The Buchmann Families of Switzerland
History, Stories Anecdotes and Trivia

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The First Buchmann

Buchmanns have lived in central Switzerland for at least eight hundred years. That is about the time when the gemeral population began acquiring surnames.

I speculate that the Buchmann clan originated in the area between Sursee and Wolhusen. An ancient 13th century Latin document mentions Eberhardus und Berchtholdus ‘von Buoch’ living in 1270. Buoch was a 'castle by the beach trees' in Sursee or more likely Wolhusen. Also a Cunradus von Buch is documented as obtaining a piece of land, owned by a Lord, located on a gentle slope of beech trees (Buchen) near the castle of Willisau. Below the ruins of the Willisau castle there is a small creek now called Buch-Wigger and the slope by ruins of the castle is still covered by beautiful beech trees. From this original area the von Buchmanns likely moved towards Malters, then into the wider Luzern area and the Reuss valley towards Zurich.

A Peter Buchmann lost his life in the battle of Sempach in 1386. The fight was between the nascent Swiss Federation and the Habsburgs of Austria, the feudal overlords. The blame for the battle can be shared equally. The Habsburgs have become increasingly overbearing and tyrannical, and the Swiss have become overly ambitious and belligerent; they just destroyed the Habsburg bailiff's fort in Rothenburg. The Swiss won the battle at Sempach overwhelmingly. Peter Buchmann, who fought with the Luzern army, most likely came from the town of Luzern, the immediate surrounding area under the Luzern protectorate, or from Sempach, or some other villages in the area. As the sentiment turned against the Habsburgs in favor of the new powerful city-state Luzern, many men from villages in the Luzern hinterland swore allegiance to Luzern and were given burgher-rights (one Gulden each), including men from the villages of Hochdorf, Rickenbach, Reinach, where Buchmanns may have lived. Peter Buchmann's name, together with the names of all killed Swiss soldiers is written on the wall of the Sempach memorial chapel. Who built the the memorial chapel? The names of the dead Habsburg knights and aristocratic lords are painted on the best wall with colored coat-of-arms, complete with fanciful adornments, while the names of the killed Swiss soldiers are simply listed on the side wall in black letters.

In 1572 a Hans Buchmann, about 50 years of age, farmer in Kriesbühl, mysteriously disappeared, only to re-appear in Italy a few days later. You can read this amazing story at www.informatik.com/1572.html. It is a true story based on chronicles by the well-known Lucerne town-clerk, chronicler, humanist and historian Renward Cysat (1515-1614). However unlikely the story appears, it is a fact that a Hans Buchmann lived in the small two-farmer hamlet of Kriesbühl at that time, as documented in several records of the old Luzern Archives. Kriesbühl lies less than a kilometer from my childhood home in Ludiswil, Römerswil.

In 1373 of the Feast Day of Saint Simon and Saint Jude before the Bailiff of Habsburg und Petermann von Gundoldingen, Schultheiss of Luzern, a Cuni Buchmann of Dierikon, jailed for violence against the young Swiss Federation, gave a sworn oath of truth (Urfehde). Peter von Gundoldingen was the Commander of the Luzern army at the battle of Sempach in 1386 and lost his life in battle. His grave is at his homestead at Gundolingen, near my childhood home. In 1574 an Ulrich (Ueli) Buchmann lived in Rothenburg , either town or larger bailliwick.

Malters

Malters is a small town about fifteen kilometers west of Luzern; the town has a long history. The earliest Buchmann (Buochman) that I found in old archives is Heinrich Buchmann, Kellner of Malters, and Burkart Buchmann. Around the year 1346 both gave sworn testimony to the Vogt (bailiff) of Rothenburg in some dispute over the continuing right to the 'Besthaupt'. In 1291 the monastery of Murbach sold Malters (and Luzern) to the Habsburgs of Austria. The law of the despised Besthaupt was in dispute. You know, in feudal times when a farmer died the best cow or horse (the Besthaupt) had to be offered to his feudal lord, like a death tax; Heinrich Buchmann as officiating kellner was the tax collector.

The position of Kellner was a prominent one in the community. A Kellner ranked just below the position of Maier (Mayor). As such, the title was generally hereditary and the Kellner as an Office Holder stood at a rank (Ministerialen) similar to that of a knight. A Maier and the Kellner normally rose up from the rank of free farmers; it was about the only path up to a position of prestige. Until the ‘hay month’ of 1346 (July 1346) the Malters Kellner Estate was a fief granted by Austria to Konrad von Malters (of the powerful Malters family), then passed to the Duke Albrecht. I am not sure how the Kellner Heirnich Buchmann fits in with that Kellner estate.

At the turn of the 14th century, Niklaus von Malters, a well-known cleric was the Canon at Affoltern (Zurich) and became the first Priest of the newly built village church of Affoltern in 1303. Affoltern is within walking distance of Dachlissen. It is my speculation that there is some explanation here why so many Buchmanns lived in Dachlissen after that time. Niklaus von Malters was also Canon of Eich, a small village on Lake Sempach. His name appears in many documents at that time, including a document relating to an exchange of properties in Urswil, Gosperdingen and Ligschwil between abbeys. Our Niklaus is not to be confused with a same-name, same-time cleric that was Canon of St Peters in Basel.

Wolhusen, Willisau

The forefathers of the two Buchmanns of Malters may have come from the neighboring town of Wolhusen or closeby Menznau A very old document, written in Latin, mentions Eberhardus und Berchtholdus ‘von Buch’ living in 1270 in that area, and talk about Cunradus: “Von Buch from Sursee, or as the historian believes, from the castle by ‘the beech trees’ in the parish of Wolhusen. Documents refer to a Friedrich von Buoch who was the Deacon of Hochdorf (my ancestors’ home) and Canon of Schwarzenbach (close to Hochdorf) in the early 1300s (there is a 100 year discrepancy some historical articles). Half of the priests in the Middle Ages were married. Could Friedrich von Buoch be the ancestor of the Hochdorf Buchmann branch? A Heini von Buoch also fought at the battle of Sempach (1386) and survived.

The area of Wolhusen at the time of the first settlement about the year 800 was a virgin forest of beech trees. He who cleared the woods would own it, well almost, until the Lords of the land took possession. The nearby town of Entlebuch is witness to ‘Buchen’ trees lending their name to the town. Is it pure coincidence that the coat-of-Arms of Entlebuch is so similar to the Buchmann coat-of-arms?

Direct quote from old history book: "Von Buch, bei Sursee, oder eher von dem Schloss bei der ‘Buochen’ in ther Pfarrei Wolhusen." I speculate that the writer refers to the castle of Menznau, North of Wolhusen, very close to a Hamlet called Bueche. Another quote: "Item Cunradus de Buoch occupat quendam agrum, situm in clivo castri Willisowe, [...] emptum a quodam, qui eum a dominio tenuit jure castrensi." Likewise Conrad von Buoch, ... occupied a certain site, ...a gentle slope at the Willisau castle ??, ...bought a certain camp held by the Lord."



My Childhood Village Römerswil

There were early Buchmanns in Römerswil, my childhood home village. In 1542 a Hans Buchmann of Kriesbühl, Römerswil, acquired grazing, wood and water rights in Nunwil, in the lake valley below. A year later the same Hans was involved in a purchase dispute with Uli Schürmann. In the year 1562 the Schultheiss (President) and Council of Luzern permitted a forest lot (Hochwald) in Römerswil to be divided among ten farmers, among them Niklaus Buchmann and Hans Buchmann. In 1565 a dispute between Hans (called Kriesbühler) and Klaus Buchmann about a grazing field was recorded. Among the Buchmanns of Römerswil there also was a Fridli Buchmann; in 1586 some community land was deeded to him. A Klaus Buchmann (wrongly listed as Bachmann in many articles) was imprisoned when a conflict arose between the powerful patricians of the city of Luzern and the farmers in the Luzern countryside (Heringskrieg, 1570). The Klaus Buchmann could have been the Klaus from Kriesbühl. In 1572 Hans Buchmann mysteriously disappeared while walking home from Sempach, only to be found few weeks later in Milan, Italy. For the full story, please see the link in a paragraph above.

