The Zubler family name has to do with a place of residence,
however, it is not derived from a town name but, rather, from the old
German word "Zube," which means "Flowing Spring." The
original Zubler, therefore, lived
somewhere near a spring.
In the Canton Aargau, Switzerland, in the immediate vicinity of a
village, which, today, is called Bonstetten, (6 miles SW
of Zurich) there were Zublers as early as the 13th
century. In 1284, a family representative (Christian name not given)
was there, and in 1320 a Rudolf Zubler. From there, the family,
probably, spread out into the Freiamt1.
A Hans Zubler, a Miller and an Untervogt4
in Wohlen, was a leader of
the Calvinists during the Second Kappeler War in the lower Freiamt
in 1531. After the Reformation, due to the re-catholicization of his
homeland, Hans resettled near Zurich, and he became a citizen there.2
The family can still be found today in the Freiamt
villages of Villmergen and Oberwil. In the middle of the 15th
century, a Jenni ze Zuber appears in the area towards Bern, namely
in Leutwil (20 miles SW of Zurich). His
descendants were Serfs of the Lords of Hallwil. Around the turn of
the 16th century, they appear with the names
"zü der Zuben" and "Zuber," finally as
"Zubler." Although there were descendants in Zetzwil and
Oberklum in the 16th century, the Leutwil branch of this family died
out before 1700. In the Schenkenberger district, too, they where
there after 1500, and in Birrhard and Windisch, there were family
members even after 1550, however, the Zubler's disappeared once again.
In the early 16th Century, Peter Zubler,
who became an owner of a farmyard in Ammerswil, presumably came from
the nearby Freiamt, however, he gave up his property there (in
Ammerswil) before 1530. It seems that he changed his
domicile again and moved to Hunzenschwil. The progenitor5
of the Hunzenschwilers, who was mentioned in the village only one
time in 1530, was called Peter as well. If he was a relation, perhaps
he was a brother of Untervogt Hans Zubler, from Wohlen. This
assumption is supported by the fact that Peter's older son was
christen Hans. Peter Zubler acquired,
without any doubt, the 11 Hectare (24+ Acres) farmyard E. in
Hunzenschwil, which, later, proved to be in the possession of his
descendants. The center of this yard was formed by the former
"Schuppose" of the diocese Schoenenwerd, which still
belonged to the family Fricker in the 16th
Century (No. 4). That suggests a conclusion, that a Zubler married a
Fricker daughter and moved to his ancestral estate, in Hunzenschwil,
after his father-in-law died. The building (no. 47) which belonged to
the property F. was on the corner of Aarauer Fussweg/Strangengasse,
where, today, the Gemeindehaus (parish rooms) are located. (chap.
5/5). In April 1530, Peter participated at the settlement of a tithe
limit. (Tithe - a term, from the middle ages in Germany,
is the tax on labor and produce from the land used to support the
clergy, usually 10%.) Other than this, there are no
written records.
Peter Zubler left behind his sons Hans and Cunrat or Cuni.(today: Konrad.)
Both were, at times, Dorfvogts (Village Governors.)
Hans from 1542 to 1560, his brother between 1557 and 1569. Cuni was
named, from a much later source, as the owner of the farm E. He
seemed to be noted for having jovial times in the company of his
table friends. In 1560, he was charged with and had to pay 40 ic6,
"because of overeating and vomiting".
Cunrat had more problems with his son Rudolf, who was banned from the
area because of manslaughter. Chapter 8/3). He most likely never saw
him again. He (Cunrat) died in 1582. A Mauritz
Zubler is assumed also to have been Cuni's son, who took over the
inherited farm. During 1584/86 he was a member of the judiciary of
Rupperswil, and was, as his father, most likely, also the Dorfvogt. (Villagae
Governor.) Repeatedly, he rented a grain farm in
Hunzenschwil, the last time in 1602. One or two years later he died.
Mauritz Zubler had three sons (Table Zubler I). The oldest was
also named Mauritz, and he is mentioned once in 1599 when he had to
appear in front of the Landvogt (District Administrator)
for attempted tax fraud (Chapter 8/4). He was married, but appears
to have either died young, or moved away from Hunzenschwil. Hans, his
second son who continued to live in the parent house at the Aarauer
Fussweg, (Street) was first mentioned as a
taxpaying citizen in 1607. In his first marriage he was married to
Anna Widmer. He was one of the five richest farmers of Hunzenschwil
during the 1620s (chapter 5/6), yes, he even ranked at the top. At
the same time, he was the holder of the old estate A, D and E and
within these, including the holdings B and C, owned more than 25
Hectares (61+ Acres) of farm-meadow-and
woodlands (Farm: 19 ha) (Farm: 47 acres).
