Cecilia Mayer de Koch

Caecilia Mayer (dutch link) was the seventh of ten children, four boys and six girls. She was born in 1880 in Schifferstadt, Germany, and for reasons that are not known to me, she was at some point boarded with her uncle Isaac Mayer (dutch link) and his wife, who were childless.

She married Ludolf Koch sometime before 1908. He was born in Landstuhl, about 80 miles to the east. After the marriage, they lived in Landstuhl, and they had four children there: Hans, Werner, Trude, and Ilse.

Then came the second World War. Being Jewish, Ludolf and Caecilia, and their children Hans and Ilse decided to emigrate to Argentina. (Werner had died in 1930, and Trude was in the Netherlands.) I have found Caecilia on a list of passengers to Argentina, arriving in Aug 1938 at Buenos Aires with the ship “Madrid,” but have not been able to find proof of arrival for anyone else. But not all years are available in the database of  CEMLA (Centro de Estudios Migratorios Latinomericanos). It seems likely that Ludolf and Hans went earlier, and so are not covered in the database.

As with all emigrants, life was not easy. Ludolph’s health does not seem to have been good, several letters refer to health problems. In addition, they had the worry of what was happening to friends and relatives in the the war in Europe, and the mail was not that reliable. The following letter to Trude, her husband and mother-in-law shows some of the concerns.

Buenos-Aires, 22 April 1941

Dear children!
Dear Rosalie!

This is already the sixth week without a letter from you.  Think about how we feel.  Hopefully the transportation is the cause of the slow mail delivery.  Hopefully you are all healthy, so that that is not the cause.  We are so far all right.  The winter comes bit by bit with lots of rain, also at Easter, that has passed well, it poured.  Shortly before there were still two very hot days, 32C.  Suddenly it changed.  It is this awful climate, and so unhealthy.  One is lucky to get through it without a cold.  Papa has problems with his right eye, and is under doctor’s care.  His vision in that eye is very bad, so he has to be careful with the left one.  Fortunately he has no more pain, because that was very bad, and Papa is very impatient, as he is not used to being sick.

For the moment he is not allowed to read, until the doctor gives him glasses.  So I have to read him the newspaper as good as I can, and the radio has to be a substitute.  Ilse’s nose is finally also getting better, that was a protracted and for her so unpleasant business with sleepless nights, that her weak nerves again returned.  And no vacation at all during that time, as good as the people are, as stupid in hindsight, everyone thinks only of himself.  Hans and I are the most mobile, hopefully it stays that way.

Then only a few week later, Ludolf dies. The next letter brings the hard news,

Buenos-Aires, 11 May 1941

Dear children, dear Rosalie

We still didn’t receive a letter from you for May.  In our thoughts we are very much with you.  Hopefully you are healthy, and have received our letter, so you know what illnesses we had to through.  I, and Ilse also, had written to you , how Father was afflicted with serious eye problems, now we thought that everything would turn out OK, even though not totally, but it was far from us to think that he would be worse some day.  Anyway, then his heart was also not so good, and my dear sweet children and Rosalie, on Friday morning at 9 o’clock he died of a heart attack, without pain, without spasms.  You can imagine, how terrible this is for me and our children, so suddenly and unexpected, and I alone as I realized the frightful facts.  I was thinking, Father is sleeping, until I saw his left hand, which had become white.  I called Hans in, he ran to Mrs. Abraham, and she saw immediately what was unfortunately happening.  When Ilse came, although she had to come from far and the doctor, Ilse saw him still alive, he drew his last breath.  The funeral had to be already at 3 PM, because Saturday was close.  It was a horrible day and Friday with its difficult memories.  Another letter will follow.  I stop now with the sad news.

Caecilia lives 27 more years as a widow. She sees her daughter and granddaughter married, and even knows her first great-grandchild, who is born in Santiago, Chile. She dies in Buenos Aires in 1968 at age of 88. She is buried in the Cemeterio de Tablada in Buenos Aires.