According to a 1536 document the whole of Hildisrieden, our neighbor community, consisted mainly of only four large ‘Höfe’ (estates), one of them belonging to Heini Buchmann, another to Ruedi Schürmann. Just six years later, a Hans Buchmann of Kriesbühl (Römerswil) and an Uli Schürmann were involved in a legal fight regarding a purchase. Is this the same Buchmann family?

In Switzerland, the farms remain in the family for generations, often for hundreds of years. In the murky Middle Ages the land was owned by noble families, abbeys and aristocrats and was eagerly leased to the farmers for an interest. The leases were generally permanent and were inherited down the generations. Spurred by the French Revolution and Napoleonic laws in Switzerland, the leases eventually were converted to true ownership. The farms were passed from father a son, rarely sectioned off, and the family name stayed with the land. Every few generations, the farmer had no sons, so a daughter inherited the property; she married a farmer and the farmstead went on under a new family name for the next several generations. Rarely was land sold if a farmer ran into financial difficulties or had no children (if not for building a fancy golf club....).

Luzern Seetal and Neuenkirch

There were several Buchmanns in the Seetal (Hochdorf) area, extending also North-East over the Lindenberg hill (Freiamt) towards Zurich, joining the valley of the river Reuss. In 1625 a Melchior Buchmann lived in Nunwil (walking distance from Hochdorf). In 1637 a Uli Buchmann of the Freiamt was ordered to pay a fine of two Pfennigs because of an incidence relating to gypsies and the illegally sharpening of a piece of iron ('Uoli Buochman wegen das er den Heydenn ein ysen gespitzt').

In the battles of Villmergen (1656) a Hans Heinrich Buochman of Rickenbach was injured and treated (most likely Rickenbach, Canton Lucerne). 'Mer den Hans Heinrich Buochman von Rikenbach ist ihm an der hand 2 finger schier abgehanwet gewesen und auf dem kopf geletzt, welcher 5 wochen in die Cur zu mir gangen und hat bey sich selber gessen und getrunken.'

A Hans Adern Buchman lived in Auw, as shown in records of 1730. The earliest record of a Buchmann in Neuenkirch refers to Jakob Josef Buchmann in the 1712 'rebellion trial' of the Second Villmerger war (1712). In the same year Jakob Buchmann was also on record for some unpaid debt. At the same time there also lived in Neuenkirch a Hans Jakob Buchmann, Carpenter.

Second Villmerger War (1712), Geschichte der Stadt und des Kantons Luzern, By Kasimir Pfyffer
'Am 18. July hatte die Versammlung in der ‚Süssen Tanne’ wirklich statt. Auch hier erhitzte man sich gegenseitig durch Reden. Gerichtsschreiber Joseph Buchmann von Neuekirch und Joseph Baumli wurden von hier aus nach Luzern geschickt, um der Regierung zu erklären, weil die Ernte vor der Tür sei, der Feind zunächst and der Gränze liege und doch nichts getan werde, so seien die Bauern schwierig, man möchte daher wissen, welches Bewandtniss es mit dem Krieg habe. Schultheiss Schwyzer gab ihnen Audienz und wies sie zur Ruhe.'

The coat-of-arms of the Buchmanns of Hochdorf and Seetal is virtually the same as the coat-of-arms of the Buchmanns of Neuenkirch, indicating that the two branches may be closely related. It is, of course, not definitive as the coat-of-arms for most names are a creation of the 18th century. Still, it means that the two groups of families probably knew each other.

The Buchmanns of Dachelsen (Dachlissen)

South of Affoltern am Albis, the early Zürcher Freiamt, canton Zürich, (Dachlissen/Dachelsen, Mettmenstetten) lived many well-documented Buchmanns since at least the fourteenth century and before, likely related to the Luzern Buchmanns.

Till the later part of the Late Middle Ages, the area of Dachelsen and Mettmenstetten , although on the right side of the river Reuss, was logistically closer to Luzern-Zug than to Zurich, and was dominated by the same feudal powers that ruled the Luzern area. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the abbeys of Luzern-Murbach were important land owners of Dachlessen. It is also known that the people of the Reuss plains felt closer to Central Switzerland (Zug, Luzern) than to Zurich; the ever-present beautiful view of the beloved Rigi mountain in the South, as opposed to the empty view to the North. So, it is quite plausible that early Buchmanns migrated down the Reuss river from Luzern to Dachelsen-Mettmenstetten, the path of least resistance. In 1373 a Cuni Buchmann lived in Dierikon, a good distance from Luzern along the Reuss towards the Dachlissen area. Cuni Buchmann was charged with some violent act against the new Swiss Confederation. It is also possible that Buchmanns arrived in Dachelsen via the Lindenberg and Freiamt from the Seetal. And we cannot dismiss the possible vice-versa scenario that Seetal Buchmanns arrived from Reuss valley. At the turn of the century (1400) the bailiwick of Knonau (Dachlissen-Mettmenstetten area) was under the Knights of Seon, later under the Knights of Heidegg (both in Seetal).

In the middle ages, when land was sparsely populated and plentiful, much of it virgin forest, the land-owning aristocracy and elite made a purposeful effort to populate their lands not least to earn rent but also for protection and prestige. They built towns, and they financed churches to attract settlers.

Here is a possible scenario to show how the Buchmanns from the Luzern area might have migrated to Dachelsen in the Zurich Reuss river plains. In the twelfth and thirteenth century, the Barons of Eschenbach (‘Freiherren von Eschenbach’) gained enormous power and prestige by their association with the Dukes of Zähringen and the Earls of Lenzburg. They held and oversaw vast land properties for their overlords, mainly in the Reuss river plains; they founded the town of Maschwanden, near Dachlissen. The Knights of Eschenbach were bitter enemies of the Habsburgs who had territorial aspirations to these lands . The Eschenbach dynasty originated and lived in town of Eschenbach, an hours walk from Hochdorf, and close to Lucerne. We can say that they were ‘local’. It was in the interest of the Knights of Eschenbach, for self-protection, to encourage local farmers and artisans to settle on their lands in the Reuss river plains, Maschwanden, Dachelsen and surrounding areas. By the end of the thirteenth century, the Eschebach family through their many activities became financially overextended, all relative, and they had to dispose of some of their properties. The son of the last generation, Walter IV, was sadly implicated in the murder of the Habsburg King Albrecht in 1308. The king was on his way home to his Habsburg castle across the river Aare (in Windisch). Walter held the reigns of kings's horse, allowing the king's estranged nephew Johann von Schwaben to approach and murder the king, splitting the skull with an ax, so becoming an auxiliary to the crime. Walter IV was outlawed and escaped, but his holdings were confiscated and the town of Eschenbach and his castles were destroyed. He lived out his life in hiding as a cattle herdsman. He disclosed his identity shortly before his death, and he was granted a funeral befitting an Aristocrat. Little has changed.

Today, there are many Buchmanns worldwide that claim ancestry from that wider Dachlissen area.