Supposedly, he owned additional property outside the known holdings.
Also, he was the owner of at least three houses, one of which he sold
in 1622. At the latest, in 1621, Hans Zubler was elected Dorfvogt (Village
Governor.)
Around 1630 he lost his wife, but later found Elisabeth
Stöckli to be a new mother for his flock of children. He
maintained his position as Dorfvogt for many years, possibly for the
rest of his life. In this position he became somewhat a founder of a
family dynasty. Although, immediately after him, a member of the Rohr
family became the head of the village for a short term, but for more
than 100 years thereafter all the Untervögte (Deputy Magistrates)
were Zublers. Hans was mentioned for the last time in 1668, and was
probably carried to his grave soon thereafter. His younger brother,
Joachim, was also a prosperous farmer. His house, newly constructed
around 1620, stood at the Totengasse (No. 55). Joachim appears in the
sources between 1622 and 1635. His only son apparently died in childhood.
Under these circumstances, the sons of Hans Zubler were the only
ones to continue the tribe. There were four of them; three of them
founded branches that still exist today. Maritz (Born 1615), married
to Elsbeth Richner, from Hunzenschwil, had several children baptized
between 1642 and 1653. Other than that, his fate lies in darkness.
His only son apparently did not grow into adulthood. Hans Zubler
(Born 1619) took Vreini Zobrist, from Ruppertswiler, home as his
wife, and she presented him with an entire troop of children. He and
his family lived in the house on the Aarauer Fussweg, and, at the
latest, in 1664, he moved to Suhr. He sold the family home at
Hunzenschil, together with many other parcels, to his brother Jacob.
Ueli Zubler (1623-75) also chose a girl from Rupperswiler as his
wife. She brought fifteen children into this world; not all of them
survived, of course. The home of Uelis stood on the east side of the
Stangengasse (Nr. 41), diagonally across from the Zubler family home.
Probably, it already belonged to his father. Jogli (1627-81), the
youngest of the four Zubler brothers, apparently had a new house
built a bit east of the Stangengasse, near the house of his brother
Ueli (Nr. 42). As already mentioned, he added, in 1673, by purchase
from his brother Hans, the old Zubler house. Jogli was married to
Elsbeth Zobrist, thus had chosen his wife from the same family as two
of his brothers did. In 1671 he was Untervogt (Deputy Magistrate).
We will address additional Zubler Generations from their
respective progenitors (the originator of a line of descendants).
Of the six married sons of Hans Zubler, Jr., the three oldest
returned to Hunzenschwil. Ruedi (Born 1644) had only a daughter and
died in 1686/7, Maritz (Born 1645) lived south of the Aarauer Fussweg (
No. 49.) He was the only one of the six brothers to have founded a
lasting branch of the family. Hans Ulrich (Born 1645,) exchanged in
1681, a house in the Hohgasse (No. 40) for one at the corner of
Strangengasse/Junkerngasse (No.34). As a successor to his uncle
Jogli, in 1681, he became the Dorfvogt. He fathered only one
daughter. The three youngest sons of Hans Zubler remained in Suhr.
The traces of their descendents became lost in the middle of the 18th century.
The family line continued, as Maritz had three sons, namely
Christen, Maritz, and Johannes. He left his home, south of the
Aarauer Fussweges, to his second born, Maritz Zubler-Müller
(1673-1750). Although he (Maritz) had no male
heirs, Christen and Johannes each became the progenitor of a branch
of the family which exists today. Christen (Ca. 1670-1749) moved into
a new home, directly beside the home of his father's family (No. 50).
In 1722, he was given the honor of being a Untervogt (Deputy
Magistrate), however, he did not hold it for long. Already, in the
following spring, he ran into financial difficulties and had to give
up his new position. In the meantime, fortunately, he sold his home
to his two sons Bernhard (1692-1741) and Ueli (1695-1764), so that it
remained in the family. Christen himself died in poverty in 1749. Of
the sons, certainly Bernhard got married. We are not so sure about
Ueli, because he was 'abroad' for some time. For generations, the
descendants of the first born (Bernhard) used the additional name:
"Berneten." While Ueli sold his part of the house in 1754,
Bernhard left his to his only male heir, Christen (1720-1796). The
latter seems to have done well financially; indeed, in 1754 he was
given a judgeship, later, periodically, the office of a
"Seckelmeister" as well as that of the village Dorfweibels
and in 1776, finally, Fiduciary Superior.
