Hubler history W. R. Hubler, Jr., M. D

The Hubler Family in Switzerland

A few decades ago in the 1970s, data on the HUBLER family was retrieved from Twann by a professional genealogist searching for ordinances for the Mormon Church, and the report is the source for much of the information presented herein.¹⁸, ¹⁹ Some of the information was corroborated by an independent, volunteer genealogists in Twann. ²⁰ Since Napoleon’s army destroyed all civil records in Twann, private church registers are all that exist. As is typical in most Germanic communities in Europe, church records tend to be grouped into families, christening dates (and not birth dates) are registered, and little personal or historical background is recorded. Furthermore, even though the genealogical trees are extensive, they are incomplete.

The actual parentage of my ancestor, Benedict HUBLER (below) was not recorded; however, there was a Benedict HUBLER [Bendicht HUBLER (ca 1600- ??) who was married to Johanna Schmid (Aug. 27, 1604 Bernack, St.Gallen, Switz.- ??).²¹

Bendicht HUBLER (Aug. 1612- ??)

Keungold Perro (c July 20, 1617 Twann-June 19, 1671 Twann) (m Nov. 20, 1637 in Twann)

(dau of Rodolphe Perro and Benedicta Feigknecht)

Katharina HUBLER (c Sept. 2, 1638 Twann) (m Peter Perro in 1662) (9 children)

Anna HUBLER (c Aug. 9, 1640 Twann)

Rudolf HUBLER (c Dec. 12, 1641 Twann)

Heinrich (Hans Friedrich) HUBLER (1644-1687) (m Jeanne Pilloud)

Niclaus HUBLER (c Aug. 23, 1646 Twann) (m Margarth Schltenbrand in 1667)

Margareth HUBLER (c Sept. 10, 1648 Twann) (m Wilhelm Lehnen in 1674) (4 kids)

Bendicht HUBLER (c Aug. 3, 1651 Twann-Nov. 7, 1660 Twann)

Hans Jacob HUBLER (c Oct. 15, 1654 Twann)

Peter HUBLER (c July 26, 1657 Twann) (m Elsbeth Begre) (3 children)

Kuengold HUBLER (c Nov. 13, 1659 Twann-Nov. 17, 1665 Twann) (d as child)
Heinrich (Hans Friedrich) HUBLER (c Mar. 3, 1644 Twann, Bern, Switz.-Jan. 2, 1687 Twann)

Jeanne Pillou (c June 25, 1643-Ligerz, Bern, Switz-Apr. 2, 1717) (dau of Jaques Pillou) (m Jan. 20,

1668)

Keungold HUBLER (c Oct. 4, 1668-Mar. 17, 1730)

Johannes HUBLER (c Apr. 13, 1673-Aug. 28, 1741) (m Margreth Gerster)

Eliseth HUBLER (c 1697) (m Rudolf Krebs)

Anna Maria HUBLER (c 1703) (m Abraham HUBLER)

Johannes HUBLER (c 1710)

Peter HUBLER (c Jan. 21, 1677-Feb. 24, 1751) (m Anna Maria Muerset in 1706)

Peter HUBLER (c 1707)

Peter HUBLER (c 1711) (m Maria Magdalena Perro)

Susanna HUBLER (c 1713)

Nichlaus HUBLER (c 1715) (m Elsbeth Weber)

Hans Jacob HUBLER (1673/²²1680-1731²³) (m Anna Graussi)
Hans Jacob HUBLER (c Apr. 13, 1673/²⁴Jun. 6, 1680 Twann, Switz-Aug. 28, 1731²⁵)

Anna Graussi (c Sept. 30, 1683 Twann, Bern, Switz.- ??) (m March 17, 1710 in Twann)

(Hans) Jacob HUBLER (b Dec. 1710; c Jan. 4, 1711 Twann, Switz.-1789

Northampton Co, PA) (m Barbara ??)