At the turn of the 14th century, Niklaus von Malters, a well-known cleric was the Canon at Affoltern (Zurich) and became the first Priest of the newly built village church of Affoltern in 1303. Malters is a small town just outside Luzern and the place where early in the finfteenth centure the first Buchmanns lived. Affoltern is within walking distance of Dachlissen. It is my speculation that there is some explanation here why so many Buchmanns lived in Dachlissen after that time. Niklaus von Malters was also Canon of Eich, a small village on Lake Sempach. His name appears in many documents at that time, including a document relating to an exchange of properties in Urswil, Gosperdingen and Ligschwil between abbeys.

In the year 1407 the abbot of Zurich issued a proclamation. Any opponents of the declaration were summoned to appear on the first day of October at the cloister of the Fraumunster church in Zurich. The proclamation was hanged up on the doors of five churches, including the church of Rifferswil, in the Reuss valley East of Mettmenstetten, 'at the sixth hour before the singing of the open mass', witnessed by Johannes Buochmann and Ruodolf Goetschi. Being selected as a witness was a high honor bestowed on respected burghers. Mettmenstetten is a village close to Dachlissen (Dachelsen), south of Affoltern am Albis, canton Zurich.

In 1468 the people of Mettmenstetten caused a disturbance because of the high taxes imposed by the town of Zurich. In October of that year, the leaders of the riot were led to a stage at the town’s gate and where beheaded. Others were forced to kneel down before the council and burghers, crying with tears and beg for mercy, before they were disgraced in public. A few others were let go with a high monetary fine. Among the last group were the brothers Heine und Ludi Buchmann (Heinrich and Ludwig).

Two Buchmanns fighting on the Protestant side with Ulrich Zwingli died in the Second Battle of Kappel: Hans Buchmann, previously a preacher monk from Zürich, and Owald Buchmann from Rifferswil, a village near Dachlissen. Zwingli also lost his life at that battle.

In 1535 Hans Buchmann of Dachelsen signed a Schuldbrief (mortgage, or more likely a 'gült'), payable to Johannes Bullinger (paid off in 1891, more than 350 years later). Johannes Bulliger was a priest/pastor and the brother of the famous Heinrich Bullinger, who succeeded the Swiss reformer Huldrych Zwingli. Heinrich Bullinger was less belligerent than Zwingli and brought some sanity to the Swiss reformation movement. He may well be the most prominent and respected person in the European and English reformation movement. Heinrich Bullinger and Theodore Buchmann (Bibliander) served at the same time at the Fraumunster in Zurich and surely knew each other well. While Bullinger succeeded Zwingli as the reformer, Buchmann succeeded him as the theologian of the old testament.

In the year 1549, Niclaus (probably Claus) Buchman of Dachelsen received 200 Pounds in Zurich currency, an enormous amount in those days, from the Priory of Zurich, in exchange for annual interest payments of 10 Pounds earned from various parcels of land in Dachelsen. Some of the new parcels bordered on farmland already owned by him and by two other Buchmanns, Ueli Buchmann and Hanns Buchmann. With the new lands, the three Buchmanns owned a large area of land in Dachelsen, probably half of Dachelsen. A copy of the deed is show at the end of the page (in German). Today the Dachlissen area is bisected by the A4 motorway. In fact, the village main street of Dachlissen was relocated to make space for the motorway.

A 1541 document mentions 'Buochmans hof zuo Dachelssen' ('Buchmanns Farm in Dachelsen).

The records of 1558 documents a 'Bürgschaft' (payment guarantee) dispute between Claus Buchmann of Dachelsen and the bailiff of Merenschwand. This is interesting because Dachelsen, then and now, is part of Zurich; Merenschwand then was a bailiwick of Luzern.

In earlier periods, the brightest young men often ‘dedicated their life to God’. What they really meant is a 'life dedicate to learning'. Most learning institutions were overseen and staffed by ecclesiastics intended for educating priests and monks. Church institutions were well endowed by gifts from aristocratic and noble families for the safeguard and well-being of their souls. Life in abbeys and monasteries was good and the priest and monks enjoyed a respected and highly regarded status among the general population. And they did an enormous amount of good work. ‘Dedication to God’ was the only way for ambitious children of ordinary families to pursue a 'learned' life. The most gifted and intellectual young men were guided into the priesthood and celibacy; the potential of breeding their smart genes were slashed. Sure, some priests did father children, but these children were concealed, sometimes disowned, and could not live out their full potential. There were exceptions. For an annual fee, the bishop of Constance in some cases unofficially sanctioned clerical concubinage, allowing his priests to live with a common law wife and grow a family. Financially astute or enlightened? A good example is the well-known theologian Heinrich Bullinger of Bremgarten (1504-1575). His father was a priest and his common law wife Anna Wiederkehr gave him eleven children. All children became priests, highly educated, at a time when most people were illiterate. I would be hard-pressed to think of a person that contributed more to mankind, humanity and civilization than than the father of these eleven children. I take my hat off. One of the sons, of course, became the renowned theologian Heirich Bulliger; another son had some land dealings with one of our Buchmanns of Dachlissen. The theologian Heinrich was closely associated with Theodore Buchmann of Bischoffszell, known as Bibliander. All this is covered in separate stories below.

Celibacy in the priesthood was always an unresolved and sore issue all the way back to the beginning of the Church. In the fourth century, in the year 306 at the Council of Evira in Spain the Decree Number 43 clearly stipulated: a priest who sleeps with his wife the night before Mass will lose his job. And they wondered why so many Sunday Masses were cancelled on such short notice.

The secular powers had an interest of their own in keeping the celibacy of priests. Wittingly or unwittingly, the celibacy created a medium for vast donations and endowments. The benefit of the gifts was not only for the Church but also for the aristocracy, but especially for the population. Almost all of the lands were owned by the King who subrogated the land rights to top aristocrats, the dukes and the earls, who then leased the lands via a network of loyal lower aristocrats and high officials (Ministralien) to the farmers in return for ground rent payments. The land rights were passed down from generation to generation. Through strategic marriages some power families increased their land holdings, some family lines died out. Disputes and wars were fought over land; sovereignty over land and its people represented riches, power, influence and prestige.

The land was sparsely populated, mostly woodland. It was very common in the Middle Ages for the land-owning aristocracy to donate virgin wilderness land to the Church and as a patron to establish a prayer house amidst and appoint a priest. As a condition, the Church was obliged to divide the land into farm parcels and hand it out to free farmers for their promise to work the farm, clear the woods, breed and feed the farm animals, grow crops. Often the gift was made to an established abbey which would organize the parceling. The priests offered needed spiritual and material support and guidance to the poor peasants and held the population on a tight leash. The new population spurned commercial activity and provided the aristocracy with men to fight for them in times of trouble. The farmers in turn were committed to pay to the Church for its upkeep the 'Tenth' tax on the property, paid often in farm products. The Tenth tax was attached to the property in eternity. The land belonged to the famer and was passed down to their descendants or they could sell it, but the tax obligation went with it. The Church, the beneficiary of the Tenth, could hold, sell or trade the right to the Tenth; it was a valuable financial asset. (The Tenth was essentially abolished many centuries later by Napoleon.) The aristocracy liked this practice a lot. It populated the otherwise wasted land. They could donate the land without really loosing it. It gave them power, prestige, protection and income. The biggest advantage was that it could be accomplished without inadvertently empowering rival families, then or in future generations. The new 'pseudo' landowner was the Church, run by unmarried clerics that had no children, so it could never fall into power-grabbing hands to the detriment of the donator family.

Of course there were other reasons for the donations to the church. The donations increased the donors' prestige and influence with the powers of the Church. The gifts were for charity and goodness, a pass at Saint Peter's Gate, and for peace and salvation of aristocrats' souls. Being a friend of the Church let the aristocrats bring their daughters to safe monasteries for the best upbringing and schooling, to later become wives of powerful aristocrats. The younger sons had a chance to become titled Church princes, such as cardinals. In those distant days, priesthood was not required for a Cardinal appointment. And while all these benefits kept giving, the peasants admired their masters for all their benevolent deeds.