Johannes (1677-1762), the youngest brother of Untervogt Christen,
at his wedding in 1703, bought the house in the
"Totengasse" (No.55). This house was part of the heritage
of the Härdi-branch and was built by his grand-grand-uncle
Joachim Zubler. He was first married to Elsbeth Rohr and after her
early death he married Susanna Christen from Suhr. Beside farming he
worked as a shoemaker. When his sons married he looked for more
houses. He, himself, at that time, probably lived in a new house at
the "Landstrasse" (No.66). Additionally, he bought the
Zubler house at the "Aarauer Weg" (No.47) in 1740. The two
eldest sons , Martin (1707-1787) and Hans (1710-1787) inherited the
house at the Landstrasse. But only Hans lived there. Martin became an
ore-miner at Scherz and, later, while his father was still living, he
went to Lupfig, where he took over the house in the "Totengasse.
When it burnt down in 1756 (chap. 8/5) it appears he found shelter
with his youngest brother, Heinrich (1717-95), in the ancestral home
of the Zubler family. Anyway, each of them later owned half of their
ancestral home. However, in 1760, Jacob re-erected the building in
Totengasse. Jacob Zubler was known by the additional name of
"Mizeli" in the village, which was derived from
"Maria." Most likely, the name goes back to Zubler's
mother-in-law, Anna Maria Härdi-Richner. The house, and the
additional name, later went to Jacob's son-in-law and thus to a
branch of the Rohr family. The street "Totengasse" was
renamed to"Mizeligasse", a name it has retained ever since.
The three Zubler brothers who remained in Hunzenschwil (Hans, Jacob
and Heinrich) were all Shoemakers. The family tree continued only
through Heinrich, who at times held an office as Seckelmeister3.
Meanwhile, three of his sons had to divide the dilapidated ancestral
home among them. One took over his uncle's house in Landstrasse and
Johannes (1743-98), the eldest son, built a new house for himself
west of his father's house (No 51).
The Untervögte (Deputy Magistrate) were
present in all the Zubler lines. There was - beside other office
holders - also one in Uelies line (table II). Ueli Zubler's five sons
were Brandolf (Born 1644), Hans (Born 1646), Ueli (1660-1739),
Bernhard (1666-1738) and Werner (1668-1742). Ueli and Werner shared
the family home east of the Strangengasse (No.41). Bernhard, at
first, lived in the Fricker family house (No. 48A) on the opposite
side of the street and in 1697 bought the building north of it, on
the Aarauer Fussweg (No.48). In all probability, Brandolf built the
house at the junction of Strangengasse and Landstrasse (Nr. 56), in
which his descendants were later discovered. Hans finally exchanged
his domicile on Gränicherweg (No.2) for one at the upper
Strangengasse (Nr. 36). Hans, who was the only one who didn't have
children, married for the first time to an unknown woman, the second
time to Maria Lüthi from Schoeftland. For many years, 1691-1720,
he was Dorfstatthalter (village governor) and at the age of 74
followed a cousin and became Untervogt. Unfortunately, he was only
able to hold the highest village office for 1 - 2 years, since,
presumably, he died in 1721/22. Hans' brother Uelt, married to
Elsbeth Rohr, held the position of Gerichtssasse (Court Seat) from
1725 on and Choir Judge and was specifically called rich ("valet
opibur"). Brandolf and Bernhard who officiated as Dorfweibels in
his later days, seemed to have been well off. Werner, however, was
less fortunate. In 1742, instead of the usual death money
"Gulden," it was only paid to the Landvogt.
About the descendants of the brother there is not very much to
report. The tribes of Ueli, Bernhard and Werner still exist today.
Two of the four sons of Ueti stayed in Hunzenschwil, Hans Ruedi
(1688) and Ueli (1694-1768). Their brother Christen (Born 1691) went
to the Birrfeld area of the village of Lupfig. Their brother Jacob
(1697-1728) went to the neighbor village of Rupperswil. Just the
tribe of Hans Ruedi lived long lives. Bernhards descendants were
called "Baeni" in contrast to the family of Bernhard of
Hans Zublers tribe. Possibly the Spittel-tribe belongs to a grandson
of Bernhard. One of the Baeni-tribe was Samuel Zubler (1790-1876) an
owner of a paper-factory in the early 19th century. He grew up in the
same house (Nr. 48) which his great-great-grandfather Bernhard had
bought years before. One half of the house, which stands east of the
Strangengasse (no 41), was inherited by the tribe of his brother
Ueli. The other half of the house was sold by a grandson of Werner in 1792.
