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Bibliography of Reference Books on Swiss Genealogy

(most published in English)

Allen, Oliver H. "The German Palatines in North Carolina." North Carolina Booklet 4:12 (March [April] 1905): 9-27.

Ammann, Hektor. Historischer Atlas der Schweiz. Aarau, 1951.

Arbeitskreises Gelebte Geschichte. Erpresste Schweiz: Zur Auseinandersetzung um die Haltung der Schweiz im Zweiten Weltkrieg und um die Berichte der Bergier-Kommission. [The Extortion of Switzerland]. Edited by Arbeitskreises Gelebte Geschichte. 206 pages. 6"x8¼¼", paperback. 2002. #2052 $19.50

History is made by each generation, not just in the time of our ancestors. Sprechen Sie Deutsches? Here, written in German, is an account of the extortion of $1.2 billion from Switzerland partly as one of the results of the 1996-2001 Bergier Commission. Repetition of large lies doesn't make them true. Read here how a ruthless and aggressive campaign by some of America's less savory politicians and special-interest groups led to the extortion of a sum roughly equal to more than $600 from each and every Swiss family.

--------, La Suisse Face au Chantage: Son attitude en 1939-1945 Critiques des rapports Bergier [The Extortion of Switzerland]. Edited by Groupe de Travail Histoire Véécue. 200 pages. 6"x8¾¾", paperback. 2002. #2053 $19.50

With four national languages (German, French, Italian, and Romansh), Switzerland can be a complicated country. Parlez-vous français? This book is the French-language edition of Erpresste Schweiz (above), and for all French-speaking researchers offers a unique look at the workings of the modern-day Swiss, one of the most interesting countries in Europe.

Bernheim, G[otthardt] D[ellman]. History of the German Settlements and of the Lutheran Church in North and South Carolina, from the Earliest Period of the Colonization of the Dutch, German, and Swiss Settlers to the Close of the First Half of the Present Century. Philadelphia, 1872.

Boldt, Anreas, Werner Enninger, and Delbert L. Gratz. Mennonites In Transition From Switzerland To America: Emigrant and Immigrant Experience Anabaptist Documents. Morgantown, PA 1997.

This is a revised edition of a 1995 brochure titled From Bern, Switzerland, to Kidron and Bluffton, Ohio: Anabaptist Documents. It serves more as a teaching document than a data source document - for instance there is no index to the individuals named in the documents - but nevertheless is an interesting addition to the literature.

Bundesamt für Statistik. Eidgenössische Volkszählung 1990: Bevölkerungsentwicklung 1850-1990. Bern, 1992.

This is a statistical source book for all manner of Swiss data in the past 150 years.

Cobb, Sanford H. The Story of the Palatines: an Episode in Colonial History. New York: Putnam's Sons, 1897.

Diffenderffer, Frank Reid. "The German Exodus to England in 1709". Pennsylvania German Society. Proceedings and Addresses. PA: 7 (1897) 257-346.

Despite the title, which implies that only Germans were involved, this is an account of the entire 1709-1710 migration into England and then often to America of some 15,000 German-speaking folk from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Many Swiss were included, making up perhaps 5-10% of the total, and their experiences both good and bad affected subsequent Swiss migration patterns for generations.

Dill, Alonzo Thomas, Jr. "Eighteenth Century New Bern. A History of the Town and Craven County, 1700-1800, Part 1, Colonization of the Neuse." North Carolina Historical Review 22 (January 1945): 1-21.

--------, "Eighteenth Century New Bern. A History of the Town and Craven County, 1700-1800, Part 2, The Founding of New Bern." North Carolina Historical Review 22 (April 1945): 152-175.

--------, "Eighteenth Century New Bern. A History of the Town and Craven County, 1700-1800, Part 3, Rebellion and Indian Warfare." North Carolina Historical Review 22 (July 1945): 293-319.

--------, "Eighteenth Century New Bern. A History of the Town and Craven County, 1700-1800, Part 4, Years of Slow Development." North Carolina Historical Review 22 (October 1945): 460-489. (These four articles detail the 1710 settlement of New Bern, NC, which was heavily Swiss.)

Eichholz, Alice, ed. Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County & Town Sources. Salt Lake City, UT 1989 and subsequent editions.