I strayed. Back to the theme.

A close relative of mine, Bruno Buchmann, born in Hochdorf (1904), served as the Catholic head priest in the beautiful old town of Bremgarten for 34 years until 1969, the post of father Heirnich Bulliger centuries before. I remember once when Isidor and I in our young days stopped by at Pfarrer Bruno’s home in Bremgarten. He was so pleased to see us that he fetched a bottle of the finest from the wine cellar to celebrate our visit. Bruno Buchmann died in 2000.

At the turn of the century (1398-1412) there lived a Judocus Buochman (Jost Buchmann). He was a Brother at the Predigerorder (Dominican Order) in Zurich. I am not sure where Brother Judocus came from; the Dominican Order of Zurich was very influential throughout a wide area far beyond Zurich, so he could have come from the Reuss valley, Luzern or anywhere. Judocus Buochman was mentioned in several old archives relating to financial and property transactions. By 1412 he was a Prior of the monastery. In his will and testament he stated that the eight pounds of interest income from the properties shall be used as follows: The first two pounds shall be used for Pitanz, that is extra food for the monks on the day of his death so that his death will be celebrated with vigils and masses. The remaining pounds are to fund annual memorials to his parents and benefactors as well as to Sister Regula Marscholkin.

It is most interesting to read the original loan and land use agreement with the feudal owner, the Propstei Church (shown at the end, in German). A Juch(art) and a ‘Mannwerch’ represents and area of land that one man can work in one day. Thus an area of one Juchart can be ploughed by a yoke of oxen in one day, or a Mannwerch can be mowed for grass or hay by one man in one day. A ‘Malacker’ is smaller; it can be worked by one man between two meals (three hours). The exact equivalent in today’s standards depends how easy the land is to work. A Juchart is about 3000 square meters, or about 30 Swiss Aren, or 0.3 Hectares, or 3/4 of an Acre.

Background: In 1393 Merenschwand (about 8 kilometers West of Dachelsen) bought its independence with the help of a loan from Lucerne. As many of the former residents of the village had become citizens of Lucerne, in 1394 the village formally became part of the city of Lucerne and all the residents were granted Lucerne citizenship. Merenschwand thus became the center of the bailiwick of Merenschwand. They chose their own vogt (bailiff) from among the patricians of Lucerne. As the story below shows, several Buchmann families from Dachelsen emigrated to Russia in 1803.

Buchmanns in Eastern Switzerland

I also found early Buchmanns in the Eastern part of Switzerland (Thurgau). In fact there are abundant births documents of Buchmanns in the Canton of Thurgau all the way back to at least the 16th century. From about 1450 to the late 1500s prominent Buchmann families held high office postions first in St Gallen, then in Bischofszell. The most famous member of that family is Theodorus Bibliander (Hellenized name of Theodor Buchmann, 1506?-1564, Biblio~ 'book', Andr~ 'man'). Bibliander was a Greek, Arab and Hebrew linguist and professor of theology. In 1532 he succeeded Ulrich Zwingli in the divinity chair at Zurich. He published the first printed edition of the Qur'an in Latin (Basel, 1543).

The father of Bibliander, Hans Buchmann, a well documented and prominent citizen of Bischofszell and St Gallen. He was at one time the Spital-Meister (hospital administrator) of the historic Heiliggeist Hospital in St Gallen, a prestigious and powerful public position. Hospitals did not just look after the sick, they run vast commercial operations, trading in cereals, meat and wine, and owned vast farming estates. A Josua Buchmann (probably the great nephew of Theodor Buchmann) became Bailiff and City Councilor of Bischoffszell (1578). Friedrich Buchmann was Mayor of St Gallen (1663-1670, Weber Zunft).



I have always assumed that the Thurgau and St Gallen Buchmanns were not related to my forefathers, the early Luzern Buchmanns. Now I am almost convinced that they are. The father of Bibliander, Hans Buchmann, was sometimes referred to by his by-name 'Schwyzer'. Even a cousin of Bibliander in a letter to him addressed Theodor Buchmann as "Herr Joder Schwitzer' (Joder is a short name for Theodor). Ever since the battle of Sempach (1386) the lands of the original four Swiss cantons were commonly referred to by outsiders as 'Schwyz' and its burghers were called 'Schwyzer'. In the original Federation of the three cantons (1291), Schwyz was the largest and most important, and the land was called 'Schwyz'. As the City State Luzern joined the Federation in 1332 it became the most influential part of 'Schwyz'. Today, the Nation is called 'Schweiz' after the original name of the Kanton 'Schwyz'. Why would a man in far-away Thurgau be called 'Schwyzer' if not his roots were in Schwyz, like in Luzern? I already mentioned that the first Buchmanns may have had their home in 'Bueche', Menznau, North of Wolhusen. Annother connection: From 1300 to 1547, the abbot of St Gallen had the right of patronage (he could select the priests) over the Menznau church. On that premise, it is quite possible that Theodorus Bibliander is a descendant of an early Buchmann of Luzern.

In 1431 Heini Buchmann of Mülibach agreed to a time-lease for the Mülibach farm with the Heiliggeist Hospital in St Gallen. (Hube = small farming property). It most likely was the Mühlebach, Amriswil, Thurgau, near St Gallen, although there were many mills (Mühle) powered by streams (Bach) in Switzerland at that time. Could Heini Buchmann be the father or grandfather of Hans Buchmann who became the Spitalmeister of that hospital? Could he be the original Schwyzer from Luzern? Bibliander’s brother Heinrich was 20 years older than Bibliander, so Heini could have been the father or grandfather of Hans, the father of Bibliander. I assume it is irrelevant that near Malters, Luzern, there also is a homestead called 'Mülibach'. Buchmanns at that time lived in Malters.




(Can anyone read the entire document and email me the text. I can read about half of it but not enough to understand the full meaning. Thank you.)

Also from Eastern Switzerland (Frauenfeld), and more recently, comes Frank Buchmann, the founder of the Moral Re-Armament (MRA) movement.

Emigration to Zürichtal, Crimea, 1803

Life in the late 1700s and early 1800s under Napoleon was difficult for many Swiss. The treasured freedom was reigned in. Farmers were no longer allowed to fish in streams and lakes, or hunt in woods. Patrician families flourished while the working class suffered. Emigration abroad was discouraged and mandated against in many cantons. Hans Caspar (von) Escher, a Swiss, who attained a rank of Major in the Russian army was asked by some Swiss to intercede with the Czar government to allow the establishment of a Swiss colony in Russia, similar to an earlier colony founded on the Volga by the Neuenburg Baron de Beauregard. Empress Catherine II the Great of Russia was German-born and was eager to populate the lower Volga and Criemea lands with German-speaking people. Although first reluctant to do so, the Major negotiated with the Russian rulers favorable conditions whereby Swiss families could settle in the Crimea in the Black Sea region. Each family would receive an expansive 195 jucharts of land, be free of Russian military service and be guaranteed enjoy religious freedom. Late in the year 1803, led by the Major and his son Friedrich Ludwig Escher, about forty Swiss families risked their lives for the hope of a better future, against all good advice, set of on their long journey to the Crimea in Russia.

