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Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

Swiss American Historical Society Newsletter

Keywords

Swiss emigration, Bernese settlements, Swiss Bern, postal history, Neubern

Abstract

In 1710, approximately 250 emigrants from the state of Bern, under the leadership of Junker Christoph von Graffenried, settled in North Carolina. They called their settlement Neubern, and thus the name of the state of Bern was probably first brought to the New World. This first Bernese settlement did not develop favorably; many of the immigrants died, and the rest were largely resettled more or less forcibly. Only a few former Swiss people still live in the area today. Nevertheless, the name of the town remained unchanged until the present day.

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