Franz Ludwig Michel

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Franz Ludwig Michel von Schwertschwendi (born July 24, 1675 in Bern , † around 1717 in Carolina ) was a Swiss explorer and colonialist. From 1701 Michel traveled to the former British colonies of Carolina and Virginia . His report, which came to Bern, suggested plans to found a colony. In 1710, Michel played a key role in the founding of New Bern in what is now the US state of North Carolina .

Life

Little is known of Michel's life prior to his arrival in Virginia. He was the eldest son of the Bernese patrician David Michel (1634-1696) and Ursula Fels and was initially in French military service.

In the autumn of 1701 he began a long journey that took him via London to the English colonies in North America . On May 8, 1702, he landed with the passenger ship Nassau on the York River in Virginia. From Williamsburg he explored the fauna , flora and natural resources of Virginia. His illustrated report, which came to Bern in January 1703 and was written by his younger brother Hans Ludwig im Reine, triggered a discussion there about the establishment of a Bern colony. In 1704 he returned to Bern.

After the Bernese Senate approved the establishment of a colony, also with a view to the deportation of the Anabaptists , Michel sought Queen Anne's approval for the project on another trip to London in 1709 . In 1710, along with Christoph von Graffenried from Bern and the British surveyor John Lawson, he was instrumental in founding the second oldest city in North Carolina, New Bern, by Swiss and German immigrants.

According to a marginal note in Graffenried's memoirs, he died “among the Indians” (“est mort parmis les Indiens”).

literature

  • Johann Heinrich Graf: Franz Michel von Bern and his first trips to America 1701–1704: a contribution to the prehistory of the foundation of New-Berne. In: Berner Taschenbuch 1898. Wyss, Bern 1897, pp. 59–144. on-line
  • Andreas Mielke:  Michel, Frantz Ludwig. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 34, Bautz, Nordhausen 2013, ISBN 978-3-88309-766-4 .

Web links

Commons : Franz Ludwig Michel  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
  • John Lawson: A New Voyage to Carolina. London 1709 ( e-text , online ).
  • Franz Ludwig Michel at www.patc.us
  • Vincent H. Todd; Julius Goebel: Christoph von Graffenried's Account of the Founding of New Bern. The North Carolina Historical Commission, Raleigh (NC) 1920 ( online ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bern Burger Library, Mss.hhX152
  2. ^ Vincent H. Todd, Julius Goebel: Christoph von Graffenried's Account of the Founding of New Bern . The North Carolina Historical Commission, Raleigh (NC) 1920, p. 339.
personal data
SURNAME Michel, Franz Ludwig
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Michel, Franz
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss explorer and colonialist
DATE OF BIRTH July 24, 1675
PLACE OF BIRTH Bern
DATE OF DEATH around 1717
Place of death Carolina