Collection: Gallus Ruegg diary and account book | ArchivesSpace Public Interface

Scope and Contents

Gallus Ruegg (c. 1845-1914) was a bookkeeper who immigrated to the United States from Switzerland in 1869. Ruegg lived in Butschwil, Switzerland before he came to Hoboken, New Jersey in August 1869. He moved to Chicago, Illinois in September of the same year, where he was joined by his brother Paul. Paul Ruegg struggled to find work in Chicago and instead moved to Nebraska in December 1869, and Gallus followed several months later. By the 1880s, Gallus Ruegg had moved to California, living in Santa Cruz and then San Francisco. It appears he married a woman named Martina, and they had at least six children.

The collection contains two volumes owned by Gallus Ruegg, written in Swiss German. The first is his diary, which dates between August 1869, when he arrived in the United States, and February 1870, when it seems he began planning to leave Chicago. Some entries are written by his brother, Paul, as Gallus was occupied with work. The diary includes stories of life as an immigrant in America, experiences with the church, and the brothers’ impressions of the country. The second volume is an account book, with entries detailing Gallus’s purchases between January and November of 1869.