Kätter letters

More than a hundred letters were exchanged in the Abühl family, known as Kä tters, between the Bernese Oberland and the USA in the second half of the 19th century. The oldest were written by Arnold Abühl, who emigrated in 1851. Most of the letters come from his nieces and nephews, the six Abühl siblings, four of whom sought a new home in North America. Both the writings of the emigrants Melchior, Kaspar, and Anna Abühl have mostly been preserved, as well as those from Katharina, Margaretha, and Arnold to their siblings far away. The letters provide deep insights into the living conditions of the time in Haslital and America. The letters of the emigrant Abühls recount the journey across the Atlantic, agriculture, weather and disasters, daily life, and coexistence in North America. Those who stayed behind describe economic and political developments, misfortunes in Haslital, gossip, road construction, illness, and strokes of fate, as well as homesickness and longing for distant places. This rich treasure of the Kä tter letters is complemented by contemporary photographs, biographical comments, and explanations of the historical context.