GENEAL-FORUM

Rudi,

Apologies for the delay.
I was aware of a second marriage, but certainly not the details you have provided! Thank you so much.
I would also retire with a share of 2 million Franks

Regards,
Lis

Greetings,
I am seeking further information to determine whether Edward Gessner who died in New York on 14 July 1885 is the same Eduard Gessner who was born in Zürich on 12 June 1830, baptised on 3 July 1850, son of Eduard Gessner and Susanna Brunner (my 3x great grandparents).
I have attached an image (poor quality) of the death certificate which records only that he was born in Switzerland and had lived in the United States for 22 years. A record on Ancestry (Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists 1820-1957) shows Edonard (sic) Gessner arriving in New York on 5 July 1853. Date of birth is recorded as “abt 1830” and Place of origin is Switzerland.
None of the United States records I have been able to access have included a date of birth.
In Switzerland I see that the „Verzeichniss der Stadt-Bürgerschaft von Zürich 1851“; Gessner, page 61, number 19 - Eduard, son of 4 – Zu Schaffhausen.
https://www.e-rara.ch/zuz/content/zoom/8073514
In the ‚Verzeichniss der Stadt-Bürgerschaft von Zürich 1855“; Gessner, page 62, number 16 - Eduard, son of 3 – In der Fremde.
https://www.e-rara.ch/zuz/content/zoom/8073817
My questions are: in 1853 would Swiss citizens have had to apply for some sort passport? If so, are records readily available? Would an archive have records of emigrants in the 1850’s? How would I find these and are they available online?
I would be grateful for any assistance that may help solve this mystery.
Lis

Lis,
In the Bürgerbuch of the City of Zürich from 1879 Eduard Gessner is listed as No.7 of the Gessner family (orginally 1504 from Solothurn) with birth year 1830 and profession Portier (correlates to steward in death notice) in New York.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id= ... 51&seq=205
His mother still living and listed as No.21 she is the widow Susanna Brunner of Küsnacht ZH, her late husband was Eduard Gessner, died 1862, he was 'Kassier der Domänenverwaltung'. She was living at the address Zeltweg (this street still has the same name today) in Hottingen (was an independent village until 1893, when it was incorporated into the city of Zürich.

lis hat geschrieben: So 25. Jan 2026, 01:59 My questions are: in 1853 would Swiss citizens have had to apply for some sort passport? If so, are records readily available? Would an archive have records of emigrants in the 1850’s? How would I find these and are they available online?

Hallo Lis

Ohne Pass konnte Eduard kaum in die USA reisen, jedenfalls nicht legal. Die Passregister aus der fraglichen Zeit sind im Staatsarchiv Zürich noch vorhanden. Ein später erstelltes Register dazu ist online - aber darin finde ich keinen Gessner.
Allerdings haben Schweizer Auswanderer auch erst vor der Einschiffung bei einer Schweizer diplomatischen Vertretung einen Pass erhalten, siehe z.B. hier in Le Havre aus der gleichen Epoche.

Aber mit Rudis Beitrag scheint mir die Herkunft von Eduard ziemlich klar.

Peter

Peter.D hat geschrieben: So 25. Jan 2026, 09:13
Aber mit Rudis Beitrag scheint mir die Herkunft von Eduard ziemlich klar.

Peter

I agree. According to the Bürgeretat of 1882, Eduard (Nº 7, born 1830) was still listed as a «Portier» living in New York.

He is no longer listed in the next Bürgeretat of 1885, which tends to confirm that by the time of printing in September 1885, Eduard was already dead.

By the way, Eduard died in February 1885, not July.

Vielen Dank an alle für die hilfreichen Informationen.
Ich bin sehr dankbar und freue mich, dass Sie mir geholfen haben, meine Hypothese zu bestätigen.
Besonderer Dank gilt griffy, der mich darauf hingewiesen hat, dass ich das falsche Sterbedatum angegeben hatte. Ich habe das Datum auf der Urkunde falsch gelesen!!
Lis

Original
Thank you all for your helpful information.
I am very grateful and delighted you have helped me confirm my hypothesis.
Special thanks to griffy for pointing out I had the incorrect date of death. I misread the date on the certificate!!
Lis