The Swiss American Historical Society (SAHS) is a
historical society
A historical society (sometimes also preservation society) is an organization dedicated to preserving, collecting, researching, and interpreting historical information or items. Originally, these societies were created as a way to help future gen ...
founded in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
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in 1927. According to the Society's website, it was established "to promote the study of the
Swiss in America, of
Swiss–American relations, of Swiss immigration to the United States, and of American interest in
Swiss history
Since 1848 the Swiss Confederation has been a federal republic of relatively autonomous cantons, some of which have a history of
federation that goes back more than 700 years, putting them among the world's oldest surviving republics.
The earl ...
and
culture
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...
." Currently, the society unites not only people with these interests, but also those who seek to do
genealogical research.
The society publishes the ''Swiss American Historical Society Review'' three times a year and meets annually, the location rotating between
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, and
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
.
With members primarily in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, and
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, the SAHS fosters contact between both sides of the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
and serves as a link between
Swiss American
Swiss Americans are Americans of Swiss descent.
Swiss emigration to America predates the formation of the United States, notably in connection with the persecution of Anabaptism during the Swiss Reformation and the formation of the Amish commun ...
s,
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
, and
Americans
Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many Multi ...
in an effort to promote cultural awareness and mutual understanding.
History
The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries saw the establishment of a number of historical societies in the United States, representing various immigrant groups. Amidst this proliferation of immigrant historical societies, Swiss Americans and those interested in them and their history had by the 1920s become disillusioned at "the fact that every outstanding person of Swiss origin was claimed by some other nation.” Among these were Ernest A. Kübler, Bruno Bachmann, and August Rüedy, who on July 4, 1927, founded the Swiss American Historical Society in Chicago. By December the organization had been incorporated into the State of
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
.
The Society immediately set forth to prepare and publish several works increasing awareness of the Swiss in the United States. However, due to several factors, including the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
throughout the 1930s, the Society began to decline in membership and activity. By 1937, only 48 due-paying members remained.
Anti-German sentiment
Anti-German sentiment (also known as Anti-Germanism, Germanophobia or Teutophobia) is opposition to or fear of Germany, its inhabitants, its culture, or its language. Its opposite is Germanophilia.
Anti-German sentiment largely began with t ...
in the forties did little to help the Society's standing. The Society continued mostly dormant throughout the forties and fifties.
Since 1963
Beginning in 1963, with the involvement of Dr. Lukas F. Burckhardt, SAHS member and cultural counselor at the Embassy of Switzerland in Washington,
Alfred Zehnder
Alfred may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series
* ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne
* ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák
*"Alfred (Interlu ...
, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States, and
Heinz K. Meier, the Society began to be revitalized. By 1965, plans had been established to put out several
newsletter
A newsletter is a printed or electronic report containing news concerning the activities of a business or an organization that is sent to its members, customers, employees or other subscribers. Newsletters generally contain one main topic of int ...
s per year, to present
scholarly papers at their one business meeting per year, and to resume publishing work such as they had started at the Society’s beginning.
In 1979 the organization published an introductory guide to Swiss genealogy to facilitate research for those interested in Swiss
family history
Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their Lineage (anthropology), lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family a ...
.
After the 1970s, the Society’s newsletter became increasingly more scholarly, and in 1990 became the Swiss American Historical Society Review, seen by the Society as a voice-giving instrument for Swiss Americans.
[Schelbert 2011.] The Review is currently published three times a year, in February, June, and November. The journal includes
book review
__NOTOC__
A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit.
A book review may be a primary source, opinion piece, summary review or scholarly revie ...
s, articles of interest to Swiss Americans, and
summaries of Society proceedings.
In addition to the Review, the Society has published thirty books; two more are in preparation.
The Society meets annually, with meetings rotating between Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New York. Presentations at meetings explore a variety of topics related to the history of Swiss-American immigrants.
Selected book publications
''Prominent Americans of Swiss Origins'', 1932.
''The Swiss in the United States'', 1940.
Rudolf Aschmann, ''Memoirs of a Swiss Officer in the American Civil War'', 1972.
Paul A. Nielson, ''Swiss Genealogical Research: An Introductory Guide'', 1979.
Emil Frey
Emil Johann Rudolf Frey (24 October 1838 – 24 December 1922) was a Swiss politician, Union Army soldier in the American Civil War and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1890–1897). He served as President of the Swiss Confederation in ...