Surprised to see a general-purpose research guide of only medium quality cited here? Keep in mind that the guide in front of you is only a guide, and that it is not possible for me to list any large percentage of the sources in American records which will help you identify the Swiss Heimat of your ancestor. The Red Book or similar general-purpose American research guides will help you find the America records which identify the date and place of birth of your Swiss ancestor.

Eidgenossenschaft Statistisch Amt. Schweizerisches Ortschaftenverzeichnis. 5 vol. Bern, 1967.

This enormous work gives detailed information about each place in Switzerland, large or small, such as the population and number of buildings.

Eshleman, Henry Frank. Historic Background and Annals of the Swiss and German Pioneer Settlers of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Lancaster, PA, 1917.

Faust, Albert Bernhardt. Guide to the Materials for American Research in Swiss and Austrian Archives. Washington, DC, 1916.

Faust, Albert B[ernhardt]. "Swiss Emigration to the American Colonies in the Eighteenth Century." American Historical Review 22 (October 1916): 21-44.

Faust, Albert Bernhardt and Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh. Lists of Swiss Emigrants in the Eighteenth Century to the American Colonies. 1918, 1920.

This is one of the seminal works on the 18^th century emigration of Swiss to America, with voluminous results on the names and origins of thousands of Swiss who came to America 1710-1800. The 1976 reprint edition contains an important appendix by Leo Schelbert entitled "Notes on Swiss Emigrants" which contains numerous corrections to the 1918 and 1920 volumes.

Gasser, Adolf. Die Territoriale Entywicklung der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft, 1291-1797. Aarau, 1932.

Genealogisch-Heraldische Gesellschaft der Regio Basel. Billeter-Sammlung: Julius Billeters genealogische Arbeiten, (Basel, Switzerland 2001).

This useful 74-page booklet includes the history (written in German) of Julius Billeter's research on some 3,750 Swiss families with 1,750 different surnames, together with a listing of the 67 abbreviations Billeter used for Christian names, and a key to his handwritten notations and abbreviations. The bulk of the booklet is an alphabetical listing of all 3,750 families, together with their place of origin, the earliest year Billeter traced their family to, and the number of pages of notes he made. Researchers can then easily turn to the microfilm copies of Billeter's notes which are available through the various Mormon Family History Library branches throughout the world. Please keep in mind that Billeter is best used as a guide and an index. In no sense is he to be used as a primary source or as a seasoned researcher. A much longer description is included in the section detailing those books on Swiss genealogy which are available from Picton Press.

Geographisches Lexikon der Schweiz.

In any good lexikon you expect to find information on a multitude of locations, usually the villages, towns, cities, etc. of an entire area. However, Geographisches Lexikon der Schweiz, with typical Swiss precision, carries the basic concept one step further. It contains a broad variety of information (topography, orthography, geology, climate, flora & fauna, culture, recent and ancient history, and much more) on all of Switzerland's villages, towns, cities, Gemeinde (the basic Swiss unit, sometimes a single village, sometimes a collection of several tiny communities), Berzirke (= counties) and Kantons (= states). In addition, it includes mountains, valleys, rivers and streams, etc. and then it goes on to cover Switzerland's industries, professions, population, etc. The inclusion of a number of minutely detailed maps adds significantly to its usefulness.

Finding your ancestor's Gemeinde is absolutely the first step in Swiss genealogical research, and for this purpose Geographisches Lexikon der Schweiz is an indispensable tool which you will use again and again. Want to know how many cows, horses, pigs, goats, sheep and beehives were in your ancestor's Gemeinde in 1876, 1886 and 1896? This is the book for you!

The book, as the title Geographisches Lexikon der Schweiz indicates, is entirely in German. Using it requires a German/English dictionary but not a great deal of familiarity with the German language. The bulk of genealogists interested in Switzerland, and we hope that this includes you, will find this reference one of those "wish I had known that a long time ago" sources. A much longer description is included in the section detailing those books on Swiss genealogy which are available from Picton Press.

Gratz, Delbert L. Bernese Anabaptists and their American Descendants. Being Mainly the History of those who Migrated to America in the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century. Scottsdale, PA, 1953.

Hall, Charles M. The Atlantic Bridge to Germany. Vol. 4 gives a map series covering Switzerland.

Hendren, Linville L. "De Graffenried and the Swiss and Palatine Settlement of New Berne, N.C." Trinity College Historical Papers 4 (1900): 64-71.