About one third of these families lived in the area of Dachlissen (Dachelsen), the area had recently become part of the canton Zurich. Among the families were Heinrich Buchmann (Shoemaker, born 1767, died 1813) with his wife(Verena Stehli, 1759) and five children (Heinrich, Johann, Jakob, Elisabeth, Johannes), the youngest Johannes just born; Hans Buchmann (Farmer, born 1760) with his wife and young son Heinrich; Heinrich Buchmann ('Heinrich II' born 1789, the son of Heinrich born 1767); Johannes Lüssi (1762) and his five children from a marriage with Barbara Buchmann (she died in 1801, before the emigration). The departure was scheduled for October 1803. The Russian envoy discouraged the trip, calling it 'insane' because of the time of year, just before winter, and the makeup of the group of emigrants; they were poor farmers without any means, virtually no craft and trade people among them. Heinrich Buchmann had to leave home because he was a Catholic and married to a wife that was Evangelical, a situation that was hardly tolerated in Dachlesen but would be no problem in Russia. Could it be that Heinrich's Catholic faith indicated that his roots were from Luzern, perhaps not an original Buchmann of Dachlissen but a later arrival?

The plan was straightforward: by ox-drawn carts to Ulm, then by boat down the river Danube to Odessa on the Black Sea, and by ship to Sevastopol. However, the trip was all but simple, the travel was exasperating and tragic. Some boat operators were ordered to refuse the boarding, land passage was denied and had to be renegotiated. Food and funds ran out, many died, especially young children, including Heinrich Buchmann's 14-week old baby Johannes and 4-year old daughter Elisabeth. In Vienna, Major Escher received 6000 gulden from the Russian envoy after pleading for help. The money was an advance in order to 'keep them as beggars off the streets of Vienna'. At the end, the only travel on the Danube was from Regensburg to Pressburg (Bratislava), the rest was done arduously over land in tilt-carts.

When the Swiss finally arrived in the Crimea in early summer they realized that they were misled by promises. What followed were years of total misery. They were robbed by the native tatars, few even murdered. A large section of the colonists died from disease and epidemics, crops were lost to drought grasshopper infestations, livestock was depleted by snowstorms and cow disease. There was no money for funerals; the dead were draped in rags and buried in the earth. The Russian government helped but it could have done a lot more. A large number of neighboring German settlements did not fare much better, but everybody helped each other.

Eventually they built a prosperous and proud colony called Zürichtal in memory of the beautiful Zurich Freiamt they left behind. It became an exemplary community from which the czarist Russia could have learned a lot. The Swiss mixed with nearby German colonies, learned the Russian language and slowly lost their sense of Swiss heritage. Later in the century, the colonists lost the treasured exemption from military service. The young men had to serve in the Russian army for years suffering inhuman treatment and conditions. Several families decided to emigrate to America. No-one knew of the stark reversal of fortune that lied before them.

A hundred years after their first settlement, the fate of the colonists turned: the Russian Revolution, then Josef Stalin. Their possessions were plundered and the farms seized. The farmers that did not voluntarily give up their land were extradited to the Ural, deliberately disbursed to hinder any contact among them. Several generations after leaving Switzerland, in desperation, some wrote to the mayors of their ancient communities in Switzerland for help. If citizenship could be established, and all possible avenues were pursued by the Swiss municipal offices, help was sent if at all possible. Many died of hunger. Finally in 1941, the families of Zurichtal together with the neighboring German colonists were declared state enemies and deported by the communists to slave labour camps in North-Eastern Kazakhstan (geographically that is in Siberia). Few, if any, survived; the fate is unknown. Today's name of Zürichtal is Zolotoe Pole. Little of it exists; most grave stones were reused as building material. The deported colonists from the Crimea and Volga represented a large population of Kazakhstan. They were a suffering under-class, shunned as foreigners and Germans. It was not until the breakup of the Soviet Union when this suffering minority experienced its 'Parting of the Sea'. In the 1990s almost two million 'Germans' emigrated from Kazakhstan mainly to Germany and the United States. Such suffering over many generations must surely have built strong characters and many survivors will do very well. (If you have more information please write to buchmann@informatik.com ).

A Friedrich Buchmann (1832), grandson of Heinrich (1767), son of Jakob (1798), moved to the nearby Alexanderthal, and in 1890 emigrated to South Dakota, USA ('Fulda', 29 June 1890, New York). There is a large number of descendants of Friedrich Buchmann in the Dakotas and North America. How many grandchildren did Friedrich have? Fifty-five! 22 girls and 33 boys. Number of great-grandchildren? Many more.

For a long time, I wondered if any of the Zürichtal Buchmanns that were deported to Kazakstan survived the terrible hardship. Then, I received a note from a Waldemar Buchmann who read my web article. In 1993, Waldemar and his close family moved from the village Blagodatnoe, Kazakstan to Cologne/Bonn, Germany. The family are descendants of Heinrich Buchmann and through seven generations they brought to this world many sons and daughters. Waldemar’s great-grandfather Bernhard (1872-1938) was shot dead by the communists. His grandfather Jakob (1901-1933) died before the deportation; his father Adolf (born 1929) lived through the deportation when he was twelve years old (around 1941). The Buchmann families in Zürichtal owned two farming estates (daughter colonies of Zürichtal), the Chutor Kalai and the Chutor Scheicheli).

Leonardt (1728, Dachelsen; married Verena Weiss
Children: Heinrich (1767-1813)

Heinrich (1767-1813), Dachelsen, emigrated to Zürichtal
Children:
Heinrich (1790-1856) with wife Ana Grob
Johann (1794-1812) with wife Elisabeth Huber
Jakob (1798-) with wife Verena Stehli

Heinrich (1790-1856); married Jacobine Weiss
Children: Heinrich (1826-1855), Friedrich (1828-1838), Johannes (1831-)

Heinrich (1826-1855); married Wilhelmine Baer
Children: Johann-Heinrich (1850-1901), Bernhard-Friedrich (1853-1914)

Johann-Heinrich (1850-1901):
Children: Bernhard (1872-1938), Solomon (1883-1959), 4 Daughters

Bernhard (1872-1938):
Children: Jakob (1901-1933), Wilhelm (1910-1976), 6 Daughters

Jakob (1901-1933):
Children: Eduard (1926-2005), Adolf (1929-), Irma (1932-)

Adolf (1929-):
Children: Waldemar, ...

The emigrant expedition of the Dachlissen families to Russia was so badly executed by Major von Escher that he was banished in Zurich and his name was disgraced in Zurich, but only after he asked his son to organize another expedition, this time with 1000 artisan emigrants. This expedition run out of funds and failed before the emigrants left Switzerland. Major Escher's incompetence in finance and planning, and a good dose of bad luck, were the main reason for the disastrous undertaking. His son Friedrich pleaded and came to his father's defense to not much avail. The major died in St. Petersburg in 1831. Friedrich emigrated and died as a plantation owner in Cuba. The oldest son of the Major, Heinrich, emigrated to the USA and returned to Switzerland as a wealthy man. Heirnich's son Alfred became the most successful financier and industrialist in Switzerland. What the Major lacked in skill and flair, his grandson was endowed with - one hundred fold.

Dachlissen Photos

United States of America

Four Buchmanns among my recent relative ancestors from Hochdorf emigrated to the United States. In 1833 Joseph Anton Xaver (1793) emigrated with his young son Joseph Alois Xaver to a newly founded Swiss colony of Helvetia (renamed Highland, Madison County, Illinois). The younger brother Anton Xaver Josef (1810) also emigrated to Helvetia , either at the same time or a few years later. Today, I guess there are at least 100 descendants from the three Buchmanns, although the male line has left only four members at the time of this writing (and only one of the youngest generation).

I have recently read the book ‘New Worlds to Seek Pioneer Heinrich Lienhard in Switzerland and America, 1824 – 1846’. Heinrich Lienhard travelled to Helvetia, Illinois, in 1843. He crossed the Atlantic from Le Havre to New Orleans, then travelled up the Mississippi to St Louis. There he waited for someone to take him to Helvetia about 30 miles east of St Louis.

