{"id":1881,"date":"2026-05-18T12:29:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T12:29:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/bonadurer-brazil\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T08:00:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T08:00:29","slug":"bonadurer-brazil","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/bonadurer-brazil\/","title":{"rendered":"Bonadurer Brazil"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\u2014 Home \u00b7 Bonadurer Worldwide \u00b7 Brazil<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Bonadurer Worldwide \u00b7 Brazil<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Bonadurer Brazil.<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Alexander Bonadurer and his wife Dorothea emigrated to Brazil in 1855 \u2014 to the Fazenda Ybicaba coffee plantation in the province of S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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For their emigration to Brazil, the emigrants did not have to worry about where they would settle \u2014 the destination was known from the outset: the province of S\u00e3o Paulo in southern Brazil.<\/p>

By signing the so-called “sharecropping contracts,” those willing to emigrate placed their trust in the hands of the agent who organized the journey.<\/p>

Thomas Davatz \u00b7 Village School Teacher from Fanas<\/h3>

Thomas Davatz was one of the 338 emigrants from Graub\u00fcnden to Brazil. He was tasked with reporting to the Graub\u00fcnden government whether Brazil was suitable as a country for emigration. His name became famous over 100 years later when Evelin Hasler wrote the novel “Ibicaba \u2014 The Paradise in Their Minds.” <\/p>

Alexander Bonadurer on the Ybicaba Plantation<\/h3>

Alexander Bonadurer, Graub\u00fcnden, 2 persons<\/strong> \u2014 Alexander (51 years old) and his wife Dorothea (40 years old). The couple traveled without children. To date, no further data from Brazil is known. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Documents & Sources<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Passenger List Kronprinz Ernst August (PDF)<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2190 Full Article<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u2190 Emigrations<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Source<\/p>\n

Eva Dietrich \/ Roman Rossfeld \/\nB\u00e9atrice Ziegler (Eds.)\n“The Dream of Happiness”<\/em>\nBaden 2003<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Documents & Sources<\/h2>\n

Passenger Lists \u00b7 Travel Report \u00b7 Research Article<\/p>\n\n

Complete Passenger List \u00b7 Fazenda Ybicaba25 Families \/ Groups \u2193<\/span><\/summary>\n
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Complete list of colonists brought to the Ybicaba plantation (S\u00e3o Paulo province). Alexander Bonadurer is listed as No. 5 \u2014 highlighted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
No.<\/th>\nName<\/th>\nCanton<\/th>\nPers.<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
1.<\/td>\nDaniel Schlittler<\/td>\nGlarus<\/td>\n5 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2.<\/td>\nKaspar Schlittler<\/td>\nGlarus<\/td>\n5 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3.<\/td>\nFridolin Glarner<\/td>\nGlarus<\/td>\n3 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4.<\/td>\nFelix Disch<\/td>\nGlarus<\/td>\n1 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5.<\/td>\nAlexander Bonadurer<\/strong><\/td>\nGraub\u00fcnden<\/td>\n2 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6.<\/td>\nBernhard B\u00fchler<\/td>\nGraub\u00fcnden<\/td>\n5 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7.<\/td>\nLaurenz Kr\u00e4ttli<\/td>\nGraub\u00fcnden<\/td>\n3 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8.<\/td>\nJoh. Rudolf Kr\u00e4ttli<\/td>\nGraub\u00fcnden<\/td>\n10 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9.<\/td>\nJohann Kr\u00e4ttli<\/td>\nGraub\u00fcnden<\/td>\n7 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10.<\/td>\nJakob Kr\u00e4ttli<\/td>\nGraub\u00fcnden<\/td>\n5 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11.<\/td>\nBernhard Christ<\/td>\nGraub\u00fcnden<\/td>\n7 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12.<\/td>\nJohannes Rupert<\/td>\nGraub\u00fcnden<\/td>\n4 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13.<\/td>\nFelix Davatz<\/td>\nGraub\u00fcnden<\/td>\n5 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
14.<\/td>\nUrsula Bayon<\/td>\nGraub\u00fcnden<\/td>\n7 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15.<\/td>\nThomas Davatz<\/td>\nGraub\u00fcnden<\/td>\n13 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16.<\/td>\nJosias Davatz<\/td>\nGraub\u00fcnden<\/td>\n1 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
17.<\/td>\nSamuel Obrist<\/td>\nAargau<\/td>\n6 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
18.<\/td>\nBalz Luck<\/td>\nAargau<\/td>\n6 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
19.<\/td>\nJak. Leonz Huber<\/td>\nAargau<\/td>\n6 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
20.<\/td>\nMarie Josette Peclat<\/td>\nFreiburg<\/td>\n10 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
21.<\/td>\nGebr\u00fcder Berchtold<\/td>\nUnterwalden<\/td>\n2 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
22.<\/td>\nKonrad Wiesmann<\/td>\nZ\u00fcrich<\/td>\n1 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
23.<\/td>\nJoh. Jakob Meyer<\/td>\nZ\u00fcrich<\/td>\n1 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
24.<\/td>\nHeinrich Strassecker<\/td>\nZ\u00fcrich<\/td>\n1 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
25.<\/td>\nJakob Stucki<\/td>\nZ\u00fcrich<\/td>\n1 P.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Fazenda \"Ibicaba\", founded in 1817. To date, no further data on Alexander and Dorothea Bonadurer in Brazil is known. The couple traveled without children. <\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/details>

