An emotional encounter occurs on the Monastery Plaza with the sporty American whose ancestors emigrated more than 130 years ago. Kathy: “I owe it to my husband Mark that I stand today on the Monastery Plaza. He discovered ‘Bike Switzerland’ on the Internet and Einsiedeln is one of its destinations.” On Tuesday afternoon of July 5 at the “Marienbrunnen”, the fountain that honors the Virgin Mary, we meet the 12-member group on their “Challenge Tour”, their 580 kilometer trip across Switzerland. We immediately recognize the sporty couple from the United States by their Switzerland vests. Kathy’s effort of having mastered the kilometers since departure from Geneva is noticeable, and above all her emotion. Her eyes sparkle… and tears run over her cheeks. “I can hardly find words; it is simply wonderful for me. Since I was a child and for more than 50 years I have had the dream one day of visiting the place from where my ancestors came. It is overpowering. And I feel that I belong here.”
Kathy was a medical technologist at a Louisville hospital, appears to be fit and in top shape. No wonder: with her husband, the passionate cyclist takes care of a farm outside of Louisville in Shelby County. On their land of 11 acres (4,5 hectares) they plant tomatoes, corn, a variety of vegetables such as Swiss chard, and five to seven kinds of potatoes. “Potatoes of different colors are among them.” They sell their varied produce at the Saturdays’ farmers market or by subscription. “I am at heart and soul a farmer.”
She follows the footsteps of her great-great grandfather: “Anton Jacob Kaelin, ‘Grundmärtels’ in Willerzell, was the oldest son in a farmer family of 12 and in 1880 emigrated to Louisville. The Kaelin family of Louisville is large and musical. I had grown up going to the Swiss Hops at Swiss Hall and I believe the polka music is in my blood.” She doesn’t know anything however about the Oechsle relatives, about grandfather George Oechsle.
At the end of their Swiss tour Kathy and Mark come back over the weekend for two extra days in Einsieden. “It gives me the opportunity of visiting and getting to know my Kaelin relatives in the area. And who knows, perhaps I might even find somewhere a lead to my Oechsle (Oechslin) relatives.” The home of Kathy’s ancestors, however, does not exist anymore; it was one of those homesteads that had to give way to Lake Sihl (Sihlsee).
Kathy tightens the little red cloth adorned with an Edelweiss around her head and puts on the helmet. This afternoon there is still today’s final stretch over the Etzel pass to Rapperswil, and on the next two days the journey onward via Feldkirch to Arbon. “I can’t leave, however, without a sip of water from the fountain here on the Monastery Plaza! It is true: I always knew it, Einsiedeln is beautiful, but the way I found it, I couldn’t even dream of!” With this she presses on the pedals and bikes off on the narrow tires toward Lake Sihl across the viaduct of Willerzell.On the weekend, Kathy and her husband Mark returned by train once more to Einsiedeln, wanting to know more, and Kathy is searching for her roots. A stroke of luck allows her to meet her Oechslin - not Oechsle - family, unknown to her!
Annemarie Fässler, the passionate and expert family researcher from Alpthal near Einsiedeln, gets on the act; she rummages and searches in documents in the State Archive of Schwyz and on ancestry.com and is indeed able to construct for Kathy the Joseph-Michael Oechslin family tree since 1807, Joseph-Michael being the progenitor of Kathy’s great-great grandfather Adelrich (Joseph) Oechslin.
We will surprise Kathy with an incredible find! At the spur-of-the moment Ingrid Fässler-Heinzer contacts an Oechslin relative in Einsiedeln based on the family tree - Paul. The next day their meeting becomes an emotional moment! A “new” cousin for Kathy! A “new” cousin for Paul! A visit to Kaelin descendants - the “Grundmärtels” of Willerzell - is quite moving and also fun. Kathy recognizes in the light blue eyes of Christian Marty of Wollerau a family connection to the eyes of her mother.
Kathy will fly back to Louisville enriched by many memories and has met “new” relatives in the monastery village of Einsiedeln. Might her experience of searching for roots become typical for other Louisville-Einsiedler people?