At least three HUBLER clans populated Twann at in the 15^th century.²⁶, ²⁷ The government of Bern, Switzerland obligated its citizens to register christenings, marriages and deaths beginning in 1557. The parson of the village collected and recorded the data.²⁸ In modern Switzerland, HUBLER families populate six cantons; however, all the HUBLER families came from only two villages of the canton of Bern—Twann and Batterkinden.²⁹ Twann was the homeland of the families in this report. The first HUBLER recorded in Twann was Balt (Balthasar) HUBLER who was christened on Aug. 22, 1575 and was the son of Peter HUBLER and Barbara Willome.³⁰ Birth dates are not recorded; but generally, a christening took place within three weeks after birth. Dozens of people named HUBLER are listed in the town's history, and there were probably three HUBLER clans in Twann from 1650-1750.³¹, ³²

The origin of the HUBLER surname earlier than those in Twann is unknown. Twann has a mixture of German and French speaking families and is close to the borders of both countries. The HUBLER families in this report predominately spoke German and followed Germanic-Swiss customs; and so patently, a German origin is suggested; however, it might be that the families migrated to Twann from France during the Catholic-Huguenot turmoil in the 16^th century as Huguenots with the French name of “Oublier.”

Official records of early Twann are scant. Twann was first mentioned in 1136 and “bought itself“ from the city of Bern in 1494.³³ Vine growing was begun in Twann when the vines were brought to the area around Biel for use in monasteries. After the Reformation, the property of the monasteries was taken by the city of Bern (the citizens of Twann owned only a few vineyards—they mostly cultivated the vineyards owned by Bern and received one-half of the crop as payment).³⁴ On March 5, 1798, Napoleon conquered Bern and occupied Twann.³⁵ Twann is a small village between France and Bern. Napoleon's troops burned all the archives and parish registers, so all the data concerning the inhabitants of Twann went up in flames. The only surviving genealogical records before 1798 are private. Jacob HUBLER (1710-1789) had immigrated to America in 1737, eighty years before Napoleon’s pyrogenics; so tracing his lineage is difficult. The past is only piecemeal in Twann.³⁶

Hans Jacob HUBLER (1680-1731) lived in Twann, Canton of Bern, Switzerland in the early 1700's. He was the father of Jacob HUBLER (1710-1789) who immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1737. Two separate genealogists have searched for data on the HUBLER family in Twann and have somewhat different interpretations about the birth year of Hans Jacob HUBLER (1680-1731), but it is explainable. Both³⁷,³⁸ agree that the father of Hans Jacob HUBLER (1680-1731) was Hans Friedrich HUBLER (1644-1687), and both agree that Hans Friedrich HUBLER (1644-1687) had a son named Johannes HUBLER in 1673; however, one³⁹ found that this Johannes HUBLER (b 1673) married Margreth Gerster, while the other⁴⁰ stated that Johannes HUBLER (b 1673) married Anna Graussi and so must have been Hans Jacob HUBLER. The first⁴¹ is probably correct, and so I have used the birth year of 1680 for Hans Jacob HUBLER (1680-1731).

Hans Jacob HUBLER (1680-1731) of Switzerland married Anna Katharina Graussi (b 1683) on March 17, 1710; and in December 1710 they had their first child, (Hans) Jacob HUBLER (1710-1789).⁴²,⁴³ (Hans) Jacob HUBLER (1710-1789), inherited his father's estate; so Anna Graussi (b 1683) probably had died earlier since she was not the inheritor; however, in many cases, a father would leave his estate to his sons, and they in turn would watch after their mother. Since the estate of Hans Jacob HUBLER (1680-1731) went to his son, (Hans) Jacob HUBLER (1710-1789), he probably was an only child. A search of the records did not reveal the death of any sibling death prior to 1741,⁴⁴,⁴⁵ and the will of Hans Jacob HUBLER (1680-1731) did not mention another sibling.⁴⁶ The same search showed no obituary for Hans Jacob HUBLER (1680-1731),⁴⁷a date before which he surely was dead. (Hans) Jacob HUBLER (1710-1789) began to try to collect his father's [Hans Jacob HUBLER (1680-1731)] estate by letter in 1741 or 1763 (the record is not clear).⁴⁸ His first known letter was to a friend in Twann in 1739 (only two years after his immigration to America), and it is possible that both of his parents were dead. I suspect that Anna Katharina Graussi (b 1683) may have died soon after childbirth, and Hans Jacob HUBLER (1680-1731) died young, probably before (Hans) Jacob HUBLER (1710-1789) emigrated in about 1735, leaving (Hans) Jacob HUBLER (1710-1789) without a family. His death date has not been irrefutably established, but Emil Saurer found that Hans Jacob HUBLER (1680-1731) died on Aug. 28, 1731.⁴⁹ I suspect that Hans Jacob HUBLER (1680-1731) died when he was out of the country (perhaps in Germany), or he died in the dysentery epidemic that killed so many in Twann in the early 18^th century, either of which may be why there no documents attesting to his death in Twann.

