🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Interesting books

JVA5th

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Not sure if these are anything of interest I believe they belonged to one of my great grandparents whom was a school teacher. One is German to English, other a story book. Side note my grandma and her siblings where always told they were Dutch which a few years ago a genetic test shows we are German so when her family migrated here for whatever reason they lied about being Dutch and it was never known till just a few years ago. So an interesting tidbit. I doubt these books are worth anything as they are a bit damaged and just school books I think. Though though others may enjoy taking a look and the story that the German to English on brings up.
 

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Not sure if these are anything of interest I believe they belonged to one of my great grandparents whom was a school teacher. One is German to English, other a story book. Side note my grandma and her siblings where always told they were Dutch which a few years ago a genetic test shows we are German so when her family migrated here for whatever reason they lied about being Dutch and it was never known till just a few years ago. So an interesting tidbit. I doubt these books are worth anything as they are a bit damaged and just school books I think. Though though others may enjoy taking a look and the story that the German to English on brings up.
Nice! I love old books!!
 

Upvote 2
I have a soft spot for old books. Unfortunately neither of these have any particular financial value. One is indeed a text book and the other is just a children’s story book.

The frontispiece on the first one reads: “Witter’s German-English Writing and Reading Primer and New First Reader for American Public Schools / New completely revised improved edition with many illustrations / Prepared by Teachers of the St Louis Public Schools / St Louis, MO / C. Witter Publisher and Bookseller 1922”.

The “Uncle Arthur” referred to on the “Bedtime Stories Volumes 5-8” was Arthur Stanley Maxwell (b. 1896 – d. 1970). He was an author, editor, and administrator of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. There were multiple volumes of these short simple children’s stories of morality and Christian values published over the years and I think the Volumes 5-8 collection first appeared in January 1930.

Incidentally, there were multiple reasons why emigrants arriving in America might not want to be known as German, particularly with the advent of WWI. The Netherlands had a fair-sized population of German nationals and vice-versa. Although the Dutch government managed to maintain its neutrality during the war there were still those who wanted ‘out’ as war loomed and sought refuge in America… both German nationals who didn’t share the German government’s military ambitions and Dutch nationals living in Germany who feared that Dutch neutrality might not be respected as the conflict escalated.
 

Upvote 4
I have a soft spot for old books. Unfortunately neither of these have any particular financial value. One is indeed a text book and the other is just a children’s story book.

The frontispiece on the first one reads: “Witter’s German-English Writing and Reading Primer and New First Reader for American Public Schools / New completely revised improved edition with many illustrations / Prepared by Teachers of the St Louis Public Schools / St Louis, MO / C. Witter Publisher and Bookseller 1922”.

The “Uncle Arthur” referred to on the “Bedtime Stories Volumes 5-8” was Arthur Stanley Maxwell (b. 1896 – d. 1970). He was an author, editor, and administrator of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. There were multiple volumes of these short simple children’s stories of morality and Christian values published over the years and I think the Volumes 5-8 collection first appeared in January 1930.

Incidentally, there were multiple reasons why emigrants arriving in America might not want to be known as German, particularly with the advent of WWI. The Netherlands had a fair-sized population of German nationals and vice-versa. Although the Dutch government managed to maintain its neutrality during the war there were still those who wanted ‘out’ as war loomed and sought refuge in America… both German nationals who didn’t share the German government’s military ambitions and Dutch nationals living in Germany who feared that Dutch neutrality might not be respected as the conflict escalated.
As always I appreciate the knowledge you throw out. Very well put and informative thank you so much.
 

Upvote 1
Another name for Germany is Deutschland so maybe it wasn't a lie that they were Dutch it could have been a language barrier and a bad translation of the actual meaning of where they were from. Also being German was not real popular after the war.
 

Upvote 3
Another name for Germany is Deutschland so maybe it wasn't a lie that they were Dutch it could have been a language barrier and a bad translation of the actual meaning of where they were from. Also being German was not real popular after the war.

Plus a lot of Germans ended up in Holland, when escaping religious persecution in Germany, before they acquired passage to the United States. Some were there for months some for years.

My family on dad's side were German and that was their path, but they maintained their German nationality. Funny my dad would end up stationed in Holland and marry a Dutch girl.

So this brings the question of. How long after living in a country before you consider yourself one?

Also there were ethnic Germans living in Holland along the border regions.

My Mom was Dutch born and raised, my dad descendants of Germans. But the DNA test my son took, shows a higher percentage of Germanic and Eastern European roots, but very little Dutch.
 

Upvote 3
I would not know a monetary value, but the family history value is like they say, "priceless". My wifes Great Grandmother was also a school teacher in the late 1800's, and we have 4 or 5 of her books as well. They are displayed in a china cabinet along with a pair of her "spectacles" and a few other pieces of her teaching memorabilia. You have some neat pieces of family history.
 

Upvote 3

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