1528, 1653 and the Anabaptist files: family-name matches
Christopher asked (2026-10-31) for anything on the Bernese Oberland rising of 1528 and the Swiss Peasants’ War of 1653, matched by place to the family.
Name and place matches, not proven ancestors
Every person below shares a surname and a home parish with someone in the tree. None is linked to an ancestor by a record yet. In the Emmental the same surnames ran through whole valleys. See Evidence levels.
1528 and the 1530s
- 1528: Bern turns Reformed (7 Feb 1528) and crushes the Oberland rising that autumn. In 1533 the council warns the Emmental Anabaptists’ supporters to obey, or Bern will “make them obedient like the Oberländer” (Müller 1895, citing the council minutes of 15 Jan 1533).
- March 1538, Bern Anabaptist disputation, called at the request of the Anabaptists of Höchstetten and Signau. Present from Eggiwil: Hans Lütti (spoke), Bernhard Aegerter, Uli Neuenschwander, Bernhard Jenni, Christen Salzmann. From Signau: Wälti Gerber of Röthenbach, Uli and Kläwi Rupp, Steffen ab Rügsegg, Hans Krähenbühl and others. From Sumiswald: Hans Haslibach, the man Bern executed in 1571 (Müller 1895, from the disputation protocols in the Staatsarchiv).
- Uli Neuenschwander of Eggiwil, 1538, is the earliest Neuenschwander in any record found so far, and an Anabaptist already. The hamlet of Neuenschwand lies in Eggiwil, between Eggiwil and Schüpbach (Archiv des Historischen Vereins des Kantons Bern 8, 1875). The same parish is where Ulrich Ramseyer (17th c.) married in 1663.
1653: the Swiss Peasants’ War in the Emmental
- Uli Stauffer of Eggiwil was one of twelve Bernese ringleaders who escaped arrest and fled abroad (Vock 1831, pp. 411–412). Ten years later, on 15 May 1663, Barbara Stauffer (17th c.) married Ulrich Ramseyer at Eggiwil. Candidate relative only; no record links them.
- Uli Galli of Signau, a leader since the 1641 rising, fled, was caught abroad, and was hanged at Bern on 4 Nov 1653. Two more rebels “from the Amt Signau” were beheaded in July; one quarter of the executed Höchstetten smith was displayed at Signau.
- 1644: Bern ordered the arrest of the Anabaptist minister Christen Stauffer. After 1653 the number of Anabaptists in the Emmental rose sharply, and a new wave of persecution followed (Gratz 1953).
The 1653 records in the Bern State Archives (catalogued, not online)
| Ref. | What it is | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| E II 8 | Personenregister zum Bauernkrieg von 1653: person index | Finding aid to the council minutes B II 8–9 and the inventories below |
| A IV 186 | Strafen- und Bussenverzeichnis: punishments and fines | Fines were imposed per person and per commune: Signau, Eggiwil, Langnau |
| A IV 187, A IV 188 | Inventaria über der Rebellen Güter und deren Geltstag-Rödel: rebels’ property inventories and bankruptcy rolls | Would list Uli Stauffer’s confiscated goods, and perhaps his family |
| DQ 805 | Transcription of A IV 186–187 | The easiest way in |
| A IV 181–185 | 1653 case-file volumes B–F | Interrogations and correspondence |
No digitized images were found for these in the archive’s online catalog (checked 2026-10-31).
Anabaptist families by place, 1600s–1700s
- 17th-century Emmental Anabaptist families (Gratz, from the 1711 emigrant list): “Stauffer from Eggiwil”, “Neuenschwander”, Lüthi near Lauperswil, Fischer and Zaugg from Signau. Schwarzenburg area: Hostettler (the Miller line’s Hochstetlers came from there).
- c.1709: “Jacob Neuenschwander von Stocken”, an Anabaptist hiding near Signau and Diessbach. 1710: a Hans Ramseier on Bern’s list of imprisoned Anabaptists (Müller).
- 1711 Rhine deportation: Hans Gasser (printed “Gaffer”; long-s misread), a teacher, with his wife Katharina Stauffer and a small son, from Lauperswil; Hans Schallenberger and his wife Elsbeth Neuenschwander, of Trub (Müller). See also 1711 Rhine exodus - full passenger roster.
- 1711: a Hans Ramseier was one of three Swiss experts sent, with Bendicht Brechbühl, to inspect the King of Prussia’s offer of land to the Bernese exiles (Müller). The Ramseyer and Wiebe stories touch here.
- Jura residence lists (Müller):
- Courtelary 1745: Johann Hochstettler of Schwarzenburg and Peter Neuenschwander of Langnau.
- Tramelan 1768: Jakob Stauffer of Eggiwil; Peter Moser of Rüderswil.
- Münster district, 1832 (126 households): from Eggiwil 1 Ramseier, 1 Stauffer; from Langnau 6 Neuenschwander, 9 Lehmann; and 4 Sprunger from Oberwangen (Thurgau), the origin of the Sprunger name in the Jura.
- Peter Ramseier, b. 1706, lived on the Münsterberg (Moutier), minister in 1730, elder from 1732, and travelled to the Palatinate churches in 1762, 1766, 1770 and 1782 (Gratz; Müller). Born six years after Christian Ramseyer (bapt. 1700); no link shown.
- Neuchâtel: an Amish congregation near Le Locle included Ramseyer families (Gratz), next to La Sagne, where the vault already looks for Isaac Ramseyer (c.1747–after 1817)‘s baptism.
Where each line sits on this map
| Line | What the records show |
|---|---|
| Ramseyer | Eggiwil and Lauperswil in the 1600s; Hans Ramseier (1710, 1711); Peter Ramseier at the Münsterberg (b. 1706); Ramseyers among the Neuchâtel Amish |
| Neuenschwander | Uli Neuenschwander, Eggiwil, 1538; Neuenschwand hamlet in Eggiwil; Peter Neuenschwander of Langnau at Courtelary 1745; 6 Langnau Neuenschwander households in the Münster district in 1832 |
| Miller (Hochstetler, Mischler) | Hostettler among the Schwarzenburg Anabaptists; Johann Hochstettler of Schwarzenburg at Courtelary 1745 |
| Stauffer (Ramseyer side) | Christen Stauffer, minister, 1644; Uli Stauffer of Eggiwil, 1653 ringleader; Katharina Stauffer of Lauperswil, 1711; Jakob Stauffer of Eggiwil at Tramelan, 1768 |
Next steps
- Order or view DQ 805 (transcription of the 1653 fines and rebels’ property) at the Staatsarchiv Bern; look for Stauffer, Ramseyer and Neuenschwander at Eggiwil and Signau task/human
- Müller’s 1538 attendee list comes from the disputation protocols in the Staatsarchiv Bern; check whether Uli Neuenschwander’s farm is named task/human
- Eggiwil baptisms after 1650: does a Stauffer family with an Uli fit Barbara Stauffer (m. 1663)? task/ai
Record compiled 31 October 2026.
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.