In 1763 when Jacob HUBLER (1710-1789) tried to collect his inheritance in Twann, it was valued at 300 Swiss crowns, and the "property" was administered by a guardian, a cousin of his, Hans Jakob Bernet (who lent part of the moneys and managed other transactions).⁵⁰,⁵¹ I am not sure if the "property" was land, but probably not. Saurer could find no record of land and postulates that the estate consisted only of money pointing out that the original estate was 300 Kronen, but that when it was released forty years later, it was worth 400 Kronen with the from interest added (Twann withheld a 10% release fee).⁵² By 1741, the fortune in the estate of Hans Jacob HUBLER (1680-1731) was already managed by the guardian. So if Hans Jacob HUBLER (1680-1731) left no land, he may have been an artesian, warrior or laborer. Perhaps he was a shoemaker, like his son became.⁵³ By 1793, the same estate was worth 400 Swiss crowns.⁵⁴ I do not know the value of 400 Swiss crowns (probably $200-$2,000/crown). Emil Saurer estimates that 600 Kronen in today’s money would be $10,000-$15,000.⁵⁵ The amount was sizable, but not prodigious, and was indicative of a social/financial status of substance. It is even possible that Hans Jacob HUBLER (1680-1731) was a mercenary soldier, a major industry of 17th century Switzerland.

The family lineage of Hans Jacob HUBLER (1680-1731) is not clear. It is interesting and unfortunate that the sources from which the Mormon Church obtained records (for dozens of people with the surname HUBLER in Twann) did not list (Hans) Jacob HUBLER (1710-1789).⁵⁶ The Mormon Church does not have a representative in Twann, but a professional genealogist was hired by a private family (see above). Perhaps the fact that the HUBLER family sheets are missing from the church records in Twann might indicate that this HUBLER family may have been associated with another religious group, or perhaps it was just a oversight; however, the christening was recorded in January 1711 in Twann and was retrievable. Since his son, (Hans) Jacob HUBLER (1710-1789), had a problem with the religion of the region,⁵⁷ maybe his father did also. The partial maternal family tree follows.⁵⁸, ⁵⁹, ⁶⁰,⁶¹

The Pillou Family

Jaques Pillou (ca 1620- ??)

?? (ca 1620- ??)

Jeanne Pillou (June 1643 Liguez, Bern-??) (m Hans Friedrich HUBLER on

Jan. 20, 1668 in Twann)

Jeanne Pillou was christened in Liguez, Bern, Switzerland and married in adjacent Twann.⁶² Jeanne Pilloud was from Ligerz, a French-speaking hamlet adjacent to and west of Twann. Ligerz was also the site of residency of one of the godmothers of Anna Katharina Graussi (b 1683).⁶³ A partial family tree is above with the known or definite members in bold.

The Schmid Family

Rudolf Schmid (ca 1580- ??)

Magdalena Galluser (ca 1580- ??)

Johanna Schmid (Aug. 27, 1604 Berneck, St. Gallen, Switz.- ??)

Johanna Schmid (Aug. 27, 1604 Berneck, St. Gallen, Switz.- ??)

Bendicht HUBLER (ca 1600- ??)

Bendicht HUBLER (1619- ??) (m Keungold Perro)
The Schmid family also was associated with the HUBLER family in Twann, Switzerland from at least 1600. Many members of each family married members of the other family.⁶⁴ Johana Schmid (Aug. 27, 1604- ??) was born in Berneck, St. Gallen, Switzerland on Aug. 27, 1604.⁶⁵ Her father was Rudolf Schmid (ca 1580- ??), and her mother was Magdalena Galluser (ca 1580- ??).⁶⁶ She married Benedict HUBLER (ca 1600- ??) in about 1619 when she was 15 years old because Benedict HUBLER (1619- ??) was born in 1619.⁶⁷ In 1645, an Elzbeth Schmid married an Abraham HUBLER in Bolligen, Bern, Switzerland.⁶⁸ The IGI contains the names of dozens of Schmid individuals from Switzerland.⁶⁹ However, I am not sure this is my line (see above).