Hilty, Donald P., editor. Retrospectives on Switzerland in World War II. Picton Press: Rockport, ME. 2001.

First published in German in 1997 by the Neue Züürcher Zeitung and already in its second Swiss printing, this book now is available for the first time in English. Eight prominent Swiss authors and intellectuals have contributed to this insightful study of the Swiss mind and actions during one of the twentieth century's worst periods.

The well-known contributors include Hugo Bütler, Chief Editor of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, who examines the tension between neutral Switzerland and humanitarian Switzerland; Hans Schaffner, former Federal Councilor and President of Switzerland, who discusses Switzerland's foreign trade policy during World War II; as well as Professor Klaus Urner, who gives insights into neutrality and trade wars. Hans Senn, former General Chief of Staff of the Swiss armed forces, discusses the readiness of the Swiss Army in WWII; Professor Dietrich Schindler writes on how Swiss Neutrality was contested; and Professor Walther Hofer examines the question of just who prolonged WWII. Detlev F. Vagts, professor at Harvard Law School, discusses the interplay of International Law, Switzerland, and WWII, while Sigmund Widmer, former Mayor of Zürich, examines Switzerland's place in World War II.

Hocker, Edward W. Genealogical Data Relating to the German Settlers of Pennsylvania and Adjacent Territory: From Advertisements in German Newspapers Published in Philadelphia and Germantown, 1743-1800. Baltimore, MD 1980.

This 1935 manuscript identifies several thousand German-speaking immigrants, mostly to Pennsylvania, often including their birthplace in Germany or elsewhere. As discussed earlier in this Guide, some of these came directly from Switzerland while others are descendants of Swiss who emigrated to southern Germany in the 17^th and 18^th centuries.

Jacobs, Henry Eyster. "The German Emigration to America", Pennsylvania German Society. Proceedings and Addresses PA: 8 (1898) 31-150.

This is a broad and relatively good study of the entire German-speaking migration to the American colonies by both German and Swiss settlers.

Jacob, Arthur. Neues Schweizerisches Orts-Lexikon mit Verkehrskarte. Luzern, 1940.

This lexicon contains over 25,000 place names with canton and data on each, together with a key to an accompanying 4-sheet map sized at 1:225,000.

Jones, Henry Z Jr. The Palatine Families of New York: A Study of the German Immigrants Who Arrived in Colonial New York in 1710. 2 vol. Camden, Me.: Picton Press, 1995 (1985).

This is the seminal work on the 1710 immigrants to New York. The overwhelming majority of them were from Germany, but with some Swiss included.

Jones, Henry Z Jr. More Palatine Families: Some Immigrants to the Middle Colonies 1717-1776 and their European Origins Plus New Discoveries on German Families Who Arrived in Colonial New York in 1710. Rockport, Me.: Picton Press, 1999 (1991).

The sequel to Hank Jones'' The Palatine Families of New York contains a number of Swiss although, again, the overwhelming majority of these settlers were from Germany.

Jones, Henry Z Jr. and Lewis Bunker Rohrbach, Even More Palatine Families. 3 vol. Rockport, ME: Picton Press, 2002.

Volume 2 of this massive 3-volume work is devoted entirely to the Swiss and German settlers who came to North Carolina in 1710 in Christoph von Graffenried's party. If you are researching Swiss in North Carolina (or for that matter the 1710 emigration of German-speaking settlers to New York) this work is an absolute necessity. A much longer description is included in the section detailing those books on Swiss genealogy which are available from Picton Press.

Knapp, Charles, et al. Geographisches Lexikon der Schweiz. 6 vols. Neuenburg, Switzerland 1902. As the title indicates, this work is entirely in German.

This, one of the most comprehensive lexicons on Switzerland ever published, continues a tradition of meticulously detailed Swiss lexicons beginning in 1822. The numbers and comprehensive details of Swiss lexicons are completely out of proportion to the country''s small size and population. In the six massive volumes and 5,282 pages of Geographisches Lexikon der Schweiz are found the great majority of place names found anywhere in Switzerland together with information on each. The Bezirk (county) entries give comprehensive details on the entire Bezirk, including a listing of all Gemeinde in the Bezirk, the population as of 1888 broken down into Protestants and Catholics; the number of houses and of households; a map; numerous accounts of industries, etc.; and even a count of the livestock by type at ten-year intervals over the past 30 years!