Swiss Emigration to Brazilian Coffee Plantations \u00b7 1852\u20131888Summary of Research Article \u2193<\/span><\/summary>\n
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Summary and excerpts from: Eva Dietrich \/ Roman Rossfeld \/ B\u00e9atrice Ziegler (Eds.), \"The Dream of Happiness. Swiss Emigration to Brazilian Coffee Plantations 1852\u20131888.\" Baden 2003. \u2014 Compiled by Roland Bonadurer in connection with his private family research. <\/em><\/p>\n\n

The Initial Situation<\/h3>\n

Between 1852 and 1857, approximately 2,000 impoverished Swiss men and women emigrated to the province of S\u00e3o Paulo in Brazil, where they worked as coffee pickers on 25 coffee plantations. In emigration advertisements, Brazil was stylized as an earthly paradise. The reality was different \u2014 the paradise in their minds quickly gave way to the harsh daily life on the plantations. <\/p>\n

Under pressure from international criticism of slavery, Brazil attempted from the 1840s onwards to replace slaves with colonists who were to cultivate the coffee plantations as sharecroppers. However, the Swiss were also treated unfairly \u2014 they had little chance of paying off their debts and becoming independent farmers. <\/p>\n\n

The Partnership Contract (Sharecropping Agreement)<\/h3>\n

The sharecropping contract was drawn up in three languages. By signing it, those willing to emigrate placed their complete trust in the hands of the agent. In total, 116 people had signed such \"sharecropping contracts.\" The initiator of the partnership colonization was Senator Nicolau Pereira da Campos Vergueiro. <\/p>\n\n

The Journey \u00b7 Ship \"Kronprinz Ernst August\" \u00b7 1855<\/h3>\n

The emigrants traveled from Weesen (GL) by boat to Baden, and from there on to Hamburg. There they had to wait for their ship \"Kronprinz Ernst August.\" Thomas Davatz described in detail the conditions on board in his report: hunger, disorder, a man who fell into the bay and drowned. Upon arrival in Ybicaba on July 8, 1855, everyone had to pay 6 Milreis. <\/p>\n\n

Thomas Davatz and the Revolt<\/h3>\n

Thomas Davatz, a village school teacher from Fanas, became the actual \"leader\" of the Graub\u00fcnden emigrants. His report on the untenable conditions on the plantations became a Swiss state affair. Thomas Davatz had to leave the country in a hurry; his story became world-famous over 100 years later through Evelin Hasler's novel \"Ibicaba \u2014 The Paradise in Their Minds.\" <\/p>\n\n

\"Under pressure from increasing international criticism of slavery, Brazil attempted from the 1840s onwards to replace slaves with colonists. The emigrants had little chance of paying off their debts and becoming independent farmers.\"<\/blockquote>\n

The complete summary \u2014 with letters from North America and Brazil (Kr\u00e4ttli family, Heitzmann family), the story of Anna Philipp-Carl, and further chapters \u2014 is accessible on the original page.<\/p>\n

\u2192 Full Article (Original Page)<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/details>

Passenger List \"Kronprinz Ernst August\" \u00b7 April 25, 1855Transcript \u00b7 PDF \u2193<\/span><\/summary>\n
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Transcript of the passenger list for the ship \"Kronprinz Ernst August\"<\/strong>, departure April 25, 1855. The original images of the passenger list are with Roland Bonadurer. Some names are incomplete \u2014 please report any additions. <\/p>\n\n

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Document<\/p>\n

Transcript of the Passenger List \u00b7 Kronprinz Ernst August \u00b7 1855-04-25<\/p>\n\u2192 Open PDF<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n

The text referred to as \"transcript\" in the inventory is based on a handwritten original; some names are therefore difficult to read and may have been transcribed incorrectly.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2014 Home \u00b7 Bonadurer Worldwide \u00b7 BrazilBonadurer Worldwide \u00b7 Brazil Bonadurer Brazil. Alexander Bonadurer and his wife Dorothea emigrated to Brazil in 1855 \u2014 to the Fazenda Ybicaba coffee plantation in the province of S\u00e3o Paulo. For their emigration to Brazil, the emigrants did not have to worry about where they would settle \u2014 the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1881","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1881"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1882,"href":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1881\/revisions\/1882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonadurer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}