The American Revolutionary War through the eyes of a Swiss immigrant

Hans Joachim Züblin from eastern Switzerland caused a furore in 18th century America. As minister John Zubly, he saw parallels between the Swiss Confederates and the rebels fighting against the British. He later changed sides, albeit with an unchanged outlook. Swissinfo regularly publishes articles from the Swiss National Museum’s blog dedicated to historical topics. The articles are always written in German and usually also in French and English. Hans Joachim Züblin, born in St. Gallen in 1724, emigrated to the American colonies via England during the 1740s. He was following in the footsteps of his parents, who had undertaken the hazardous journey just over ten years earlier. He anglicised his name to John Joachim Zubly and lived in the colonies of South Carolina and Georgia, where he soon began work as a minister, delivering fervent sermons. However, the St. Gallen native had no official licence for his work. In 1758, the popular preacher finally obtained a position as a ...