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Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

Trahr

English translation:

chest of drawers

Added to glossary by Timoshka
Feb 4, 2021 03:30
3 yrs ago
30 viewers *
German term

trahr

German to English Social Sciences History
The following is from an 1821 Last Will and Testament, written in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The following bequest to the testator's wife was mentioned:

"Weitter geb und vermach ich an mein weib Catarina ihr trahr, ihr bet mit bettlad, ein Disch, ein Kuh ihre wahl, zwey stühl, die Hausuhr, den kleinen roroffen Mit dem rohr und dan Kitchengescherr so viel sie Nötig hat vor sich…”

As far as I know, "trahr" is not a German word nor even a Pennsylvania German word, so I can only assume it's a Germanized loan word from English. I looked at several English-language wills from this area in this time period, and found that the wife was usually left a bed, a chest of drawers, a table and chair(s), cooking implements and a cow. (There are, of course, variations on the theme!) Anyway, I'm wondering if "trahr" could be a phonetic rendering of "drawer," as in "chest of drawers"???? I can't think of anything else this might refer to.

Any suggestions? :-)
Proposed translations (English)
3 +2 chest of drawers
2 +1 Tracht

Discussion

Timoshka (asker) Feb 4, 2021:
Addendum... I also should mention that the appearance of an English loan word could be expected. After all, the writer also uses the words: Blacksmith, for (instead of für), Executors, and singul/singull (=single).
Timoshka (asker) Feb 4, 2021:
@ Steve Robbie That's just it. Everywhere else, the writer uses "ch" for that sound, e.g. schwach, Nemlich, machen, vermach, Erstlich, hernach, etc. etc. etc. And the writing (although the spelling is inconsistent) is really quite neatly done. While looking over the document again, I looked at the word "trahr" and notice that in the next line, the writer mentions "...den kleinen roroffen Mit dem rohr..." The formation of the letters in "rohr" matches exactly to the last four letters of "trahr." Then I noticed that the o's and a's are virtually indistinguishable out of context, so perhaps the word was intended to be "trohr." This, again sounds like a phonetic rendering of the English word "drawer." There is definitely no "u" in the word, as the middle vowel is closed and does not have the curved sweep above it, as all of his u's do.
Steve Robbie Feb 4, 2021:
Just wondering... how, elsewhere, does the writer render the standard German "ch" sound? This might give you a clue as to whether the "h" in trahr can or cannot be read as the "ch" in Tracht.

The other clue is that, whatever this thing is, it was already hers ("ihr") before it is bequeathed to her. Which makes both Truhe and Tracht feasible, but renders "[chest of] drawers" less plausible.
philgoddard Feb 4, 2021:
Yes, there's a strong chance it's Truhe Trousseau.
Timoshka (asker) Feb 4, 2021:
@ Elisabeth Kissel That would certainly make sense in context. However, the handwriting (unlike the spelling!) is quite good. The writer carefully wrote each letter as clearly as possible, and ended up with "trahr"... Maybe I'll just include a footnote and present my theory and yours as possibilities. I'm not sure there's any way to figure it out with certainty.
Elisabeth Kissel Feb 4, 2021:
Maybe 'Truhe'? Just a guess...
Timoshka (asker) Feb 4, 2021:
I forgot to include my translation of the passage above: "Further, I give and bequeath to my wife, Catarina, her "trahr," her bed with bedstead, a table, a cow of her choice, two chairs, the house clock, the small stove with the pipe, and then kitchen dishes, as many as she needs for herself..."

Proposed translations

+2
1 day 17 hrs
Selected

chest of drawers

Peer comment(s):
agree Ulrike Kraemer
12 hrs
agree Z-Translations Translator
8 days
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Vielen herzlichen Dank! :-)"
+1
6 hrs

Tracht

As a word phonetically and orthographically it would fit quite well. Tracht as a kind of expensive clothing (Sunday best) that for some reason the husband thinks belongs to him- perhaps he paid for it? Yes, I'm guessing!
Peer comment(s):
agree Z-Translations Translator : It looks closer than Truhe. Is trahr misspelled here or old accent of Tracht?
32 mins
I hear that the medieval writing would have been traht which is more like what we have here.
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