The Perro Family

For centuries the Perro family and the HUBLER family had been associated, married, intermarried and shared land in Twann, Bern, Switzerland.⁷⁰ The godmother of Hans Jacob HUBLER (1710-1789) was Elsbeth Perro.⁷¹ “ Perro” was a surname of Roman (Italian) descent.⁷² A partial family tree follows with the known or definite members in bold.

Niklaus Perro (ca 1560- ??)

Adelheid Fasnacht (ca 1564- ??) (m Feb. 9, 1584 Twann)

Rudolf Perro (1590 Twann- ??) (m Benedichta Feigknecht)

Maria Perro (May 16, 1594 Twann- ??)

Rudolf Perro (1590 Twann- ??)

Benedichta Feigknecht (ca 1593-??) (m Jan. 18, 1613 Twann)

Heinrich Perro (March 20, 1614 Twann- ??)

Kuengold Perro (July 20, 1617 Twann- ??) (m Bendicht HUBLER)

Hans Rudolf Perro (Jan. 9, 1625 Twann- ??)

Peter Perro (March 15, 1629 Twann- ??)
Keungold Perro (ca 1619- ??) (m Nov. 20, 1637)⁷³

Bendicht HUBLER (Aug. 1619- ??)

Katharina HUBLER (1638- ??) (m Peter Perro in 1662; 5 children)⁷⁴

Anna HUBLER (1640- ??)

Rudolf HUBLER (1641- ??)

Heinrich (Hans Friedrich) HUBLER (1644- ??) (m Jeanne Pilloud)

Margareth HUBLER (1648- ??)

Bendicht HUBLER (1651- ??)

Hans Jacob HUBLER (1654- ??)

Peter HUBLER (1657- ??)

Kuengold HUBLER (1659- ??)

The database IGI at the Mormon Church⁷⁵ can be used to make partial family trees of Anna Perro (Aug. 26, 1666 - ??). She was born in Taeuffelen, Bern, Switzerland. A partial family tree follows with the known or definite members in bold and the probable members underlined.
Peter Perrod (1573- ??)

Anna Tschiffeli (ca 1575- ??

Peter Perrod (Mar. 7, 1601 Twann, Bern- ??)

or

Niklaus Perrod (ca 1570- ??)

Franziska Kleinmeister (ca 1570- ??) (m Feb.16, 1590 Twann)

Peter Perrod (June 20, 1601 Twann, Bern- ??)

Peter Perro (ca 1601- ??)

Maria Steinegger (ca 1610- ??) (m Dec. 7, 1629 Twann, Bern)

Hans Jakob Perro (March 27,1631 Twann- ??)

Peter Perro (Feb. 24, 1633 Twann, Bern- ??) (m Elsbeth Balli)

Heinrich Perro (Jan. 18, 1635 Twann- ??)

Peter Perro (Feb. 24, 1633 Twann, Bern- ??)

Elsbeth Balli (ca 1633- ??) (m Feb. 20, 1654 Twann)

Margaret Perro (1655 Twann, Bern- ??)

Elsbeth Perro (May 14, 1660 Neuenstadt, Bern- ??)

Peter Perro (1662 Neuenstat, Bern- ??)

Anna Perro (Aug. 26, 1666 Taeuffelen, Bern- ??)
Anna Perro (Aug. 26, 1666 Taeuffellen, Bern-??) (m Jan. 15, 1683 Twann)

Peter Graussi, the younger (ca 1650 Twann- ??)

Anna Katharina Graussi (Aug. 1683- ??) (m Hans Jacob HUBLER)
Some other HUBLER/Perro partial family trees follow.⁷⁶
Daniel HUBLER (ca 1685- ??)

Elzabeth Perro (ca 1685- ??) (m 1688)

Anna Catharina HUBLER (1695)

Anna Maria HUBLER (1698- ??)

Hans Jacob HUBLER (1713- ??)
Hans Rudolf HUBLER (1647- ??)

Appolonia Lehmen (??-1669)

Maria Magdena HUBLER (1671- ??)

Catharina HUBLER (1675- ??)