, ''An American Apprenticeship: The Letters of Emil Frey, 1860–1865'', 1986.
David Sutton, ''One's Hearth Is Like Gold: A History of Helvetia, West Virginia'', 1990.
Laura R. Villiger, ''Mari Sandoz: A Study in Post-Colonial Discourse'', 1994.
Konrad Basler, ''The Dorkilon Emigrants: Swiss Settlers and Cultural Founders in the United States – A Personal Report'', 1996.
''Mennonites in Transition: From Switzerland to America'', 1997.
Donald Tritt, ed., ''Swiss Festivals'', 1999.
Leo Schelbert, ed., ''Switzerland Under Siege, 1939–1945: A Neutral Nation's Struggle for Survival'', 2001.
Lewis B. Rohrbach, ''Genealogical Research in Switzerland: An Introductory Guide'', 2005.
Leo Lesquereux, ''Letters from America, 1853'', 2006.
''Jakob Otto Wyss (1846–1927): Postmaster in Klau – Letters from California'', 2007.
Brigitte and Eugen Bachmann-Geiser, ''Amish: The Way of Life of the Amish in Berne, Indiana'', 2009.
Susann Bosshard-Kälin, ''Westward: Encounters with Swiss American Women'', 2010.
Selected journal articles
Swiss American – Colonial – 1860
Pfister, Hans Ulrich (2003)
Swiss Migration to America in the 1730s: A Representative Family : the Pfister family of Hori, Canton Zurich and the Feaster family in America" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 39 : No. 1 , Article 2.
Rohrbach, Lewis B. CG (2003)
The 1710 Von Graffenried Settlement Of New Bern, North Carolina" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 39 : No. 2 , Article 3.
Page, H. Dwight (2010)
The Tercentenary of New Bern" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 46 : No. 2 , Article 5.
Ferraro, Nicholas (2014)
The Extraordinary Life of John Sutter" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 50 : No. 1 , Article 4.
Robinson, Marsha R. (2016)
The Love Story Behind the 1846 Swiss Colony in St. Clara, West Virginia" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 52 : No. 1 , Article 4.
Swiss American – 1860-1920
Bruhin, Herbert (2002)
Theology His Profession, Botany His Passion: Thomas A. Bruhin, 1835-1895" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 38 : No. 2 , Article 3.
Winkler, Albert (2011)
Henry Wirz And Andersonville: The Career Of The most Controversial Swiss American" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 47 : No. 2 , Article 2.
Vogelsanger, David (2015)
Swiss in the American Civil War A Forgotten Chapter of our Military History" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 51 : No. 3 , Article 5.
Winkler, Albert (2014)
Henry Wirz and the Tragedy of Andersonville: A Question of Responsibility" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 50 : No. 3 , Article 2.
Siber, Elizabeth M. (2004)
Experience and Enlightenment: Character Portrait in Letters of Johann Caspar Lohbauer" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 40 : No. 1 , Article 3.
Armknecht, Megan (2016)
How Louisa May Alcott's 1870 Visit to Switzerland Helped Her Become a "Literary Lion," Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 52 : No. 2 , Article 4.
Quinn, Tony (2011)
The Ticino Swiss Immigration To California" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 47 : No. 1 , Article 3.
Winkler, Albert (2018)
The Germans and Swiss at the Battle of the Little Bighorn 1876" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 54 : No. 3 , Article 2.
Aregger, Manfred (2007)
From Escholzmatt, Canton Lucerne, to Chicago, Illinois: The Emigration of the Family Marbacher" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 43 : No. 2 , Article 4.
Nauer, Heinz (2016)
Einsiedeln on the Ohio Overseas Migrations of Einsiedeln People to the United States in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 52 : No. 3 , Article 4.
Vogelsanger, David (2017)
A Swiss Artist, an Iconic American General and an Ambitious Federal Councilor" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 53 : No. 3 , Article 2.
Schmid, Frederick (2019)
Katharina Morgan-Schmid From Schuepfheim: El Paso, Texas, 1918 Presumed Spy Affair," Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 55 : No. 1 , Article 3.
Brightenburg, Cindy (2019)
Swiss-American Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Nineteenth Century" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 55 : No. 2 , Article 2
Swiss American – 1920 – Present
Freitag, Duane (2010)
From Dream to Reality: The Swiss Center of North America" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 46 : No. 2 , Article 4.
