S1E1 The Man Who Died at Basel

In 1742, a Swiss farmer named Hans Peter Glattfelder sold everything, gathered six families, and set out to take his wife and six children across an ocean to America. He died near Basel, before they reached the open water — and the family turned back, against the current of everything they had planned, to bury him at home.

This is the story of how the American branch of the Glattfelder family nearly ended before it began, and the one decision, by one other person, that kept it alive.

Read this story: glattfelder.news/gazette/the-man-who-died-at-basel

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The Glattfelder Gazette · Season 1, Episode 1 · A publication of the Casper Glattfelder Association of America.

What is Glattfelder Gazette?

The Glattfelder Gazette is a free weekly email newsletter and accompanying podcast that tells the story of the Glattfelder family — one short, readable story at a time. Each issue delivers a single story drawn from more than 280 years of family history, designed to be read in about five minutes. It's not a genealogy database or a research journal. It's a storytelling vehicle designed to reach the thousands of Glattfelder descendants — many of whom carry different last names and have no idea how deep their family's story goes — and give them a reason to care about where they come from.