Quoting from the book: ‘On the fourth day two farmers arrived in a wagon drawn by two yoke of Oxen. Both were Swiss; the older was Joseph Buchmann, a man of about fifty, tall and well-built, with pleasant features, an enlightened, well-read man from the Canton Lucerne, the other, Mr. Iberg. Old Buchmann told Iberg to hand out the jug of whiskey, which he did, after first taking a good swig for himself. Then Buchmann followed his example, and they handed it to us, saying ‘Here, take it, it’s good for times like these’. I was astounded that people in this country drank something like that, for I associated the name ‘wiski’ only with whitewash and therefore felt that this could neither be good to drink, nor healthy.’

The younger brother Anton at one time was the inn-keeper of the town's Helvetia Hotel. Lienhard later left Helvetial and travelled to California and worked for Captain John Sutter, famous for his association with the California Gold Rush.

In the year 1899 Bruno Georg Buchmann (1865) emigrated to Chicago and became the patriarch of a successful line of descendants, educators, medical doctors. The male line has left only two members at the time of this writing (and only one of the youngest generation). Stay tuned.

Swiss Merceneries

The Swiss were fighting as mercenaries ('Reisläufer') in foreign lands since the Roman times. The Reisläufer market was very active and economically important in the period from the 1300s to the mid 1800s. The king of France continuously hired Swiss mercenaries from 1497 until 1830. The Swiss warriers were valued for the power of their mass attack in deep columns with pike and halberd. Until the wider use of shotguns, the Swiss soldiers were unbeatable killing machines. Hiring the Swiss was made even more attractive because entire Swiss mercenary contingents could be bought by simply contracting with a Swiss local government or through the intermediary of powerful patrician families acting on their own, or for their towns, but earning huge profits for themselves. Foreign kings and dukes made regular payments (called Pensions) to patrician families or to city states in order to secure a steady supply of mercenaries. Young Swiss men were attracted by the money and the adventure.

The mercenary business became an industry; it was often an inheritable family enterprise that passed from generation to generation. Patrician families often owned military units (Companies and Regiments) and named them after the family. It was a true money mill for these families. The business was complex and normally very rewarding. Networks of agents travelled the land to entice strong healthy men to join the military service with attractive offers. Approval by local governments or lords had to be obtained and paid for. The recruits then were assembled, outfitted and transported to the foreign locations. The huge profits were used to buy votes and positions on city councils, yielding these mercenary owner families enormous influence. Being in the political loop and with connections to foreign countries, gave them access to information that they could use to further their status, …and help with their mercenary recruiting efforts. While the mercenary owners were away abroad commanding their private military units, their wives or sisters were left in charge of the family’s political and mercenary affairs. The sons were schooled in Paris to become the next generation of military officers and mercenary entrepreneurs.

A typical case of a military family enterprise is that of the Zur Lauben (Zurlauben) family clan, a prestigious family in Zug. Their ‘Kompanie Beat Jakob II Zur Lauben’ unit was in the service to the French King from the late 1600s. The Zurlaubens were also bailifs and council members of the city of Zug, not to mention high office holders in the Church, and always ensured that the city was favorably inclined towards the kingdom of France. Why do I mention the Zurlauben family? It is to highlight the corrupt practices that prevailed in the mercenary service. Also, in 1690 a Melchior Buochman of Maschwanden (near Dachelsen) was a Pikeman for the Kompanie Beat Jakob II Zurlauben. I could not determine his fate. I hope he lived out his full life.

I found one other record of a Swiss mercenary (Lucerne Archives): Niklaus Buchmann, Leutnant, in the service for Savoy and Sardinia, 1655. This is fascinating. In the patrician regimen of Lucerne at that time only members of 'well established' families could serve as officers in foreign service. Lucerne had the most aristocratic government in Switzerland until well into the nineteenth century and the club of the 'Gnädigen Herren und Oberen' was exclusionary to the extreme. The fact that Niklaus Buchmann made it to Lieutenant gives thought that the Buchmanns in Lucerne were socially a bit above ground level, ... and I am not talking about 'Patrizier' level. The mercenary service became so morally wrong when Swiss soldiers fought each other in opposing armies. This led the country to revolt, and thank God, mercenary service was declared illegal in 1859. I am asking myself: What is nobler, a man who awakes at five, milks the cows and ploughs the fields till dark, or the rich man who struts down the avenue in silky garb and hoards great wealth from sending young men to their deaths in foreign lands?

Emigration to Alsace and Rheinland-Pfalz 1650-1720

Between 1650 and 1720 many Swiss emigrated to Alsace and Rheinland-Pfalz. Life in Switzerland was hard and many Swiss could hardly support their large families. Emigration to America was not yet realistic. The Thirty-Year war (1618–1648), one of the most destructive conflicts in European history, devastated much of the land mainly in Alsace and Southern Germany. Much of the population of the countryside was killed or fled when the land was invaded over many years by various armies (Imperials, Swedish and French and others). Rebuilding and resettling of the region was needed; new settlers, especially hardworking Swiss, were welcome. After the war, several thousand Swiss emigrated to Alsace and Southern Germany. While this important event certainly did not rival the Völkerwanderung of early histories, it is virtually unknown to Swiss people today.

The real reason for the Swiss emigration to Alsace and the Southern Germany is somewhat different. The thirty-year war gave a huge economic uplift to Switzerland. The war caused severe shortages of food and artisan products which Switzerland, that was neutral to the war, was eager to fill. Prices for farm produce and all fabricated goods increased three-fold. Prices went up almost daily. The farmers and artisans took out loans to increase production. The city families of power through which all trade was channeled became rich beyond dreams, and no end to the good times was in sight. Then the war ended. Prices fell with a vengeance. The farmers could not repay the loans. The financial fate of aristocratic families that controlled the trade also changed and they put insufferable pressure on the poor farmers and handworkers. Life for the poor became unbearable. The children of the working class saw no future. The farmers rebelled (Bauernkrieg), pressure by the aristocracy-controlled governments was unrelenting and intolerant; some rebels were even executed. The poor farmers looked for an escape, emigrating and starting a new life in foreign lands. The eldest farmer son could take over the father’s farm; the younger children had to fend for themselves (except under Bern law where the youngest boy stayed on the farm and paid off the older brothers). The emigrants were virtually penniless and looked for places where land was cheap, like the Alsace that was depopulated by the long war.

About 1703 a Hans Jakob Buchmann from the district Rothenburg (to which the Hochdorf area belongs) emigrated to Sulzbach, Sudwestpfalz, Germany. Today, Südwestpfalz has a high concentration of the Buchmann family name (over 80 Buchmanns as of 2010). It is intriguing to think how many of them might have emigrated to North America. An Alfons Buchmann from Canton Luzern emigrated around 1684 to Alsace, just North of Basel (Bistum Basel). A Stephan Buchmann from Hochdorf, settled in Colmar, Alsace, and died there in 1685. A daughter of an Alexander Buchmann, of Bertliswil, near Rothenburg, married in 1673 in the town of Ueberlingen, Germany. A Buchmann in Ueberlingen recorded the birth of a child Maria in 1685. These Buchmanns are not linked to my family tree but they are likely to have been relatives; they definitively came from the wider area of Hochdorf, Neuenkirch, Freiamt. - Source: http://www.staatsarchiv.lu.ch/luzerner_auswanderer_1640-1740_teil_a.pdf.