The original set is completely unobtainable today and is found in very few American libraries. Luckily for researchers, Picton Press has republished the work in a 7-CD set which brings all of this data to your computer's fingertips. A much longer description is included in the section detailing those books on Swiss genealogy which are available from Picton Press.

Knittle, Walter Allen, Early Eighteenth Century Palatine Emigration: A British Government Redemptioner Project to Manufacture Naval Stores. Philadelphia, PA: 1937.

Knittle's work is considered one of the basic sources on the 1710 emigration of 2,500 German-speaking settlers to New York. The Swiss proportion among those going to New York was relatively low (perhaps 5% came directly from Switzerland plus others whose ancestors had emigrated from Switzerland to Germany). For Swiss researchers the book''s value lies primarily in its general coverage of the entire 1710 migration of 15,000 German-speaking settlers to England.

Kuhns, Oscar. The German and Swiss Settlements of Colonial Pennsylvania: A Study of the So-Called Pennsylvania Dutch. New York, Henry Holt and Company, 1901.

Landeskarten der Schweiz Eidg. Landestopographie (The Swiss National Map Service) has published a map series with maps from 1:25,000 to 1:500,000 in scale. For small villages, maps with 1:25,000 or 1:50,000 are better.

Macco, Hermann Friedrich. Swiss Emigrants to the Palatinate in Germany and to America, 1650-1800 and Huguenots in the Palatinate and American. mss. 6 vol. Salt Lake City, UT, 1954.

The Mennonite Encyclopedia. 4 vol. Scottsdale, PA.

This is one of the many rich sources for information on the Swiss Mennonites and their emigration from Switzerland to, eventually, America.

Messmer, Erich A. "Structure of Swiss Citizenship and Family Background Research in Switzerland", New Orleans Genesis. IV (Sept 1965) 301-4.

Müller, Ernst. Geschichte der Bernischen Täufer. Nach den Urkunden dargestellt. Frauenfeld, 1895. Reprinted Nieuwkook: B. De Graaf 1972

This is one of the seminal books on the Swiss Anabaptist experience. However both the 1895 original and the 1972 reprint are in German and in the old schrift at that, making it exceptionally difficult for Americans to use. Picton Press is considering publishing a translation in future.

Otterness, Philip L. The Unattained Canaan: The 1709 Palatine Migration and the Formation of German Society in Colonial America. PhD Thesis, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA: 1996.

Beyond its descriptive title and related contents, Otterness includes a good Bibliography.

Nielson, Paul Anton. "Major Sources of Genealogical Information in Switzerland", Swiss-American Society Newsletter, VIII, No. 3 (Nov 1972), 5-12.

"The Palatines and Their Descendants." Carolina and the Southern Cross (March 1914): 15-19.

Pfister, Hans Ulrich. "The 1734-1735 Swiss Migration from Zürich to America led by Pastor Moritz Götschi", in Jones, Henry Z, Jr. and Lewis Bunker Rohrbach. Even More Palatine Families. 3 vol. Picton Press, Rockport, ME 2002.

This article was originally published in German in the Zürcher Taschenbuch 1986, special edition for the year 1986 (Zürich 1985), pp. 45-99, as "Zürcher Auswanderung nach Amerika 1734/1735 - Die Reisegruppe um Pfarrer Moritz Götschi". His article is published here in English translation. It identifies the origins of more than 330 Swiss who emigrated to America in 1734-5 with Pastor Götschi. This is a professionally done work of excellent quality.

Pfister, Hans Ulrich. "Swiss Migration to America in the 1730s: A Representative Family: the Pfister family of Höri, Canton Zürich and the Feaster family in America."

Originally published in German in 1966 as Die Anfänge der Familie Feaster (Pfister von Höri) in Amerika and published in Even More Palatine Families in English translation. This lengthy article concentrates on the Pfister family, but serves as a good how-to guide for others interested in tracing 18^th century Swiss immigrant ancestors.

Rohrbach, Lewis Bunker. Introductory Guide to Swiss Genealogical Research. Rockport, Me.: Picton Press, 2004.

