European History Commons^™

Off To Dallas, Felix P. Bentz

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The nine short stories which you will read below represent "Chapter V" of my Memoirs. I began to write down the story of my life in 1991 after finishing my last project as a consultant. The initial reason for this was to tell my children and grandchildren about their ancestors and what it was like to be growing up in Switzerland.

Book Review: The American Century: Varieties Of Culture In Modern Times, Fred Jordan

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Western civilization today is very technologically proficient but lacks the dynamic and creative ideas needed to launch a new cultural revolution. Bereft of a unique vision, our post-modern culture nostalgically borrows from the past, mining especially the gems of modernism. This exciting book by Norman F. Cantor, Professor of History, Sociology and Comparative History at New York University, is replete with such incisive observations. The work covers the whole gamut of twentieth century cultural history. Its core is a stimulating chapter on modernism which includes literature, theater, dance, drama, music, the visual arts, the social and behavioral sciences, history, theology, …

Warrior-Club Traditions In Medieval Switzerland, Arnold H. Price

Swiss American Historical Society Review

This article endeavors to serve as an extension (as well as a confirmation) of my research on the role of warrior clubs during the era of migrations, the so-called Völkerwanderung. In regard to the Völkerwanderung terminology I am relying in this study primarily on the ground-breaking work of the late Hans Georg Wackemagel, whose novel anthropological approach unearthed and analyzed a substantial body of pagan traditions surviving in medieval Helvetia.

Front Matter

Swiss American Historical Society Review

No abstract provided.

Prefatory Note, Leo Schelbert, H. Dwight Page

Swiss American Historical Society Review

No abstract provided.

The Kunz Family: Over A Hundred Years In Mormonism, Phillip R. Kunz, Paul A. Nielson

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The focus of this paper is the Kunz Family, or the American descendants of Johannes Kunz and Rosina Katharina Klossner Kunz, our great-great-grandparents. Johannes was born on the 16th of September 1803 at Tschueppls in Zwischenflueh. in Diemtigen Canyon, Bern. Switzerland. Rosina was born on 9 December 1802 on the Blatten farm in Zwischenflueh. They were married in Diemtigen on the 9 February 1821. Johannes and one of his twin daughters were the first converts in the family to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Two other children followed them into the Church and eventually the Mormon …

"The Mundane And The Transcendent: Excerpts From Letters Of Johannes & Clorinda Schmutz, 1900-1902", Richard Schmutz

Swiss American Historical Society Review

It isn't often that a hoard of old letters comes unexpectedly into a family's possession, but it happened in my family a few years ago at the passing of an uncle. Unknown to other descendants he had in his keeping a collection of letters that his parents--my paternal grandparents--exchanged during a proselyting mission grandfather served in Switzerland for his church, 1900-1902. A short while after uncle's funeral, the letters were entrusted by his spouse to my sister and copies have since become available to family members and taken their rightful place of importance in the family legacy.

Full Issue

Swiss American Historical Society Review

No abstract provided.

Case Studies In Early Swiss Immigration To Utah: The Mathis And Bryner Families, Paul K. Savage

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Hans Ulrich could not see his own hand waving in front of his face--that is, ever since the accident. Hans Ulrich Bryner, Jr., was a talented and prosperous young man. His father's family had moved to Wiedikon, a small village just a stone's throw across the river Sihl from Zürich, and in 1839 they had purchased a large home near the Center of town. Hans Ulrich Bryner, Sr., was a farmer by day, and a shoemaker by night, and through thrift, industry, and piety, the family had gained the respect of their neighbors. In 1846, Hans Ulrich, Sr., was granted …

Serge Louis Ballif: A Swiss-American, Jae R. Ballif

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Over a dozen years ago, a young man entered my office. He was a stranger to me. He placed his briefcase on my desk, opened it, and brought out several old books. He talked rapidly, giving me information faster than I could assimilate it. I soon learned that the books were from the shelves of the library at the University of Bern in Switzerland, and that they were written by my ancestors. I also learned that Gabriel Jacob Ballif, my fourth great-grandfather, was the author of one of the books. It is entitled Systematic Physics, and was published in …

Preface, Douglas F. Tobler

Swiss American Historical Society Review

No abstract provided.

