trahr

English translation: chest of drawers

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Trahr
English translation:chest of drawers
Entered by: Timoshka

03:30 Feb 4, 2021
German to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - History
German term or phrase: trahr
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? :-)
Timoshka
Local time: 04:31
chest of drawers
Explanation:
https://books.google.ca/books?id=HSbaAAAAMAAJ&q=trahr chest&...
Selected response from:

Johanna Timm, PhD
Canada
Local time: 02:31
Grading comment
Vielen herzlichen Dank! :-)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +2chest of drawers
Johanna Timm, PhD
2 +1Tracht
British Diana


Discussion entries: 7





  

Answers


6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Tracht


Explanation:
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!

British Diana
Germany
Local time: 10:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
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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1 day 17 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
chest of drawers


Explanation:
https://books.google.ca/books?id=HSbaAAAAMAAJ&q=trahr chest&...

Johanna Timm, PhD
Canada
Local time: 02:31
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 60
Grading comment
Vielen herzlichen Dank! :-)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ulrike Kraemer
12 hrs

agree  Z-Translations Translator
8 days
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