Swiss History – long time ago to 1650
Winkler, Albert (2014)
The Federal Charter of 1291 and the Founding of the Swiss State" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 50 : No. 1 , Article 3.
Winkler, Albert (2008)
The Battle of Morgarten in 1315: An Essential Incident in the Founding of the Swiss State" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 44 : No. 3 , Article 3.
Winkler, Albert (2007)
The Approach of the Black Death in Switzerland and the Persecution of Jews, 1348-1349" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 43 : No. 3 , Article 2.
Winkler, Albert (2010)
The Battle of Murten: The Invasion of Charles the Bold and the Survival of the Swiss States" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 46 : No. 1 , Article 3.
Hostettler, Paul (2014)
The Use of the Terms Piemontese, Waldenses, and Exiles in the Bernese Council Manuals of the 17th Century" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 50 : No. 2 , Article 2
Lindberg, James T. (2018)
Mapping the State: Cartographic Representations of Switzerland, 1530-1865" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 54 : No. 2 , Article 2.
Swiss History – 1650 to the present
Leuenberger, Hans (2020)
Niklaus Leuenberger: Predating Gandhi In 1653?" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 56 : No. 1 , Article 6.
Lerner, Marc H. (2002)
The Battles over Swiss Liberty" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 38 : No. 3 , Article 3.
Halbrook, Stephen P. (2012)
The Swiss Confederation In the Eyes of America's Founders" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 48 : No. 3 , Article 4.
Wages, Brian (2011)
Considering Swiss Neutrality In World War One: Ideas, Successes, And Failures" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 47 : No. 2 , Article 3.
Herman, William E. (2012)
The Ideas of Jean Piaget: Using Theory to Better Understand Theory and Improve Learning" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 48 : No. 3 , Article 3.
Kessler, Mario (2012)
Ernst Engelberg (1909-2010): Historian And Anti-Nazi Activist" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 48 : No. 1 , Article 3.
Sherwood, Robert (2020)
Where are the Sons of Tell? A Brief History of the Formative Years of Swiss Biathlon, 1957-1964" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 56 : No. 3 , Article 3.
Fair-Schulz, Laura L. M. and Herman, William E. (2017)
Privilege as Blind Spot: Carl Jung, The Red Book, and the"Collective Unconscious," Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 53 : No. 1 , Article 4.
Ahmad, C. Naseer (2017)
The Gotthard Base Tunnel in a Historical Perspective" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 53 : No. 2 , Article 3.
Winiger, Alex (2020)
Militant Switzerland vs. Switzerland, Island Of Peace" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 56 : No. 1 , Article 5.
Swiss in the World
Champion, Brian (2011)
Heidi And Seek: Cases Of Espionage And Covert Operations In Switzerland, 1795-1995" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 47 : No. 2 , Article 4.
Gander-Wolf, Heidi (2014)
Once a Swiss Winegrower Colony Named CHABAG in Russia Now a Modern Winegrowing Center Called SHABO in the Ukraine" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 50 : No. 2 , Article 4.
Means, Robert S. (2016)
Neutral Ground: Switzerland and Some British Poets of the Great War" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 52 : No. 2 , Article 3.
Holenstein, Elmar (2015)
Asian Values-Swiss Values," Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 51 : No. 3 , Article 2.
Herman, Bryan K. and Fair-Schulz, Axel (2017)
A Chasm Between Two Vanguards: Near Encounters of Russian Emigre Marxists and Dadaism in Switzerland" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 53 : No. 1 , Article 3.
Page, Dwight (2017)
Zurich and the Birth of French Surrealism" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 53 : No. 1 , Article 2.
Champion, Brian (2019) ""Why Does it Always Have to be Switzerland
Daniel Silva's Treatment of Swiss Society and Culture in Selected Mossad Spy Novels" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 55 : No. 2 , Article 4.
Peter-Kubli, Susanne (2020)
Two Early Nineteenth Century Overseas Emigrants From Näfels, Kanton Glarus, Switzerland: Walter Marianus Hauser and the Colony at Red River, Canada" Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 56 : No. 2 , Article 2.
See also
*
Swiss American
Swiss Americans are Americans of Swiss descent.
Swiss emigration to America predates the formation of the United States, notably in connection with the persecution of Anabaptism during the Swiss Reformation and the formation of the Amish commun ...
References
External links
Swiss American Historical Society Official Site
{{authority control
Historical societies of the United States
Swiss-American history