Swiss American Historical Society Review
Keywords
Emigration Story, Genealogy
Abstract
Author and genealogist Laurence Overmire stated, “History remembers only the celebrated, genealogy remembers them all.”1 His words resonate as we consider the 1821 Swiss emigration to the Red River Settlement (in today’s Manitoba, Canada) followed by their subsequent emigration to the Galena, Illinois, area. Three recently published books on the history of Galena’s earliest days as a city2 make no mention of the Swiss Red River families as early pioneers.3 A fourth book,4 Le Canada et les Suisses by E. H. Bovay, also relatively recently written, tells a different story. Genealogical research about one’s ancestors and an examination of related historical resources can help us better understand our past and who we are as a people. This article will focus upon Swiss-born Émilie Brandt and Abram Marchand’s journeys as two of the earliest pioneers of the Galena, Illinois, area.5
Recommended Citation
Borich, Jeanette Bowman
(2025)
"From Sonvilier to Canada to Illinois: A Remarkable Swiss Emigration Story,"
Swiss American Historical Society Review: Vol. 61:
No.
1, Article 6.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/sahs_review/vol61/iss1/6
