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Letter From The Sahs President, Heinz K. Meier

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

Almost a year ago, the Swiss American Historical Society was reactivated at a meeting in New York City. Since then a great deal of work has been done in the effort to make ours a strong and active organization, and I am glad to be able to report that the result so far has been very satisfactory. From the list included in this newsletter you will see that our membership is one of great variety and distinction and that the interest in our work and purpose is lively in many parts of the United States as well as Switzerland. We …

Swiss-American Mennonite History, L. B.

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

The role of the Swiss and other European Anabaptists (Wiedertaufer) or Mennonites (i.e. followers of Menno Simon, 1492-1559) and other Protestant groups who emigrated to the U.S. as a characteristic element in American social history is studied intensively by Americans interested in their contribution to American culture.

The Swiss In The United States, H. M.

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

As announced in the "Letter from the President" every member who joins the SAHS this year will receive a copy of John Paul von Grueningen, ed., The Swiss in the United States (Madison , 'Wisconsin: Swiss-American Historical Society, 1940, 153 pages). The following is a brief' introductory description of the book.

The Americanization Of Raetic ( Romanish, German, Italian Family Names From The Canton Grisons, Switzerland

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

The Secretary of the SAHS, Dr. Augustin Maissen, has sent us a copy of " Studia Raetoromanica I", Ediziums Della Revista Retoromontscha. 1965 (Editor: Alfons Maissen, Chur). It consists of a study by Augustin Maissen on "L' Americanisaziun dils nums de schlatteina romontschs e grischuns" with an Abstract in English (19) pages. It is astonishing how many Bundner names, some of them extinct in Grabunden, have been preserved in the U.S., either in the original or in a somewhat anglicized form. There are even Romansh sepulchral inscriptions, e.g. at Badus (Romansh geographic name!) in South Dakota.

Front Matter

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

No abstract provided.

An English Translation Of J.R. Von Salis' Standard Work On Rilke Switzerland, L. B.

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

Among the many publications on the poet Rainer Maria Rilke the book by the Swiss Professor of History Dr. Jean Rodolphe von Salis, until recently President of the Foundation Pro Helvetia, excels by its tactful and sober approach to a delicate subject which all too often has been misused by panegyrists full of loud enthusiasm, but rather bare of substance. When Rilke arrived in Switzerland in 1919, von Salis was nearly eighteen years old and twenty five when Rilke died at Territet in 1926. Von Salis knew Rilke as a guest in his family, but more and more also in …

120th Anniversary Pf New Glarus, L. B.

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

In our first Newsletter we have presented to our readers the American writer Herbert Kubly from New Glarus, Wisconsin. He is so deeply rooted in that community founded by settlers from the canton of Glarus, Switzerland in 1845 that he may even write a novel based on its history which is, at the same time that of his own family.

Reviews Of Robert H. Billigmeier's And Fred A. Picard's "The Old Land And The New", L. B.

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

The readers of this second SAHS-Newsletter are referred to Dr. Heinz K . Meier ' s comprehensive evaluation - published on pages 5-7 in our :first Newsletter of April 1965 - of the new book:

Letter From The Sahs President, Heinz K. Meier

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

Dear Members and Friends,

The response to our first newsletter of April has been very gratifying; so IWcb so that we decided to issue a second letter now, although the summer is a time vhen many of us pursue other than their ordinary tasks. One of the persons absent from the country at t his time is our secretary, Dr. Augustin Maissen, who is spending a research-vacation in Spain and Switzerland. We will have to wait for his detailed report till our fall newsletter, but I can tell you t hat we have received so far about forty-five membership applications …

Swiss Songs On The Emigrants To The U.S., L. B.

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

Our remarks in the first Newsletter on the Sviss folk song scolding the emigrants to the U.S. for tearing up their citizenship certificate ("Du willst den Burgerbrief zerreissen, den dir das teure Hochland gab") has provoked a well documented comment by the Swiss Consul General in New York, Dr. Hans Lacher, who has collected literature on the different versions of this song from the serious earlier text.to the later ironical deviations most of us remember.

Index

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Outlook, L. B.

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

Many subjects worthy of our attention could not been treated in this issue. We mention a few examples:

Romansh Poetry, L. B.

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

In 1958, together with his friend Robert Billigmeier, Dr. Augustin Maissen has edited the booklet "Contemporary Romansh Poetry. An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry written in the Romansh Language of Switzerland, with Bilingual Text, including an Introduction and Biographical Notes", published by the Romansh-American Foundation and printed by Editorial 'Cantera', Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico (48 pages). This charming presentation of Romansh culture is an excellent introduction into the fourth Swiss national language because it appeals to a feeling for beauty which is universal. The poem "Il pur suveran" ("The Sovereign Peasant") by Anton Huonder (1824-1872), one of the early pioneers of the …

"Das Schicksal Machte Mich Zu Einem Kock" Memoirs Of A Swiss Cook In America, L. B.

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

This is the beginning of a long poem by Brother _oscar Arnold> S.M. (Marfanist) published in his book ".Erom Dawn to Sunset. A Poet's Autobiographysr, Marianist Publications, Mount St. John, Dayton, Ohio , 1964 (paperback, 172 pages).

Full Issue

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Social Status At The Court Of Alfonso Viii Of Castile, Lorle Ann Porter

History ETDs

Excerpt from introduction:

This is a study of the social structure of Castile in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. The charter witness lists of that period as edited by Júlio González were the basis for this study. Charters formed an important part of the documentation of the Middle Ages. Royal charters, in general, officially conveyed the use of a specific property to a person who agreed to accept designated responsibilities. As the possession and or use of land was a key to medieval economy, it was essential that ownership or legitimate occupation was clear to the authorities. The …

Green Meadow Foundation Is Looking For New Director Of Institute

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

The Green Meadow Foundation (Stiftung "Im Gruene') in Zurich is looking for a new Director of the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute for Economic and Social Studies in Ruschlikon-Zurich.

