How could i find out which town my Swiss ancestors came from?
I've been trying to find the town in Switzerland where my great, great-grandfather and his family came from. I've found him in 2 federal census records, 1870, and 1880. I've tried looking for him in the Passenger Lists, but I get thousands of results which are very unspecific. Are there any records that I could access that would tell me where he was born, other places he lived in the U.S., or where and when he entered the U.S.?
Genealogy - 2 Answers
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1 :
If you still have any official Swiss documents from your ancestors then the word "Bürgerort" or "Heimatort" or simply "von XY" give you an idea. This place, according to old law, then would have had to look after them if they became destitute. Also, just their family name might be a giveaway: examples: Burckhardt is most likely from Basel, Ischi from Berne, Escher from Zurich etc. However, the Bürgerort etc. do not give any indication where they acually lived. As far I know you would have to reseach your way backwards from the US documents.
2 :
Try checking a copy of his death certificate. That is where I found the name of the town that my GG-Grandparents came from.
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