Dinghof Ludiswil

I was brought up in a small hamlet called Ludiswil in the community of Römerswil. Ludiswil has some historic significance. From around 1300, Ludiswil was a Dinghof, a place of a Twing, a place of assembly and lower court of the Berghof. The Berghof was the area between the Lake Sempach and Lake Baldegg consisting of today's Rain, Hildisrieden and Römerswil, a rather large area, so Ludiswil was a somewhat important dinghof. Twing has its origin in the old feudal law of ‘Tzwing und Bann’ meaning ‘zwingen’ (forced) to do something and ‘bann’ (banned) from doing something. At a twing court session, typically twelve layman and an official of the feudal lord (for example a deputy bailiff) were in attendance. The twing court would conduct trials of minor and medium offences, those resulting in penalties below a death sentence.

Ludiswil is located on the Erlosen mountain, really a hill, with breath-taking views of the Alps. There were small settlements on the Erlosen back into the distant history, the Helvetians (Celts), then the Romans, followed by the Allemans. Around Ludiswil there are three hamlets with the '-ingen' suffix. These 'ingen' settlements are likely to date back about 500 years before Ludiswil and other -wil hamlets and villages were first settled. Many 'ingen' settlements, as they grew, became -ikon villages and towns. In the early days, unlike the more sunny Lindenberg opposite the Seetal valley, the Erlosen was mainly covered in forrest and woods and was open territory for hunting and wood cutting. The name Erlosen actually means 'unploughed'.

Municipalities, as we know them today, did not really exist in the Middle Ages; instead the land was mapped into Parishes. There were villages with a church building, generally sponsored by a well-to-do family, often of of nobility. The Church was very powerful, yet supportive and compassionate, and when in dire need, it was the place of last resort. The church was very protective and watchful of their territory that consisted of a large number of hamlets. Often they quarrelled and bargained over borders; it was their tax base for collectin the tithes ('Tenth'). The lower courts, responsible for handling minor disputes and transgressions, had their seat at a local ‘Dinghof’ and they were casually supervised by the Vogt (bailiff). The jurisdiction for major offenses was with the Vogt who represented the higher powers, such as the Earl (Graf), or the City State of Luzern. Around 1450 the two hamlets of Buchen, the upper and lower Buchen, two farms down from our home, had a most peculiar arrangement. The upper Buchen was assigned to both the parish of Römerswil and the parish of Hochdorf. The men went to Mass in Hochdorf , a long way down in the valley, while the women went to church in the closer Römerswil. This reminds me of my youth when there was a strict rule in church: Men and boys used the pews on the right, women and girls on the left, very strict; we never questioned it, it was so normal. The family of Buchen may have found their situation quite normal too, it was always that way. The church taxes were paid half-and-half to both parishes. However, by the mid-1600s, by the power of habit, the family went to church together in Rain, and eventually Buchen was officially moved to that parish, even politically still part of Römerswil today.

Among the circle of saga believers in canton of Lucerne, the Erlosen mountain plays an prominent role. According to the sagas, the Erlosen was the Blocksberg of local witches stories. On the Sabbath each week, at witch time, from all sides, the witches flew in on their brooms and gathered on a cleared site in the Erlosen forest. Almost all witch trials of the late Middle Age refer to the Erlosen and its connection with the witches.(LOL)

Till the late 1200s or early part of the 1300s the Dinghof was in Gundolingen (Gundoldingen), about two kilometers Southwest of Ludiswil. Gundolingen was the heritage estate of the prominent Gundoldingen family. Petermann von Gundoldingen was one of the most respected and influential burghers of the city of Luzern, thus a member of the Luzern ‘aristocracy’. He, and his father, the richest man of Luzern (tannery owner), held the office of Schultheiss of Luzern, President of the City Council. In 1256 the financially overstretched Freiherren von Eschenbach sold Gundoldingen to the Abbey of Engelberg. Ludiswil and much of the area of today's Rain, Hildisrieden and Römerswil was part of the 'Fryen Gnossami Gundolingen' (Free Companionship of Gundolingen). Ludiswil was first mentioned in the year 1045. The Ludiswilers were free men. I am not sure what ‘free’ meant in that context. As persons they did not belong to an overlord (in the sense of non-serf) but they were still subject though various layers ultimately to the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. As such they were required to fight in wars if called upon by the Empire. They also belonged to a church parish that taxed them with the ‘Tenth’ (one tenth of their income). The parishes needed the funds to run the church establishments and they did a lot of good work helping the poor and unfortunate. When the last male member of the House of Kyburg died in 1263, the Habsburgs inherited or claimed the hinterland of Luzern, including the Fryen Gnossami Gundolingen, and placed the area under the bailiff of Rothenburg. Rothenburg and Luzern were deadly enemies, culminating in the burning and destruction of the bailiff's castle in Rothenburg in 1385. One can speculate that the Dinghof was moved from Gundoldingen to 'ze Ludis wiled', Ludiswil, because of the bitter hatred and hostilities between Luzern and the Habsburgs, and the old Dinghof’s association with the name of the Gundoldingen family of Luzern. In 1386 the Fryen Gnossami Gundolingen was renamed to 'Genossenschaft am Berg', then 'Höfe am Berg', Berghof. In 1836 the Berghof was split into today's three communes. Petermann von Gundoldingen was the chief commander of the Luzern army in the Battle of Sempach against the Habsburgs and died in the battle at the age of seventy (1386).

Origin of Buchmann Name

Hereditary surnames for us ordinary folks began to appear only around the twelfth century. Aristocratic families used family surnames long before that. Given that, it is unlikely that we had ancestors using the Buchmann family name before the 1200s. Family surnames typically had their origin in the patriarch’s trade, abode, looks, tribe, origin, or given first name, for example Smith, Hallwil, Roth, Hilfinger, Schwytzer, Frank.

In North America, the many of families with the Buchmann name are of Jewish origin. They immigrated from Germany, Poland and Russia. Back in time when the law of some European empires required that the Jews change Patronymic names to inherited family names, some adopted the name Buchmann, a name connected with 'Buch' book, perhaps because they traded with books, for example book binders, book sellers, printers, or simply because Buchmann is a beautiful and strong name. It is commonly believed that the name Buchmann in Switzerland, originally Buochman, relates to the beech tree, 'Buchen', (a man living in or next to the beech woodlands, or a man working with trees, or a man working with wood). Or, possibly the name Buchmann was given to a man that came from a village calld Buch(s), a village near beech woodlands.

As shown above, as early as 1346 there were documented Buochmans in Malters. Relatively close to Malters is an old village on Lake Lucerne called Buochs. Perhaps a man from Buochs resettled in Malters and he was called the ‘Man from Buochs’, Buochman. There is also a town of Buchs in the Eastern part of Switzerland (Canton St. Gallen). That Buchs was first mentioned in the eight century as Poggio, and the word poggio comes from the Latin Podium. I doubt if the Buochs on Lake Lucerne has the same 'podium' root. Buochs lies in a quiet bay on the lake. I suspect that its name simply derives from the sound of 'bk' in Becken (bay). In 1124 Buochs was documented as 'Boches'. The neighboring village of Buochs is Beckenried (ried = field cleared of woods). Historians indicate that Beckenried, mentioned first in 1178 as Buccinried, got its name from Bucco, then the short name of the then popular name Burkhard.

Then, we also know that an ancient Celtic word 'Buoch' means a 'clearing in the woods'. Switzerland was populated by the Celts (Helvetians) before the Roman times. Names of settlements could very well be derived from that that Celtic word.

The first known person with the 'Buchmann' name was a Kellner in Malters (1346). The Kellner was the official who collected and kept track of taxes. Was our first Buchmann known to keep the books?

There are also other Buchs villages and towns in Switzerland and a dozen or more hamlets that include the word 'Buchen', after all the beech tree is one of the most common tree species in Switzerland. There is a town of Buchs in the Suhr valley in Aargau and another Buchs northeast of Zurich.