Jogli Zubler's branch of the family (see table III) produced not
fewer than four Untervögte. After
a ten-year interruption by a representative from the Hansen's branch,
Jogli himself was followed in office in 1691 by the eldest son, Ruedi
Zubler-Müller (1652-1720). In 1680, Ruedi had purchased from
Ueli Rohr a house in the Junkerngasse (Nr. 26) in which he lived
until his death. A family branch that leads back to Ruedi cannot be
documented, although a son with family existed. In the ancestral
house of the Zublers, which Jogli had acquired in 1673, lived the
brothers Hans Zubler-Gerig (1654-1733) and Jacob Zubler-Schaffner
(1656). In the village, Hans was considered "wealthy." His
son. possibly, was Hans Zubler-Wüest, (1686-1765) who, like two
other members of the family, settled in Lupfig, however, without
founding a permanent branch of the family there. Jacob, apparently,
had no children (or had only daughters). For this reason Jogli's
fourth and youngest son Hans Jogli (1658) was responsible for the
continuation of the family branch. He married Anna Zobrist and
settled in the lowest house in the Junkerngasse (Nr. 34), which
earlier had been owned by his cousin, Untervogt Hans Ulrich Zubler.
The brothers (1695: Jacob, 1722: Hans Jogli)
also owned the house on Stangengasse (Nr. 42) which they had taken
over from their father. This property later went to another branch of
the family from Ueti's side.
We wish to recognize, in detail, the descendants of Hans Jogli
Zubler. His only children were two sons, both of whom contributed to
the succession of the family. Ueli-Zubler-Widmer, (1692-1765) the
elder of the ancestors, must have remained in his father's house.
(Nr. 34) Later, it was lived in by three generations of his
descendants, until it burned down in 1838. Ueli's sons, Hans Jogli Zubler-Roth
(Born 1727) and Johannes Zubler-Rohr (Born 1729), were distinguished
in the village by the names "Black" and "White".
Their different hair colors might have been the reasons. The black-haired
brother settled on his inherited property on the Aarauer Fussweges
and built his house (Nr. 52) in 1755. Ten years later he moved away -
at first alone, then with his family - and left the house for his
brother to sell. For part of this time he was in Oberkulm, but he
returned to his home village, where, in 1785, he again built a house
(Nr. 17) on what is now the Gyslifluhweg. The white-haired (blond)
brother evidently lived at first in the house of his father-in-law,
Marti Rohr, to the north of the Lenzburger Fussweges (Nr. 44). After
the death of his father, Ueli moved into the house that he inherited
on what is now Junkergasse (Nr. 34). Since 1765 Johannes Zubler was
Vorgesetzter (Supervisor) and from 1776 until
1783 he was Dorfstatthalter (Village Magistrate.)
Johannes Zubler (1695-1781), the youngest son of Hans Jogli
Zubler-Zobrist, belonged among the most significant representatives
of his line. He lived initially with his brother in their father's
house on the Junkerngasse. His first marriage with Barbara Lüthi
remained childless. Therefore, this allowed him to set out, very
early, on a public career which led swiftly upwards. At a little more
than 26 years of age, he was able to note proudly in his tiny family
chronicle: "On the 2nd day of February 1722, I, Hans Zubler of
Huntzenschwil, was appointed to the "bench" in Lentzburg
Castle under Herr Landtvogt Siner (Provincial Governor Siner).
At the same time, Johannes became a Dorfvogt (Village Governor.)
Two and one half years later he profited from the fact that his
cousin, Dorfvogt (Village Governor) Christian Zubler, got into the
Geltstag (Finance Council.) He
was able to occupy the previous position, as the next personal
notation testifies: "On the 10th of November 1724 at Staufen,
under the Lime Trees, I was elected a justice under Her Landvogt
Fischer (his honor Judge Fischer.)"
Meanwhile changes, also, had occurred in his private life. His wife
died in 1743. Four years later he found a new traveling companion in
Anna Rohr, daughter of the Gerichtssassen Marti Rohr. She presented
him with several children, most of whom got to be only a few months
or years old. Nevertheless, the family was now so big that Johannes
had to look for a home of his own. Therefore, in 1754 he bought a
house from Ruedi Fricker which was on one of the small streets
leading off of the Strangengasse (Nr. 37). Already, in 1761, he lost
his second wife. Subsequently, he married two more times. In 1776 he
resigned from his offices on account of age. However, he lived for
five more years.
