To the group,

I have just come into possession of an old letter that a cousin found in her fathers effects after his death 2 years ago. I am not certain, but I believe it could be written in Carpatho-Rusyn. Our family is from the area near Lyuta in Subcarpathian Rus', now in NW Ukraine. My Aunt said that we spoke Ruthenian, but I believe that is the same thing, basically, as Carpatho-Rusyn.

I am attaching 4 photos that my cousin sent me of the 2 sheets written on both sides. I would sure appreciate if anyone out there could help me to get this translated.

Sincerely,

Nick Kornuta

pg3:

where we resettled now is called Komorniki. And now I am greeting very nicely my auntie Katrena and, if still lives, my uncle and their sons; very cordially greeting my uncle Ivan Mostsivski [maybe, not very clear last name] with his family. And, my dear (female)friend, please let know all our country people there that we all are resettled to the West and we don't know how our life will go, how God will give us life in this world.

And now, my dear (female)friend, I am asking you as you receive this my letter, please write me about your life and things and what you can hear there in  Hameryka [it's how they called America!] any news. Because for us it is such news that never happened that people were torn away from their dear soil, where they were born and grown up. It is very difficult but what God gives ...

pg4:

we have to accept. Because some can't even step over the threshold without the God's will. Once more, my dear (female)friend, I am greeting very kindly and open heartedly you and your kids, and greeting Stefan Draban with family, and greeting Lukach Chanas [or Khanas] with wife and kids - very kindly and open heartedly.

Now I don't know anymore what to write you because I am not sure if you will receive this my letter. So I am asking you kindly write me back something as soon as possible, as you receive it.

My dear (female)friend Yustyna, please greet all my relatives. And now I am writing you my detailed address.

[Polish: ]

Village Komorniki, post Roje

county Legnica, Dolny S'lon'sk [Lower Silesia]

voivodstvo Brieslauv [should be Wroclaw]

Hi Elizabeth,

Let me try my best. Here is the first portion please.

Notes:

- Not easy to read, it's like a long spaghetti - no punctuation, no names uppercasing. Looks like grammar was very weak in her school;

- But I have to stress that the Author is very politely expressing herself. Very nice for the Lemko highlander woman with elementary school grammar level! It is because I've used "(female)friend" - "pryiatel'ka" in original, for male would be "pryiatel'";

- Please do not judge harshly my amateur effort for 'bumpy' sentences - I an not a "certified translator" or an English editor;

- English is not my mother tounge, not even ESL but rather a 3rd/4th language.

Letter back:

Sender:

Ksena Shirin

village Komorniki, PostOff Roje, county Legnica, voivodship Wroclaw

Translation from Lemko-Rusyn

pg1:

Letter written 1947 07 13th day

First of all Glory Be to Jesus Christ, my dear (female)friend Yustyna. I am writing you couple of words with which I want to greet you very kindly and open heartedly from my husband and children, wishing you better luck, than we have. I am notifying you that we do not live in our homes as we were resettled to the West.   

[unclear word] carried us around and moved us out in four days by train and assigned just several families in one-one village. They did not put us in one village but not very far from each other - so we can see each other mostly on Sundays. I don't know anything about your sister Maryna but will write you as soon as I learn something.

Letting you know, my dear (female)friend, that we were hit by big and sad grief: we sow the fields at home but left everything behind without piece of our own bread; we had not received anything so far and don't know if will get any help.

pg2: (to be continued, time permitting)

Hi Elizabeth,

That letter is written in Rusyn, definite Lemko dialect (with some 'rusynized' Polish words).  Only the sender address on envelope's back and at the letter end are in Polish. It was sent from Legnica region, Lower Silesia (north of CZ-PL border). The author in 1947 is using both new PL Wroclaw and wrong  GER Brieslaw (should be Breslau) province center names.

Google translate won't be able to process it. I can try to help you deciphering the content.

Cheers,

Petro Z  

Hello, My name is Elizabeth Nicholson and a gentleman contacted me through Family Search.  He has in his possession a letter addressed to my grandmother, Justinia Pronko.  He sent me the 4 page letter plus the envelope (front and back) and I do not know what it says or even what language it is in.  I am uploading jpeg files of the letter - any help would be appreciated.  I tried google translate but kept getting error messages.  THANK YOU