This is the first new guide to the sometimes perplexing subject of Swiss Genealogical Research to be published in several decades. First it takes you through a brief history of Switzerland and its people and cantons. Next it explains the uniquely Swiss format of Swiss citizenship, Heimat rights, and Geschlect membership. A detailed explanation of the different waves of Swiss emigration to North America is then followed by suggestions on how you can do research in America to help locate the correct Gemeinde in Switzerland for further research.

In real estate investing the three golden rules are location, location, and location; in Swiss genealogical research it's Heimat, Heimat, and Heimat. Without knowing your ancestor's Heimat, virtually no useful Swiss research can be done. Once you've located the right Heimat, your research pace and research satisfaction will accelerate enormously.

This guide will help you whether you use it in doing your own research or use it to help direct research work you have performed by others. In combination with the other books mentioned below, this Introductory Guide will greatly simplify your Swiss search. A longer description is included in the section detailing those books on Swiss genealogy which are available from Picton Press.

Rohrbach, Lewis Bunker, ed. Men of Bern: The 1798 Bürgerverzeichnisse of Canton Bern, Switzerland. 3 vol. Rockport, Me.: Picton Press, 1999.

This three-volume set contains a complete list of all men in Canton Bern who were aged 20 and under 70 at the time of Napoleon's 1798 conquest of Switzerland. A broad variety of data are given on each man, often including date of birth, place of birth, place of residence, place of heimatrecht, occupation, sometimes father's or brothers' names, etc. Canton Aargau was at that time part of Canton Bern. A much longer description is included in the section detailing those books on Swiss genealogy which are available from Picton Press.

Rohrbach, Lewis Bunker. "The 1710 Swiss and German Settlers of New Bern, North Carolina".

This is Volume 2 of Even More Palatine Families, described above, and is the standard source on Christoph von Graffenried of Switzerland's 1710 settlement of New Bern, NC. The settlers were both Swiss and German, although a majority of those who survived both the trip to North Carolina and the subsequent Tuscarora Indian War were Swiss. A much longer description is included in the section detailing those books on Swiss genealogy which are available from Picton Press.

Rohrbach, Lewis Bunker, preface. Swiss Surnames: A Complete Register. 3 vol. Camden, Me: Picton Press, 1995 (1989).

This is the American edition of the massive Familiennamenbuch der Schweiz, which was first compiled by the Swiss government from thousands of questionnaires mailed to every Gemeinde in Switzerland and then published in two volumes in 1940. The American edition is based on the newest Swiss edition, published in 1989. Familiennamenbuch has long been considered the bible of Swiss surname research. Literally no Swiss genealogical work can be done without consulting this set.

Every Swiss surname still in existence is included in this work. The various branches of the Geschlect are all included, arranged by the Gemeinde. The only weakness of the work is that surnames which had become extinct in Switzerland by 1940 are not included - and certainly some of them provided emigrants to America - and that families where only a few members still carried the surname in 1940 also were omitted.

While the printed edition of this title is now Out of Print, a new second edition on CD-Rom is now available which contains even more data. See directly below.

Rohrbach, Lewis Bunker, editor and Preface. Swiss Surnames: A Complete Register, based partially on the volumes commonly known as Familiennamenbuch der Schweiz. CD-Rom 2^nd edition. Rockport, Me: Picton Press, 2003.

For two generations, Familiennamenbuch der Schweiz has dominated the landscape of Swiss genealogical research like a benevolent giant. First published in two volumes in 1940 at a time when the turbulent world made the importance of being Swiss self-evident, Familiennamenbuch was next published in a six-volume edition in 1969 and in a final three-volume edition in 1989.

The original volumes contained every surname now found in Switzerland (a total of 48,500 surnames) arranged alphabetically, together with the Heimat or community where each Geschlect (surname clan) holds Heimatrecht (hereditary rights of citizenship), and a rough indication of when each Geschlect first gained Heimatrecht there (in most cases, only indicating whether Heimatrecht was granted in the 20^th century, in the 19^th century, or prior to 1800). The manner of gaining Heimatrecht also was indicated: by migration from another Swiss community; by immigration from a foreign country; or by marriage, adoption, or other legal action. Roughly half of the surnames had been in Switzerland for many centuries, and half had come to Switzerland after 1800.

Picton Press published the first American edition of Familiennamenbuch in 1995 in a 3-volume set with a total of 1,344 pages for $149.50 (the Swiss edition then cost $280.00!). Those printed volumes have now gone Out of Print.

