Tag Archives: Switzerland

Ancestor Sketch – Anna Maria (Oertli) Trumpi

Posted on October 23, 2026 by Don Taylor

nna Maria Oertli was born in 1823 in Ennenda, Canton Glarus, Switzerland. She married Bernhard Trümpy and lost an infant daughter during the hungry winter of 1847. She spent her last years in Lincoln Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, near her son Fred. This ancestor sketch follows my wife’s 3rd great-grandmother from the Swiss Alps to Elizabeth Cemetery, along with the questions her records still leave open. Continue reading →

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Ancestor Sketch – Johann Jakob Huber (1850–1926)

Posted on June 3, 2026 by Don Taylor

For eleven years, Johann Jakob Huber stood behind an impenetrable brick wall. A single page from the Bürger-Familienregister der Kirchgemeinde Stadel has shattered it. Now we know he was born 5 February 1850 in Pfündlauf, Zürich — a farmer, a father of seven, and the man who kept all but one child from leaving Switzerland. Continue reading →

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Johann “John” Huber (1880–1948) & The Pfeinclauf Register

Posted on April 18, 2026 by Don Taylor

A newly examined Swiss Familienregister reveals the full family of Johann “John” Huber — Ancestor #14 in the Darling-Huber line — born 1880 in Windlach, Canton Zürich, and the son of farmer Johann Jakob Huber and Katharina Nüsslingen. Seven children, one emigrant, and two words in the remarks column: in Amerika. This sketch brings John’s Swiss origins into focus for the first time. Continue reading →

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Hefti – Surname Saturday

Posted on March 16, 2024 by Don Taylor

Darling-Huber-Trümpi-Dürst-Hefti LineDarling-Huber-Trümpi-Dürst-Streiff-Hefti LineDarling-Huber-Trümpi-Becker-Wichser-Zweifel-Hefti LineBy Don Taylor Name Origin[i] Family Search indicates that Hefti is a Swiss German surname from Middle High German heftec or heftic, meaning ‘strong, durable.’ “Hefty” is an Americanized form of Hefti. Geographical In the world, Forebears … Continue reading →

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Dürst/Durst – Surname Saturday

Posted on February 18, 2023 by Don Taylor

Darling-Huber-Trümpi-Dürst LineBy Don Taylor Name Origin[i] Family Search and Ancestry indicate Dürst is a nickname from Middle High German turst ‘boldness’ or durst ‘thirst and that Durst is just a variation of the name. Geographical In World: Forebears indicates that … Continue reading →

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