Samuel HUBLER (1679- ??) (m Maria Barbara Perro 1705)

Maria HUBLER (1681- ??)

Sameul HUBLER (1675- ??)

Maria Barbara Perro (ca 1685- ??) (m 1705)

Hans Rudolf HUBLER (1706- ??)

Hans Jacob HUBLER (1713- ??)

Abraham HUBLER (1715- ??)

The Graussi Family

Little is known about Anna Graussi (b 1683). The child of Peter Graussi and Anna Perro, Anna Graussi (b 1683) was born in 1683.⁷⁷ The IGI at the Mormon Library lists the name as “Graussi”⁷⁸ while Ernst HUBLER in his research in Switzerland identified the name as “Graupi.” ⁷⁹ Emil Saurer found that the name was definitely “Graussi.”⁸⁰

Peter Graussi, the younger (ca 1650 Twann- ??)

Anna Perro (Aug. 26, 1666 Taeuffellen, Bern-??) (m Jan. 15, 1683 Twann)

Anna Katharina Graussi (c Sept. 30, 1683- ??) (m Hans Jacob HUBLER)
Once more, the Perro family lent its member!! Anna Katharina Graussi was christened on Sept. 30, 1683 in Twann, so she was probably born in August or September 1683, the first legitimate child of Peter Graussi and Anna Perro. The godparents named at the event were Daniel Ruff, Anna von Steiger and Katharina von Ligerz, consort of the noble squire of Erlach, governor of Frienisberg.⁸¹,⁸² Anna Katharina Graussi (1683- ??) was christened Anna Katharina because one of her godmothers was named “Anna” and the other “Katharina.” Usually, only the first of the two names was used as the Christian name. Both godmothers were patrician, since only the patrician class could use the “von” before the last name.⁸³ Perhaps, the father of Anna Graussi (Peter Graussi) was a vassal of one of the noble families represented at the baptismal. ⁸⁴ At the time, many patricians owned vineyards in the area of Twann. ⁸⁵ Ligerz was the hamlet adjacent to the west of Twann, where the common language was French at the time.⁸⁶ No “Graupi“ is listed in the International Genealogical Index, but clearly it was spelled “Graussi.”⁸⁷,⁸⁸

Anna Graussi (1683-??) apparently lived through childbirth with her first child, Jacob HUBLER (1710-1789), because she is listed at the christening of her son, Jacob HUBLER (1710-1781), on Jan.4, 1711⁸⁹; but I do not know about other children. She was probably dead by the time of her husband's death, prior to 1731, since she was not in her husband's will.

There is only one death of an Anna Graussi recorded in Twann, that of Anna Graussi who died on March 10, 1733.⁹⁰ However, that Anna Graussi was noted as an “alt Meitleg” which denotes an unmarried woman without children,⁹¹ so she was probably not the Anna Graussi of this report. Also, there was a great dysentery epidemic in the early 1700’s, and many died without records of their deaths.

Another Anna Graussi was christened in Twann.⁹² She was the daughter of Gabriel Graupi and Barbara Feitknecht and was christened on Sept. 17, 1676. She was christened “Anna” (not “Anna Katharina”) Graussi. She probably would have been too old for the Anna Graussi (1683- ??) of this report and was probably the “single old woman,” Anna (not “Anna Katharina”) Graupi, who died on March 10, 1733⁹³ (although the latter date would have jived with a possible death date of the Anna Graussi of this report).

The Balli Family

Elsbeth Balli (ca 1633- ??) (m Feb. 20, 1654 Twann) ⁹⁴

Peter Perro (Feb. 24, 1633 Twann, Bern- ??)

Margaret Perro (1655 Twann, Bern- ??)

Elsbeth Perro (May 14, 1660 Neuenstadt, Bern- ??)

Peter Perro (1662 Neuenstat, Bern- ??)

Anna Perro (Aug. 26, 1666 Taeuffelen, Bern- ??) (m Peter Graussi)

Anna Katharina Graussi (Aug. 1683- ??) (m Hans Jacob HUBLER)
Elsbeth Balli (ca 1633- ??) was born about 1633 in Switzerland and was, and his cousin was held responsible for any losses by Bern married to Peter Perro on Feb. 20, 1654 in Twann.⁹⁵