In its place, our new 2^nd edition CD-Rom contains all of the information in the original Familiennamenbuch plus much more. All Geschlect which were given Heimatrecht by Bernese government action in 1861 are identified; many Geschlect are now given with a more exact date as to when Heimatrecht was granted; those Geschlect which were studied by Julius Billeter (see below) are identified; those Geschlect mentioned in Bibliography of Swiss Genealogies are also identified; and a number of other sources are cited. Finally, one of the great new features in this CD is that for each of Switzerland's 3,200 Gemeinde it shows you exactly which surnames have Heimatrecht in that Gemeinde. A longer description is included in the section detailing those books on Swiss genealogy which are available from Picton Press.

Rupp, I[srael] Daniel, A Collection of upwards of Thirty Thousand Names of German, Swiss, Dutch, French and other Immigrants in Pennsylvania From 1727 to 1776. Philadelphia, PA: Second Edition Philadelphia, PA 1876; Third Edition Leipzig, Germany 1931.

Prof. Rupp's diligence greatly exceeded his editorial skills, and this title should never be used to research the various passenger lists to Philadelphia 1727-1776, which passenger lists comprise the bulk of his book (instead, use Strassburger and Hinke, below). The book's value today, limited as it is, lies solely in the various lists in the appendices.

Schar, Oskar. Christoph von Graffenried, 1661-1743: Ein Bernischer Stadtgrunder. Bern, Switzerland: GS-Verlag [Gute Schriften], 1978.

Schelbert, Leo, ed. America Experienced: Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Accounts of Swiss Immigrants to the United States. Camden, ME: Picton Press, 1996.

This important work includes translations into English of letters written back to Switzerland by Swiss immigrants to America in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. The editing is truly professional and the book is a charm to read.

Schelbert, Leo and Hedwig Rappolt, eds. Alles ist ganz anders hier. Auswandererschicksale in Briefen aus zwei Jahrhunderten. Olten, Switzerland: Walter Verlag, 1977.

This is the original edition in German of America Experienced, which book is described above.

Schelbert, Leo, editor. Switzerland Under Siege 1939-1945: A Neutral Nation's Struggle for Survival. Rockport, ME: Picton Press, 2000.

This thought-provoking book brings you the original German and Italian invasion plans and the Swiss Army's response, in dozens of color maps and illustrations. It also recounts the American bombings of Zürich, Basel, and Schaffhausen, and exposes the myths surrounding Switzerland's handling of Jewish refugees. Many other facets of life in Switzerland during WWII are covered in unusual, candid, depth.

Schelbert, Urspeter, Introduction, and Lewis Bunker Rohrbach, Preface. Swiss Colonists in 19^th Century America. Camden, ME: Picton Press, 1995.

This is the American edition, retaining much of the original text in German in the alt Schrift (translation would have been an enormous expense) of the monumental work compiled by Dr. Adelrich Steinach and published in 1889 as Geschichte und Leben der Schweizer Kolonien in den Vereinigten Staaten von Nord-Amerika. Dr. Steinach set out to document the Swiss origin, American arrival, and subsequent settlement of as many 19^th century Swiss immigrants as he could locate. He succeeded admirably; all-in-all he included biographical sketches of some 9,000 Swiss individuals and families who came to America in the 19^th century.

Picton Press' American edition adds a new detailed index by Dr. Urspeter Schelbert of Staatsarchiv des Kantons Zug which contains most of the salient details (whenever given in the original) on where the immigrants were from in Switzerland and where they settled in America. This is a wonderfully quick way to check on a significant number of 19^th century Swiss immigrants.

Schweizerische Post- und Telegraphenverwaltung. Ortsbuch der Schweiz. Bern, 1928.

This book, entirely in German, gives over 80,000 place names, with Gemeinde, canton, and other useful data.

Swiss American Historical Society Review. Rockport, ME: Picton Press. This is the tri-annual journal of the Swiss American Historical Society, and is described in more detail in the section on Swiss books published by Picton Press.

Smith, Kenneth L. Genealogical Dates: A User-Friendly Guide. Camden, ME: Picton Press, 1994.

This title covers all of the different dating systems which genealogists (whether working on Swiss research or not) will encounter in Europe, and explains how to locate, adjust, and interpret dates. A longer description is included in the section detailing those books on Swiss genealogy which are available from Picton Press.