The Swiss In Utah: An Introduction, Douglas F. Tobler

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Beginning in the mid-18.SOs, Swiss immigrants, virtually all converts from early successful Mormon proselyting in their homeland, began arriving in the Utah Territory. They became part of two larger immigrant streams: one composed of thousands--by the year 1900, some 115,000--of . fellow Swiss who, beginning in colonial times, had found new homes in the United States; and the other, the so-called "Gathering to Zion," the organized emigration of thousands of European Mormon converts, mostly from Protestant countries, in the last half of the nineteenth and the first decades of the twentieth century.

Front Matter

Swiss American Historical Society Review

No abstract provided.

Danebod: A Tradition Of Strength And Spirit, Ann Svendsen

The Bridge

The Danes have always expressed their joys by having

festivals. Fastelavns (Fest before Lent) is celebrated on

Shrove Tuesday . The Fifth of June, a traditional celebration,

remembers the day Denmark got its first constitution and

became a democracy. America's patriotism and freedom are

celebrated on the Fourth of July. The bounties of agriculture

are celebrated with the annual Harvest Festival. Christmas is

celebrated not only in the majesty and solemnity of a candlelight

church service but by dancing around a huge tree when

the children also recieve bags of candy, apples and nuts,

and gifts.

Front Matter

The Bridge

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Index

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Editorial Statement

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Full Issue

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Front Cover

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Sophus K. Winther, Barbara Howard Meldrum

The Bridge

Like Wallace Stegner, Sophus Keith Winther feels uncomfortable with the label "Western writer." For Stegner, the label too often smacks of horse-opera: outworn myths that lacked historical basis to begin with. Winther's objection has less to do with the subject matter, more to do with themes and character: regionalism-whether Western or Southers, or Wessex-too often exploits superficial traits of locality, whereas enduring literature reveals the universal drama of the human condition ("The Limits of Regionalism"). Stegner and Winther agree, however, that a writer should begin with what he or she knows best; if one's experience is Western, then Western regionalism …

Editorial Statement

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Book Reviews

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Breaking Ground In The Promised Land: Mary Lund's Letters Home To Denmark From Canada, March-September, 1926

The Bridge

I knew my Grandma Lund as a strong person. She was my Dad's mother, mary, the "tough" grandmaother my parents called on to babysit my older sister, Laurette, and me when they would travel for more than a few days. Mary Lund was a large person, a feature which worked against her in the years I knew her. Her legs were thick and chronic arthiritis did not allow her to walk without discomfort; she remained ever stoic, never complaining even as she winced in obvious pain. She insisted on respect for elder and a strict code of manners at the …

Oregon Danish Colony: Ethnic Assimilation In Junction City, 1902-1952, Gerald Rasmussen, Otto Larsen

The Bridge

"A most desired place for Danish folks to settle." That

keynote launched the campaign to attract Danes to Junction

City. Who was the herald? What were the tidings?

The records are not particularly informative about A. C.

Nielsen. The Junction City Times only used the initials "A. C."

to refer to him. According to his great-grandson, Alfred

Christensen, his first name was Andreas and his middle

name was Christian, both common names in Denmark.

The Psychology Of A Mermaid: Understanding The Danish Psyche, Karen Lassen

The Bridge

"Way out in the ocean, the water is as blue as the petals of

the most beautiful cornflower and as clear as the cleanest

glass, but it is very deep, deeper than an anchor cable can

reach; many church steeples would have to be placed one on

top of the other in order to stretch from the bottom up to the

surface of the water. Down there live the Merpeople."

Contributors

The Bridge

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Full Issue

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Twenty Years Old, Arnold N. Bodtker

The Bridge

It was 20 years ago thst the Danish American Heritage Society (DAHS) came upon the scene. I used the term " came upon the scene" advisedly. Reflecting on the circumstances and discussions that led to the formation of the Society makes the term seem appropriate. It had been noted from time to time in the decases before that when Scandinavian American historians and writers assembled and the role of the Scandinavian immigrant was considered, The Danish Americans were conspicuous by their absence. In contrast,the Norwegian American Historical Association was formed in 1925, and has had a distinguished existence since then. …

Front Cover

The Bridge

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Hans Christian Andersen's Statue In Lincoln Park, Chicago, Birgit F. Larsen

The Bridge

I barely noticed that they placed me in a flag-draped automobile and that, accompanied by an escort, it progressed slowly down a wide avenue, while crowds of people on the sidewalks, children and adults, cheered enthusiastically. --We drove through a large park, many times larger than Kongens Have ("The King's Garden", a park in Copenhagen), and here, too, there were rows upon rows of people, and finally we stopped in front of a statue - and lo and behold, it was myself, and looked just like me, sitting with a young swan at my feet. -- Then my heart melted, …