Edward William LANGEHEINEKEN

                       The following two letters in possession of Virginia Heineken Koons, were  written by Edward Heineken, who lived in New York, to his cousin William Heineken, living in Kansas. The spelling and punctuation leave much to be desired.
                               GLOBE PIPE WORKS
                               58 & 60 Fulton St.
                                   New York
                                                             Mch 30, 1910
Mr. Wm. Heineken
Nortonville, Ks.

Dear Sir:
    I believe you are a cousin of mine. Was your father's name August & your mother Helena. (Actually Helena was his sister. His mother was Caroline.)
    If you are the right fellow let me know who we are as my Father was a brother of your father. Did you father have a farm near Leavenworth where a little cousin 6 years old got hurt on the farm. If so you ought to know how he got hurt and about when.
    Please let me hear from you by return mail & identify yourself for I believe you are a cousin of mine.
                                   Yours Truly,
                                /s/ Edw. L. Heineken
                                 % Globe Pipe Works
                                 58 Fulton St. N.Y.
Dec 20, 1914
My Dear Cousin Will:
    We have received your welcome letter which you started on July 19 and ended on Aug 19 and I assure we were very glad to hear from you, knowing you were all well at home.
    Sorry to hear your corn crop was a failure but hope it did not prove out in the end as bad as you thought it would.
    You are right in your statement that it is 48 years since we were living in Leavenworth as my folks went there from New York in 1866 and I am pretty sure that it was the summer of 1866 that I was on the farm of your father's on a visit when I was kicked in the head by your pony. I can remember that distinctly as if it only happened yesterday. I tickled him between the legs with a switch & he kicked up and down. I was, I can see myself running to your mother & father I believe they were picking worms from off of the Tobacco plants. After that my memory seems to be clogged until I awoke in bed and you at my bedside handing me violin I believe was yours, to enjoy myself with.
    The Photograph of my wife I will send you by this mail no doubt you will receive this by Christmas. We have not decided going to the Panama Exposition next year, if we do will surely give you a visit on our way back.
    We have been requested to have our two youngest boys sit for their Photograph & send it to the Temple of Childhood Panama Exposition for exhibition as they will issue prizes for the most perfect speciman of childhood of each state. If any of you folks should go there why look up their Photo's in the Temple of Childhood over the names of Victor & Philip Heineken. As for the war I tell you that's fierce. We can thank our stars we are not involved in this terrible disaster (worlds disaster) I dare say, but just think of our relatives in Germany of which there are many what misery they must go through and if they will ever come home again think of their Christmas this year. I tell you Will it is sad when you think of them all and England (John Bull) is the cause of it all that selfish braggard nation that it is and allways was history tells you that. The whole of the English Press is prejudised against the German blood and it is high time that the Germans & their offspring stand together.
    If you want impartial news (The Truth) you don't want to read an English Newspaper. I have stopped buying the English Newspapers ever since the end of August. I now read the New York Staatzeitung a German paper the biggest German paper printed in the U.S. I follow the war news very closely & find that this newspaper gives the public the truth. That's what we want. No fake news such as pass through the British censors. I sincerely hope the German race wins out & I feel most positive they will just see if my prediction will not be verified. It certainly would be a pitty to see such an ambitous and cultivated race such as the Germans are the way through subjected to the barbarism of these barbarians that is just what these hords are.
    I know them well because I come in contact with them every day of my life. We have them in our own family. My own brothers wife is an English woman born in England. I told him that he would be sorry if he married her and believe me she just sits on him and what's more she tries her level best to keep us brothers apart all in a diplomatic way of course. The same as the rest of the Kind of her tribe do use (diplomacy) but rotten diplomacy.
    Why most Englishmen do not become citizens of our country for fear they may be called on some day to fight against old England.
    We have a large number of German steamers tied up here in Brooklyn ever since the War started amongst them. The largest steamer in the World they call it the Fatherland (Vaterland).
    My wife is stringing popcorn for our Christmas tree while I am writing this to you. We have allways had a Christmas tree in our family ever since I was born & we are keeping up the custom it is a beautiful tree. I'd like you to see it there is about 48 yards of stringed popcorn on it besides 125 of glass ornaments & besides candy & cake figures gold & silver tinsel galore & 72 candles when they are all burning it is a beautiful sight. If I can have a friend of mine to take a snap picture of it I will send you one.
    Your wife requested the oldest boy Edwards photo but I haven't any that I could spare just at present and as he is not home with us now, I am unable to comply with your wish until sometime in the future. He is gone to Porto Rico, he likes to see the world. My brother Victor also has been to the Philipines for 3 years and at the time of the Boxer troubles in China he also has been there at Tieutsin & Pekin.
    He was a member of the 25th coast Artillery and when the Navy he was aboard the old Kearsarge when she went down or rather wrecked off Rancoder Reef Carribean Sea.
    Did any of your boys ever serve under Uncle Sam & if so please mail me particulars as I heard my brother say that there was a young man by our name during that Spanish Am. War belonging to some regiment at Tampa, Fla. and meant to look him up but lost track of him.
    Now Will I am not going to bore you any longer and it is also time to go to bed it is 12:50 a.m. 10 minutes to 1 and my Matilda wifey wants me to go bed so I will call close for the time and hoping these very few lines find you and all of your family in good health as it leaves us and also we all wish you All of you a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year and also many many more to come.      From your cousin
                                  Edward L. Heineken
                                  344 85 Str
                                  Brooklyn, N.Y.
P.S. Let us hear from you very soon. Don't be as slow as I am in writing. You've got lots of time in winter.