This collection consists of twenty-eight letters written by Heinrich Diederichsen while in Germany, to his brother Anton and his father Detlef, who emigrated from Germany to Payette, Idaho in 1892. Heinrich's letters span the period of 1895 to 1920 and are written in Sutterlin, a gothic handwriting style of Old High German.

Heinrich's letters reflect the writings of a well-educated and introspective man. His letters discuss a broad array of topics, such as family matters, the economy, immigration, World War I, and his opinion of the United States.

Folders 1-29 contain Heinrich's letters to his brother and father. Folder 30 contains obituaries from the Payette Independent , which yield information about the Diederichsen family. Folder 30 contains a handwriting chart aimed to aid researchers when reading  Sutterlin Deutsch  (Pages photocopied from Dippman, Gerda,  A Practical Review of German Grammar , 1987.)

Source: Generous time and research by Renate Posthofen, USU Professor of German.