Who are we?
The Bonadurers.
The family name Bonadurer — formerly Banadurer — originates from the farmstead located above the village of Versam, situated in a location with a beautiful view.
From bagnaduoira to Bonadurer.
As of January 1, 2013, the municipality of Versam merged with Safien, Tenna, and Valendas to form the new political municipality of Safiental.
R haeto-Romans, who once lived in this sparsely populated area, gave the farm its name. The Romansh word “bagnaduoira” means “wash tub,” “basin,” or “trough” and refers to the depression present in the terrain.
When the Walser people moved into this area from Safien — approximately in the second half of the 14th and 15th centuries — the local Romansh population was increasingly displaced. The name of the farm remained unchanged — but now Walsers lived there, “those from Bandur,” the Banadurers.
Whether the Romansh inhabitants of Bandur mixed with the newly arrived Walsers or were displaced by them cannot be proven. What is certain is that the name remained.Etymology
The migration of the Bonadurers.
The Bonadurers have spread beyond Versam and its neighboring areas.
| Year | Location | Documented by |
|---|---|---|
| 1537 | Valendas | “schniders Panadures guot” — Deed |
| 1602 | Versam | Hans Bonadurer as “neighboring owner” in a bill of sale |
| 1605 | Rongellen | Bonadurer resident |
| 1606 | Versam | Hans Bonadurer · first forest division |
| 1617 | Masein | Tax register (Schnitzrodel) |
| 1660 | Splügen / Medels / Sufers | Parish register |
| 1689 | Zillis / Ziran | Mention |
| 1691 | Donath | Stina Banadurera marries |
| 1696 | Sils im Domleschg | Bonadurer resident |
| 1945 | Vignogn | Martin Josef Derungs → Bonadurer |
| 1950 | Zurich | Naturalization |
| Reformation | Vättis | Bonadurer → Bonderer |
This list is not exhaustive. I would be grateful for further information regarding the Bonadurers naturalized in Zurich and those who emigrated.
Behind the documentary mentions lie stories of farms, migration patterns, times of plague, legal disputes, and the lives of the early Bonadurers in Graubünden.
The following sources provide insight into the distribution of the Bonadurers beyond Versam — and simultaneously tell of the living conditions of past centuries.