Major Rathbone's accomodation in Hannover

[Eva Elisabeth]

After returning from Hannover I emailed the "Niedersãchsisches Landesarchiv" again, casting my doubts on their former statement and asking for documented evidence. By now I just got the formal answer they will double-check.

Today I received a letter from the director of the “Niedersächsisches Landesarchiv”, Dr. Rügge, saying:
”According to your additional request, I must, much to my regret, revise my staff’s previous statement and inform you that in 1882/1883 no US Consul is recorded in the ‘printed register of foreign consuls in the German Empire, record Hannover 122a, Nr.235.’ I can neither verify nor deny Mr Rathbone had already obtained such a title in the US before.”

To summarize:
-Rathbone is not mentioned in the records of the “Niedersächsisches Landesarchiv”
-in the records of 'assigned consuls to Hannover' filed in the “Stadtarchiv Hannover” the decisive pages (years 1882/1883) are completely missing
-in both, Clara’s and Henry’s, death reports and internment register entries Rathbone’s recorded profession is “Oberst a. D.” (=Major off duty).

I wonder what made him choose Hannover if he didn’t go there for duty. Carlsbad is far away (and Europe’s most interesting places, too). Did he know someone in Hannover?