At home the Swiss faced oppression, wars, starvation and epidemics. Along their journeys they faced thieves, ocean storms, and sickness. In America they cleared primeval forests while surviving fires, wild animals, and a yellow fever outbreak. They persisted and endured. Thode, researching his wife's Swiss-born ancestors, believes their story fills out a chapter in the history of Swiss emigration -- adapted from Foreword (pages i-iii).