Loving letters across a century:

The Brandenburgers were a very loving family. They were also avid letter writers.

Their letters provide a vivid picture of the life and love of a small family across a century from the early 1900s - as they fled civil unrest in Russia, lived through two wars, experienced depression, starvation, love and death.

The letters kept the family together and in them they share everyday life, their dreams and their love. The collection is large, with thousands of pages of correspondence across four generations of the family.

The story starts in Larvik in 1914 where the small Brandenburger family ended up because of civil unrest in St Petersburg, Russia. It then follows their lives in Germany through the depression and the second world war and into the 1970s.

Letters from all members of the family were shared and kept - a family practice that started with the first letters in 1914 and continued across the generations, with the final letters in the collection dating to 2016.

At the heart of the collection are letters between Meta Brandenburger (1870-1955) and her daughter Edith (1900-1981). Edith migrated to Australia in 1929 where she joined Sverre Eriksen (1898-1980), whom she had met in Larvik. Edith and her mother wrote to each other nearly once a week from the early 1920s until Meta’s death in 1953. Edith’s daughter Marie (1936-2023). Marie not only wrote countless letters to her parents, she also kept nearly every letter she received throughout her life.

There are also countless photographs and other artifacts dating back to the late 19th century.

The volume of material is large and it will take time to process and publish. Please contact me if you have questions, feedback or are interested in more information.