Emigration.
The history of Bonadurer emigrants from Graubünden — to the New World, Russia, Brazil, Poland, and all continents.
Emigrating from Switzerland
When we speak of emigration, we immediately think of overseas journeys and distant continents. A less spectacular, but significantly older form must be mentioned first: seasonal migration. In some regions, it was a perfectly normal necessity to strengthen the local and often insufficient livelihood through external employment.
Seasonal migration was particularly pronounced in Ticino. The masons and plasterers of Sottoceneri worked as seasonal laborers in Italy during the summer. In Sopraceneri, men tended to leave the valleys in winter, seeking work as chimney sweeps, stove builders, and porters.
Emigration due to Economic Hardship
In Switzerland, the alpine regions were particularly affected by emigration: Ticino, Graubünden, Glarus, the Bernese Oberland, and Valais. The economic viability of these areas was so weak, and the pressure from population growth so strong, that the modest livelihood was easily destroyed by crop failures or floods.
Communities heavily burdened by poverty relief encouraged those in need of support to emigrate. In the 1850s, the first emigration agencies were founded; by 1882, there were 9 of them.
Graubünden Emigrants
It is not possible to determine precisely when people from Graubünden first left their homeland to seek their fortune in a distant country. Emigration to the United States was very irregular. Peaks in emigration occurred in 1844, 1846, the 1850s, and the early 1870s.