From website:
http://w3g.med.uni-giessen.de/gene/reg/WELT/usa.html#gener
---------------------------------------------------------------
History
Germans arrived in America during 3 broadly-drawn periods:
?1683-1820
This emigration was largely caused by religious persecutions following from
the changes wrought by the Thirty Years War, and by economic hardship. M
any were Protestants from the Palatinate area of Germany.
?1820-1871
Economic hardships, including those caused by unemployment, crop failure
and starvation, was the primary cause of emigration during this period,
in combination with wars and military service. Most of the emigrants came from
Alsace-Lorraine, Baden, Hessen, Rheinland, and Württemberg.
?1871-1914
Emigration became more affordable during this period, as well as much more
common. All areas of Germany contributed, including Prussia.
Swiss Information
Mostly most of the Bucks Co. and Montgomery Co. Mennonites (and sects close to
them) have large genealogy books associated with them. One such name is Hunsicker. I know of the arrival of the
Billander Thistle in 1738. I have several ancestors who arrived
then on the same boat (off hand an Oberholtzer I think), although not my Hunsicker
ancestor, Valentine (1700-1771). This is what I know of the family.
Valentin Hunziker arrived with his maternal grandfather, Valentin Klemmer,
in 1717. I am on a tangent right now with some Klemmer information and I believe that this
Valentin Klemmer is related to all the other Clemmers in Montgomery/Bucks Counties via
some baptismal records in Germany.
For those who are interested, Klemmer is not, I repeat, NOT a Swiss
name. There is however Klimmer and Klymer. I have found an on-line record of
Klimmers which might be related. My research in Switzerland was half fruitful (it is
partially on my site). Contrary to “lore”, Valentin Hunziker could not be from
Zurich. He might have said that at the time and the mystery was solved when Zurich
archives informed me in their quaint yet firm Swiss way that the Canton of Argau split off
from Zurich in the 19th century. Thus all Zurich archives of the area which split off
where transferred to Aarau (capital of Argau). I was lucky to get permission to consult
archives in that Canton, which was no easy feat. It took a month of negociation while I
was in Switzerland a few years back (I went three summers in a row).
Regarding Hunziker. It comes from the village of Hunziken
which is in Canton Luzerne. The family left, adopted the name Hunziker,
which means “of Hunziken” in Swiss German. No one surnamed “Hunziker”
would be found in Hunziken proper, the name would only be adopted after people left to
express where they were “FROM” so to speak.
The Hunzikers spread down the valley (north) through two
tributaries. I was able to consult all village records in one of the valleys.
Unfortunately there was absolutely no Valentin (or Valentyn) Hunziker. There are
hundreds of Hunzikers. In one town alone, they were ALL Hunziker it
is such a common name, and still is. The whole area looks a bit too much like Lancaster
Co. It was very weird. Valentin is fortunately not a common name reason why I kept
up empty-handed. I also was able to tackle the records in the mountain village between the
two valleys. A map
of this is on my site.
Beyond that I cannot give you more information on my particular line. I know he is not
from Canton Zurich, he is not from the western valley. Thus he may have been from the
eastern valley (he said that he was born in Switzerland).
He arrived in 1717 with his maternal grandfather, his parents having already died. One
assumes from this that he had no siblings otherwise the grandfather would by all rights
have tried to bring the whole family over (but that’s an assumption on my part).
If the other people, your line, would have arrived in America being of the same family,
they should have by all rights settled in PA which doesn’t seem to be the case. As PA
was filling up then, many people did not stay unless they had
relatives. That’s the general pattern I have found in my research.
Beyond that, I did consult the Hunziker book in Aarau. No
Valentine in the index. Since my German is not that good, I could not do better.
Another point which might be of particular interest to people wishing to do Swiss
research. One is born a city of the village or city of one’s father. Thus it is
entirely plausible that Valentine Hunsicker (or any other Swiss person) would say “I
was born in (any town)” and having been born halfway across the country. It’s
the indirectness of Swiss people which might lead to a problem in communication. Place of
Origin (Ort) determines a lot, not actual place of birth. Thus my Valentine could have
been born in Germany and said he was Swiss, because he was. I have a close personal friend
who lives in Zurich (actually, ex-girlfriend, and we still quite close). In her Swiss
passport is it written “Schaffhausen”. She was born in California (which is
marked in her American passport). Her father was born in the midwest somewhere, to Swiss
parents from Schaffhausen. But Marlies would say in response to the question “where
are you from” “Schaffhausen”. I have another particular friend who is from
“Kleinandelfingen”, but has only been there once. His great-great grandfather
was from there and no one in the family speaks German today, but French (they live in the
French part). They all say “Kleinandelfingen”, even his divorced mother who took
his father’s place of origin as there is a stipend you receive upon retirement, and
there is more there.
So my research is not done. Sorry to be long-winded, but I thought this might help you (or
anyone else).
Michel Platt-Metford e-mail: [email protected]
(http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/simunye)
Metford One-Name Study (2724)
