AMERICA EXPERIENCED: Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Accounts of Swiss Immigrants to the United States

448pp. 22 photos, maps, and illustrations. 4,500 entry Every Name Index. 1996. #1530
First-hand accounts written by ordinary immigrants are among the rarest yet most valuable sources for understanding the motivations and experiences of immigrants. Such accounts also offer unique viewpoints on America as seen by outsiders.
In this book you will see America as it appeared to Swiss immigrants, in their own words, from 1704 through 1906. These fascinating accounts range from the promoters and settlers of 1710 South Carolina to the Mennonites of 18th century Pennsylvania; from the Mormon Swiss of the 1870s to the Italian-Swiss winegrowers of late 19th century California.
There are colonial-era letters from Pennsylvania 1736-1769; Maryland 1704; North Carolina 1711; and South Carolina 1733-1785. Nineteenth-century letters cover Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Maryland, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin, Utah, Wyoming, Michigan, and California.
Interested in immigrants; in German-speaking settlers; in colonial America? This book is for you.