GENEAL-FORUM

Hello,

Apologies for the English-language post. I don't speak German, but I hope someone here can help me.

I am trying to locate information on my great-great-grandfather Jacob Balmer/Palmer, who immigrated to the USA from Switzerland.

My family knows very little about him (we don't even know where or when he died). What we do know comes from the birth certificates of his 2 children who were born in Highland, Illinois:

1. Maria Agnes https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1 ... cat=323930
2. Joseph Anthony (my great-grandfather): https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1 ... cat=323930

According to both birth certificates, Jacob was a watchmaker by trade. And he was born around 1848-1850

Maria Agnes's birth certificate notes that he was born in Luzern, Switzerland. There is also a city or area written there, but I have been unable to figure out what that is (can anyone look at the first link above and help me narrow down his birthplace??)

Also on the first birth certificate it notes his first name as "Jukund" or "Jakund". The other birth certificate calls him Jacob.

Jacob was married to Agatha Roesch who was born in Germany and immigrated here with her family in about 1879. She is on the 1880 USA census with her family in Arkansas, but I don't know when or where she met Jacob Balmer/Palmer.

I'm hoping to find out the actual birth date, birthplace and parents' names of Jacob Balmer. So far I have not had much luck. My family has been working on this mystery for decades!

Can anyone here help or point me in the right direction? Thank you so much!

Regarding the birthplace:
I read "Sechen", but there's no such place in Lucerne.
In view of the writer's bad English spelling I supect he meant "Schachen", a place that was part of the parish of Malters. These books are online at familysearch.org (I don't have the time to do this research). There were Balmer families in Schachen at this time...

Markus

Thank you for the tip! I will try searching through the archives for Schachen.

Hello FujiApple !

I'm Patricia Balmer from Switzerland and I surche informations about my family on Internet because I create our family tree and I found your message concerning your great-great-grandfather Jacob Balmer/Palmer.

By reading your message I've seen similarities about my great-great-grandfather Jukund Balmer and your's. Indeed, his date of birth was in 1845 in Malters and his origin was on Lucerne. Maybe we have the same great-great-grandfather.

Can you contact me on Facebook with my name "Patricia Balmer Kaech" so that we can share informations ?

One of my daugther is bilingual and she can help me to talk with you.

Cordially.


Patricia Balmer Kaech

Hi Patricia! Thank you so much for your reply to my post. I have just sent you a friend request on Facebook. Would love to connect with you and find out more about your great-great-grandfather!

Thanks,

Kristi Crump