The paternal home was taken over by the single surviving son,
Jakob (1758-1822). He'd been married to Elisabeth Gloor of
Duerrenaesch since 1780. Meanwhile, the office of Untervogt passed on
to a member of the Rohr family. But from 1784-87 Jakob was entrusted
as Seckelmeister. In 1792, the
citizens of Hunzenschwil elected him Vorgesetzten (superior) and,
in 1797, he was also appointed him Untervogt, the last of his
village. Jakob Zubler was the second-richest citizen of Hunzenschwil
- after the innkeeper Hartmann Rohr -and, in any case, the farmer
with the greatest property. In 1801, he possessed real estate in the
value of 17,770 Francs, 16 1/4 Jucherts7of
fields, 5 Jucherts7 of meadowland and 5 1/2 Jucherts7
of forest. Incidentally, he was struck with a heavy blow in 1786,
when his house burned down with all his possessions, so that he had
to build it anew (Chap. 8/5 and 9/6). Jakob Zubler has to have been a
self-willed, often somewhat uncomforatble man. Before the political
changes of 1798, he was somewhat of a radical, and called on the
citizens to engage in a tax strike, and a few years later, he was
known as the arch enemy of the new Order. He made life difficult for
the local governing council, a group to which he was no longer
elected. He acted less out of political persuasion, but more out of a
desire to resist change. He enjoyed playing that role and recognized
only the authority of the individual. When his abrasive political
career floundered - from 1803 to 1805, he was a member of the
Hunzenschweil Gemeinderats (City Council) - he
had considerably more success in the private arena as a farmer. He
cared tirelessly for his farm and family. All income and payments
were carefully entered in his books. In 1805, he bought a neighboring
house which was then under construction (today Strangengasse #31).
This house would later serve as a home for his two oldest sons. In
1820, he appears in the records again as a Construction Foreman,
building a house further to the north for his third son (today, #9).
He intended that his own house should go to his fourth son. In 1821,
Jakob had the satisfaction of seeing his son, Johannes, elected to
the "governing council." This may have eased the memory of
his earlier disappointments.
In the end, the Zubler history needs an addition. Two of today's
living branches cannot be classified genealogically speaking (table
IV). One starts with Hans (Uech) Zubler-Karrer (1714-96), for whom an
entry in the Suhr Registry does not exist, thus we don't know his
parents. He lived in a house in the southern extension of
Strangengasse (Nr. 35.) He bequeathed this house to his descendants
and the surname "Uechen." The other branch starts with Hans
Jacob Zubler-Schmitter (1744-1808), Tambour. According to a single
entry which without further work is questionable, he might be a
brother of Jacob Zubler, Uechen and therefore been a son of the above
Hans Urech. In 1771, he bought half
the house at No. 57 in the in which some of his descendants lived
later on. Thus we have come not only to the end of our Hunzenschwiler
history, but at the same time also to the end of the "old"
family history as a whole. We will deal in the following chapters
with developments in the 19th and 20th century.
1. There were 4 former regions in the Aargau
Canton. Freiamt, Fricktal, Grafschaft Baden & Unteraargau. The
Freiamt is in the vicinity West of Zurich)
2. It appears that the Calvinists Movement
was not too Successful.
3. Seckelmeister - a Swiss title that is
long outdated meaning an "office in the financial
administration." There is no modern equivalent to this post, and
it, usually, had to do with the financial administration of the
estate of a ruler. Also, it may be that it was used for the city Treasurer.
4. The translation of the German word
"Untervogt" has many meanings in English, therefore, the
German word is used in the translation.. "Unter" means is a
Deputy, subsidiary or lower level and "Vogt", can have the
meanings of overseer, bailiff, warden, prefect, governor,
administrator or magistrate and, in Switzerland, guardian.
5. Progenitor - originator in a line of descendants.
6. Each Canton had there own money. 40 ic
is, probably, some form of money used by the Canton Aargau.
7. A "Juchert" (or
"Juchart" or "Guchart") is defined as "a
Swiss unit of land measurement roughly equal to the German
"Morgen"; a "Morgen" is "the amount of land
a man could plow in a morning's work". In other words, about an acre.