Front Matter

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Helvetica Americana: Recent Bibliography In American Reviews, Ag. M.

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

The poet Robert Walser (1878 Biel - 1956 Herisau) occupies an important part in the Texas Quarterly, Autumn 1964, vol. VII, No. 3, pp. 98-119 (single copies$ 1.50), with an introduction by Christopher Middleton and three translations from Walser's work: Masters and Workers; Pierrot, with woodcuts by Robert Wyss; and Helblingrs Story. It also contains some excellent illustrations from the Swiss magazine DU: portaits, fascimiles of Walser's handwriting contrasting his normal and mentally disturbed periods.

Arnold Laett 1885-1964

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

Pioneer in the history of the Swiss abroad

In his standard work:

Schweizer im Ausland

Von ihrem Leben und Wirken in aller Welt

Herausgegeben von der Neuen Helvetischen Gesellschaft und der Auslandschweizer-Kommission . Sadag AG ., Genev

Europe's Contribution To American Civilization, Alfred Zehnder

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

You have invited me to speak about Switzerland's contribution to American civilization. This is quite a task. I don't intend to give you today a complete study on this subject. You will see later why. Switzerland is not only a small country in the heart of Europe, but it is Europe. And Europe is Switzerland. It is impossible to determine exactly what part in the Swiss contribution is genuine Swiss, and what part is European. That is why I would like to invite you to try with me to discover the great ideas and the fact s which ought to …

Notes On The Arts

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

With a headline Treasures of Sculptor Durig, Who Died Penniless, the "Washington Post'' of Saturday, January 23 , 1965 published five pictures about the surprising legacy of the Swiss artist who was a pupil of Auguste Rodin. Valuable sketches by Rodin and Aristide Maillo.l were found in a wooden chest in St . Elizabeth Hospital where Durig died November 4, 1962.

Meeting Of The Swiss - American Historical Society

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

For a report on this meeting we refer to the "Rundschreiben an die schweizerischen Geisteswissenschafter in den USA" of December 1964 and to the "Amerikanische Schweizer Zeitung" New York, of January 13, 1965.

Two 19th Century Swiss Immigrants Speak Out: Book Review, Heinz K. Meier

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

In the course of the nineteenth century several hundred thousand Swiss immigrated to the United States. We know relatively little about why they left Switzerland, where they came from, what they experienced in the New World, and how many returned. General works dealing with the subject in any depth do not exist. One possible explanation for this gap in historical knowledge may be due to the fact that emigration from Switzerland has always been a highly individualized process. The number of attempted group colonizations is very small, and successful ventures of this kind were even scarcer. Yet it is very …

To Our Readers, Ag. M.

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

This first SAHS-Newsletter does not want to set a definite pattern for future issues. Its authors, SAHS-President Dr. Heinz K. Meier, SAHS-Secretary Dr. Augustin Maissen and Cultural Counselor Dr. Lukas F. Burckhardt, have given an account on those subjects with which they are familiar. Others had to be left out for this time, but will be treated later on. Several problems have been merely touched upon and need further study. We only wanted to open the path to wider horizons. Suggestions and contributions from our readers are welcome. They may be addressed to the SAHS-Secretary, Prof . Augustin Maissen, Utica …

Folklore, Lucas Burckhardt

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

Emigration as a human experience has created its own folklore.

Message From The New Sahs President, Heinz K. Meier

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

The Swiss-American Historical Society, founded in Chicago, Illinois,in 1927, in Article II of its Constitution states: The objects and purposes of this organization stall be to institute, conduct and encourage historical research; to collect and preserve the data and materials of history; to record the achievements of Swiss-American citizens and residents of Swiss extraction and their influence upon the progress and development of governmenial institutions, and of industry, science and education in the United States of America, and to publish and distribute information and data concerning the same.

The Swiss In The History Of Maryland, Lukas Burckhardt

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

The role of the Swiss element in the history of Maryland has been thoroughly studied by a group of American scholars connected with the "Society for the History of the Germans in Maryland", founded in 1886 and looking back on an uninterrupted tradition undisturbed by the political vicissitudes in Europe in our century. As a matter of fact, this Society is an entirely American institution consisting mostly of Baltimorians whose ancestors came to Maryland from a German speaking region during the last few hundred years. From this viewpoint history has a familiar look to a Swiss because we find here …

The American Writer Herbert Kubly From New Glarus On His Ancestral Home In Switzerland, Lukas F. Burckhardt

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

New Glarus, Wisconsin, is a prosperous small town founded in 1845 by a well organized group of poor immigrants from the Canton of Glarus, Switzerland, who had lost their jobs in their home country as victims of mechanization in the local textile industry. In the new country they were able to work their way up, but deep in their hearts they always kept the memory of their roots in the Swiss Alps.

A Swiss Diplomat Author Of Works On Swiss Intellectual Relations With Egypt And Portugal, Lukas F. Burckhardt

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

Dr. Beat de Fischer, Ambassador of Switzerland in London, has profited by his former assignments to Lisbon and Cairo to make a study in depth of the history of Swiss relations with Portugal and Egypt . He has published two beautifully printed and illustrated volumes entitled "Dialogue Luso-Suissett", Lisbon 1960, and "Contributions a la connaissance des relations suisse-egyptiennes suivie d 'une esquisse des relations suisse - ethio-piennes", Lisbon 1956. In both books the chapters on the contributions of Swiss intellectuals to these countries are particular ly interesting for anyone concerned with Swiss Research in science and in the humanities. We …