We will never know the true origin of our name. I like to speculate that the Buchmann clan originated in the area between Sursee and Wolhusen. An ancient 13th century Latin document mentions Eberhardus und Berchtholdus ‘von Buoch’ living in 1270. The word 'von' means 'from'. Buoch was a 'castle by the beach trees' in Sursee or more likely Wolhusen. The ruling family of Wolhusen owned many castles and towers and posessed the right of highest judgeship. A short distance North of the Wolhusen is a village called Menznau. In the Middle Ages one of the smaller castles of the Barons of Wolhusen was located in Menznau There are hamlets nearby called 'Bueche' and 'Buholz', close to the 'Galgenbergwald' (the woods of gallow hill), a place of executions. It is thus a good possibility that Bueche was the original place of the Buchmann line. Also a Cunradus von Buch is documented as obtaining a piece of land, owned by a Lord, located on a gentle slope of beech trees (Buchen) near the castle of Willisau. Below the ruins of the Willisau castle there is a small creek now called Buch-Wigger and the slope by ruins of the castle is still covered by beautiful beech trees. From this original area the von Buchmanns likely moved to Malters, a close associate of the Barons of Wolhusen. The source name 'von Buoch' ('from Buoch') was only given once once they left their original home, but soon, perhaps once they moved again, became the more notable name 'Buochman'. A Heinrich Buochman was Kelner of Malters in 1346. The Meier and the Kelner were powerful administrators appointed by the landowning nobility. From there, the Buchmanns spread into the wider Luzern area and the Reuss valley towards Zurich.



From an old book: Quellen zur Schweizer Geschichte.

Beech woods
near the Wolhusen Burg.


At a risk of being a Spielverderber, a spoiler, we have to accept the possibility that there may be several independent origins of the Buchmanns; there are so many different possible explanations for the source of the name.

Family Crest

Coat-of-arms have their origins in the mid-12the century, first as a cover on the kings’ warriors’ armors, the lords and knights, to identify allies from enemies, then also placed on shields and banners. The crusade expeditions are credited with the wider adaptation of the coat-of-arms. The popularity quickly extended to families of nobility and power. By the 14th century many burghers and ordinary families adopted heraldic family crests. Coat-of-arms are also used for national flags. The design must follow some strict rules, often ignored. For example the solid colors of red, green and blue must never touch the colors of metal (white and yellow). It is revealing how the old countries of Europe, all without exception, honor the design laws, whereas some of the later and most powerful countries simply ignore them. I don’t know when the first Buchmann crest appeared, one dated 1762 was deposited with the Luzern State Archives (pictures below).

The coat-of-arms of the Buchmann of Hochdorf show a beech tree with two stars. The crest of the Buchmanns of Neuenkirch is identical, except that the two stars are replaced with two flowers. Coat-of-arms for for most of us are relatively new and do not necessarily give much insight into the origin of a family name.


Zum Schluss...

While I certainly cannot claim that my study of the Buchmann origin is all correct in every detail or even broadly, one fact is clear: as far back as the beginning of life we had ancestors. Countless generations of forefathers and mothers that loved and struggled to leave a better life to their children, to us. They suffered through wars, famines, plagues and pests. They enjoyed happy times and distressful times, heartbreaking sufferings when they saw so many of their young children die. I dedicate this study to all my forebears as a small gesture of gratitude and thanks.

My Family Tree

This Family Tree is not complete. It covers all my descendants back to the early 1600s but it misses the many side branches. If you have any information that will help me complete the tree please contact me at buchmann@informatik.com and I will update the web pages. I am particularly interested in information about all Buchmanns born before approximately 1925. If you have any information about our forefathers before those listed here I would be thrilled. Also, if you have anecdotes, pictures, stories, please contact me.

Researching the ancestry has many pitfalls. One single false identification in the family tree can mess things up royally. And let us not forget that building a family tree based strictly on the male line is quite unfair. We would get a more complete picture if we were to include descendancy through our Mothers as well. The complete picture would be that, over many centuries, we all become related. Indeed, with virtual certainty, we can say that we all are descendents of the great Charlemagne, King of the Franks, first Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, who lived 1200 years ago :-).

The web page is based on original information that was gathered by Frieda Felix of Hochdorf and many thanks for that great job. I intend to keep the web pages updated. Some of the data has become unreadable and if you can give me the missing data or let me know of any errors, I would appreciate.

Each generation is displayed on a separate web page. You can move forward and backward by clicking on the colored hypertext link.

How do I fit into the family tree? I am the second son of Franz Xaver and Elisabetha Buchmann (Click here).

Click here to go to the family tree.

Joseph Buchmann, Heritage Place, Devon PA 19333
Telephone USA 610.450.6144 buchmann@informatik.com

Johann Georg Buchmann (1757-1840)
in his 82nd year painted by Anton von Matt 1839


Buchmann of Hochdorf Coat-of-Arms
representing a beech tree (Buche)



A Peter Buchmann from the area lost his life in the battle of Sempach against the Habsburgs (1386)
His name is inscribed on the walls of the Sempach battle field memorial church.










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Staatsarchiv Zurich
Niclaus Buchman von Dachelsen (Tachelsenn) in Freiamt, empfängt von den Pflegern der Propsteikirche 200 Pfund Zürcher Währung, Ablösung vorbehalten, gegen einen jährlichen Zins von 10 Pfund gleicher Währung, auf den 1. Mai in Zürich, zu Handen eines jeweiligen Amtmanns und Inhabers des Kammeramtes zahlbar, von seinen Gütern, nämlich: 3 Juch. Acker im Seewadell, angrenzend an Perter Sutters Acker; 1 Juch. Acker, gegen Tunsen gelegen, angrenzend an Ueli Buchmans Letten und Malacker, und an seinen eigenen Acker, gen. Mutzenacker; 1 Juch. Acker gegen Wolsen gelegen, angrenzend an Heini Guts Halbartten, an Jos Guts und an Hanns Buchmans Touf-Aecker; 1 Juch. Acker, gegen Mettmenstetten (Mettmastetten) gelegen, angrenzend an Steinacker, an Kriessböumem Acker und an den obengenannten 2 Juch. Acker; 1/2 Mannwerch Wiese, angrenzend an die Strasse in das Grossholtz, an das Gemeindewerch von Dachelsen, und an seine Jungholtz-Wiese; 5 Mannwerch Wiese, gen. Mättenriett, angrenzend an Ueli Buchmans Bützmatten, an Jacob Grobs Teuffenmoss, an Heini Guts Grossenmatt und an Mutzenberg; ein Haus samt Hofstatt, Pünten, Garten und Baumgarten, alles ca. 1 Mannwerch gen. das Niderhus, gegen Tunsen in Dachsleren gelegen, angrenzend an Schleipffers Baumgarten, an die Strasse gegen Bremgarten (Brämbgartten) , an seine Aecker bei den Pünten, alles ledig und frei bis auf den Zehnten; ferner 7 Mannwerch Wiese am Krumbenmoss samt einer Scheune in Dachelsen, angrenzend an Heini Winckelmans und Ueli Buchmans Weiden und an Hans Hubers Acker; 2 Juch. Acker und 1 Juch. Holz, gen. Vorholtz, in vorgenannten Matten gelegen, belastet mit 2 Gulden an die Kirche in Mettmenstetten. Es siegelt Meister Ludwig Meyer, Vogt zu Knonau und Maschwanden in Freiamt. Unterschrift: Heinrich Häginer, genant Hoffstetter, scripsit. Dazu gehört ein Papierzettel folgenden Inhalts: 10 lib. zu Tachelssen 1549. Diser brieff steht uch im handbuch 1571, aber nit mehr in disem 1671. Ist in handbüchern anhin geschriben.