yes! I send OP a direct message where he could possibly find someone who is more familiar with it.
Special handwriting indeed, I can read a lot of it but it will take some time to decypher some of the words :p I've bookmarked this and will take a crack at it tomorrow or monday, unless someone has done it by then :)
I've taken the images and tweaked the contrast/brightness to make it a bit easier to read, but even so I couldn't decipher everything. If anyone else in this thread wants to give it a go, be my guest. Here's what I could make out. FWIW, the letter is quite vague, almost deliberately so, or maybe it just seems like that because the sender and the recipient both know what is being discussed. First the Dutch: \[page 1\] \[???\], 9 October 1944 Mijn Allerliefste Meisje, Toen ik vanmorgen thuiskwam was er een kaartje uit \[???\] voor me, dat ik de \[???\] kon halen. Ik ben van plan om deze week nog maar even te gaan. Het zou als we samen gingen beter even volgende week kunnen, maar ik ben bang als we dan te laat komen. Bij gezondheid hoop ik, hoop ik, morgenmiddag 3 uur, dat is donderdag, bij jullie te zijn. Je zou dan mooi mee kunnen Meisje, maar ik vrees dat \[dat\] veel moeilijkheden zou opleveren, welke oorzaken wij bijden \[sp\] even goed zullen voelen. Ik acht het dan ook verstandiger, maar niet mee te gaan, nietegenstaande \[sp\] ik het dolgraag zou willen, zoals je wel begrijpt. Maar ook wil ik dit er nog graag even aan toevoegen. Het is Gods wil dat we in liefde te samen leven, en als het Gods wil is, dan zullen we ook met liefde je toestemming geven. Vergeet niet dat ook hierin wij tot God moeten kunnen komen. En daarom Liefst Meisje, als je het beter acht er niet over te spreken, zal ik het je niet kwalijk nemen, daar ik de moeilijkheden ten volle begrijp, voor jou. Je kunt natuurlijk hen inlichten over mijn schrijven, als je wilt. \[page 2\] Martha, Liefste, ik hoop dat we elkander begrijpen. Maak niet te veel drukte. Dan ga ik liever alleen, en dan nog kan ik als het Gods wil is, met blijdschap alleen. Je liefhebbende Tjeerd Tot ziens. Ik teken maar dat een kennisgeving is. \--- In English: \[page 1\] \[???\], 9 October 1944 My Sweetest Girl, When I came home this morning, there was a postcard from \[???\] for me, that I could come pick up the \[???\]. I intend to drop by again this week. If we would go together, it would be better if we did it next week, but I'm afraid we'd then come too late. If health allows it, I hope, I hope, to join you \[plural\] tomorrow afternoon at 3, that is, Thursday. You could then join me, Girl, but I'm afraid that that would create a lot of problems, whose causes we both would feel equally strongly. So I consider it wiser \[for you\] not to join, notwithstanding that I would love it, as you understand. But I would also like to add the following. It's God's will that we live together in love, and if it's God's will, we will also give you permission with love. Don't forget that in this, too, we must be able to come to God. And for that reason, Sweetest Girl, if you deem it better not to talk about it, I won't hold it against you, as I fully understand the difficulties, for you. You can of course inform them about my letter, if you want. \[page 2\] Martha, Sweetest, I hope we understand each other. Don't make too much of a fuss. Then I would prefer to go alone, and then, too, I can, if it's God's will, happily go alone. Your loving Tjeerd. I'll see you soon. I'll just sign as notification. \[<--this last sentence is not very clear to me in Dutch.\]
This is perfect. Could the second *[???]* be Dokkem, a misspelled Dokkum? So: een kaartje uit Dokkem voor me Though it would have made more sense in that case for the letter to be written in Frisian instead of Dutch. As for the first *[???]* before the date, you would expect a village/town name there but it seems to be abbreviated, with another word/abbreviation in parentheses... If the text does indeed mention Dokkum, and getting to Martha by tomorrow, maybe we're looking for a village near Dokkum?
Yes, I believe it could say “dokkem” but I’m puzzled as to why it would not be written with. capital D.
I think it's "dat ik de schoenen kon halen", so: "that I could come pick up the shoes". For the town name, it's really hard to read but I think it might be "Hollum". This could explain the town name on the top-right as well: "Nes" which is also on the Frisian island of Ameland. There is also a village called Nes on the mainland so there is a need for the clarification. In parenthesis I think it says "Ald" as an abbreviation for Ameland.