Smith, Kenneth L. German Church Books: Beyond the Basics. Revised Edition. Camden, ME: Picton Press, 1993.

This is the best guide available for reading and researching 17^th and 18^th century church books written in German whether from Switzerland or Germany; a must-have for all German-language genealogists. While as explained in Picton's Guide to Swiss Genealogical Research there are some differences between Swiss church books written in German and the German church books maintained in Germany, the differences are smaller than the similarities. No Swiss genealogical research should be attempted without access to or ownership of this excellent how-to guide. A longer description is included in the section detailing those books on Swiss genealogy which are available from Picton Press.

Strassburger, Ralph Beaver, and William John Hinke, ed. Pennsylvania German Pioneers: A Publication of the Original Lists of Arrivals In the Port of Philadelphia From 1727 to 1808. 3 volumes: Pennsylvania German Society, PA, 1934. Reprint: Picton Press: Camden, ME, 1992.

"Strassburger & Hinke" is the basic bible for research on 18^th century German-speaking immigrants to America, be they Swiss, German, or Austrian. Researchers particularly should keep in mind the "Index to Christian Names" (both male and female) in III:229-255; the "Index of Pioneers" in III:257-709 (which gives an excellent overview of a majority of the surnames found in the entire 18^th century German-speaking migration); and Dr. Hinke''s superb ''Introduction'' to the entire 18^th century migration of German-speaking settlers, given in I:xiii-xlv. A longer description is included in the section detailing those books on Swiss genealogy which are available from Picton Press.

Tribekko, John and George Ruperti. Lists of Germans from the Palatinate Who Came to England in 1709. Reprinted from The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record 1909-1910. Baltimore, MD: 1996.

This is a somewhat poor quality transcription, with a multitude of errors and omissions, of the extremely valuable 1709 London Arrivals Lists for the 1^st through 4^th Parties of German-speaking settlers (Germans, Swiss, and Austrians) headed for the new world. Hank Jones and I will be including in our next book an entirely new, verbatim, transcription of these lists done by Marlene A. Groves, CG and Lewis Bunker Rohrbach, CG. At that point you should quietly discard your copy of this 1909-10 title should you own one.

Türler, Heinrich, Marcel Godet, and Victor Attinger, ed. Historisch-Biographisches Lexikon der Schweiz. Neuenberg, Switzerland 1921-1934. 8 vol. incl. supplement.

As the title indicates, this monumental work of 5,637 pages covers the history and biography of people, places, and things all across Switzerland.

von Moos, Mario. Bibliography of Swiss Genealogies. Rockport, ME: Picton Press, 1994. Published on CD-Rom in 2001.

Highly-regarded Swiss genealogist Mario von Moos compiled, in ten years of work, this bibliography of all published works, in any language, on Swiss families other than those of the nobility. It also contains a valuable Town Register section which contains, for each community, a list of those surnames which have had works published on them.

While the American printed edition is now Out of Print, Picton Press now offers the title in an updated edition on CD-Rom. A longer description is included in the section detailing those books on Swiss genealogy which are available from Picton Press.

Williams, Carol. Brightness Remembered. Rockport, ME: Picton Press. 2001.

This is an interesting novel about a Swiss family which came to Saxe-Gotha Township in South Carolina in 1756. The second book in a trilogy, this novel, like the others, is about the blending of cultures and how these Swiss became American. All of our ancestors would have had similar experiences. The first book in the trilogy The Switzers saw the young Swiss couple, Johannes and Madle Lienhardt, through the end of the Cherokee War in 1761. The last book in the trilogy, By Wonders and By War, ends in 1782.

Yoder, Don, ed. Pennsylvania German Immigrants, 1709-1786: Lists Consolidated from Yearbooks of The Pennsylvania German Folklore Society. Baltimore, MD, 1980.

Usually reprints of standard material do not warrant mention in a bibliography. However, many researchers do not have ready access to the four volumes (volumes 1, 10, 12 & 16) of The Pennsylvania German Folklore Society which this book reprints.

While Swiss immigrants are scarce in this book, pages 331-338 give 122 immigrants from Canton Schaffhausen, Switzerland to North America. In addition, there are a number of Swiss immigrants who came ''from'' Germany included here amongst the Germans. These Swiss or their ancestors had moved to Germany in the 17^th or 18^th centuries, and emigration to America was simply one more step on the road.

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