As an above-average genealogist, Luzi Nett provides small research papers on families of interest to himself and those around him. In this case, Luzi provides research on the roots of his Chur employer Hansjürg Conzett of Bärtsch + Dobal AG, Büro Conzetti AG in Chur. His paper relies in part on the Swiss Almanac publication of 1945, but also provides unique information resulting from his love of local history and details from local families.

Again, owing to mediocre translation skills, I am providing the original scanned document, as well as the German OCR text and English MS Word documents for downloading.

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FAMILY HISTORY

Conzett

of Grüsh and Schiers

 

Conzett is one of the oldest names of the Prättigau area still in existence today. The first Conzett noted in Schiers is found in 1432. He was a Landammänner (a German title meaning 'Amtmann (office man) of the land', used by the chief magistrate in certain Cantons of Switzerland and at times featured in the Head of state's administration at the confederal level).

 

This Landammann, whose first name was Eberhard, was written in the original 1432 document as Eberhard Gaschetsch. This way of writing the name, which was written by an official of that time, varies in the official documents and in the church books often, and is seen interchanged with the name Conzett most of all. This Landammann used many of its possible forms and variations‚ which was typical of the actions of the Conzetts of Schiers in the following years. Thus for example one wrote Gazett, Khazet, Khonzet, Gusäz, Gasetz and Kuonzett, deviating through subsequent generations. Today one finds Gazett as the most frequent valid German way of writing Conzett. In the German language the name Gazett is still more common today than Conzett, and it existed before other variations appeared.

 

Overall, the oldest mention seen of the name Conzett is in a record of the court in Chur from the year 1366, where a Catharine Katzettin had to appear before the court. Many and very diverse variations of the name Conzett are found in documents prior to 1600, namely:

            - About 1381 in Steinsberg (Ardez) a Villius Güntzett,

            - in Chur: 1395 the Cazettin Hus, the Ruadolf Katzetten Witwib, in 1481 a Anthoni Conzett,

            - in Schiers: 1432 the Landammann Eberhard Gaschetsch already mentioned ‚

                1450 a Hannes Gusätz and 1451 Hanns Guzät, 1475 is Christa Concetten Guot,

                1556 Jörg Concetta and Andris Contzetten Guot are of interest,

            - in Seewis: in 1450 a Schamon Konzett and 1487 a Schamaun Konzett are mentioned,

            - in Fanas: 1481 Hansli Kuonzett,

            - in Sent: 1499 Vit (David) Concet,

            - in Fideris: 1506 Simon Conzatt and 1543 Contzetten Guot,

            - in Klosters: 1514 Barbla Concetti,

            - in Domat-Ems: 1526 Ludigal Contzet, and

            - in Zuoz: 1588 Nutt Kiazet.

 

After 1600 the name Conzett is mentioned in in other federation villages: 1623 in Luzein, 1692 in Müstair, 1697 in Grüsch (whereupon we will still return), 1720 in Conters im Prättigau, 1739 in Jenaz ‚ 1751 in Furna and Versam, 1753 in Küblis‚ 1762 in St. Antönien, 1770 in Zizers, 1793 in Haldenstein, Jenins and Malix.

 

The spreading of individual Conzett families, both near and far‚ took place in the 1600's, 1700's and into the 1800's to a great extent. The many variations of the Conzett name during all these centuries base their origins in the village and parliamentary groups of the municipality of Schiers. During the period of subjugation of the Prättigau people by the Austrians, all able-bodied men were registered on the so-called Huldigungsliste, or register of oaths of allegiance of 1623. The family is well represented in the fight for Prättigau residents' liberty, being registered in eight courts of the ten-court federation, and review of those high court documents provides 14 Conzett and/or Khazet and Khonzet listed therein.

 

It is also reasonable to believe and probable that the 14 Conzetts on this list were residents of Schiers. This can be concluded because, after reviewing the earliest records of the Kirchenbuches (church books) from Schiers beginning in 1650 which recorded baptisms, marriage ceremonies and deaths in Schiers, it is found that less than eight different Conzett families did not bring their children to be baptized in Schiers' church from within the village and neighboring hamlets. Without turning to statistics in the place of family history, it is nevertheless interesting and worth mentioning that, in the baptism records of Schiers covering the first 100 years between 1650 and 1750, 228 Conzett family baptisms are found, and almost half from the Schiers hamlet of Pusserein.

 

Thus, it can be stated that today's Conzetts can call Schiers their homeland, and foreign Conzetts come from families formerly from Pusserein by a far measure. Pusserein can thus be called the Urheimat, or primal origin, and this absolutely can be said for all Conzetts from Grüsch.

 

Today the name Conzett is found in the resident lists in five communities: Schiers, Grüsch, Seewis, Klosters and Chur, as well as in other distant cities and villages: Basel, Zurich, Kirchberg, Brig‚ Lausanne and nearby areas. All these Conzett countrymen descend from Schiers or from Grüsch.

 

Pestilence and war struck large gaps into the families in the earlier centuries. Prominent among the Conzett families was their interest in serving in the military of foreign nations, in which many served. The Schiers area was well-known for their courageous warriors, and friendly countries sought soldiers from the area. This is well indicated by the 10,000 young men from the country serving as soldiers in foreign service in 1743.

 

According to the Schiers Totenrodel (listing of the dead), some mercenaries died in strange lands, among them are some Conzetts:

            - 1653 lists the death of Hans Cazett of Schiers in France, and the death of Officer Hans Cazett

                from Pusserein who died in Venice was announced.

            - 1674 Officer Kasper Conzett of Pusserein suffered the same fate.

            - 1679 Hans Conzett died in the service of the France.

            - 1681 on 10 March Kasper Cazetten's son Adam dies in Catalonia, now a region of northern Spain.

            - 1686 the death of Officer Rudolf Conzett is reported by his son Jakob.

            - 1688 Peter Conzett of Schiers dies.

            - 1691 Andres Conzett of Pusserein dies in Heidelberg, and

            - 1696 Ottli Conzett falls in Piemont.

Altogether this list contains 23 Conzett dead who served in foreign war service and lists over 200 deaths of Schiers mercenary soldiers. A further note included in these foreign services announced that in November 1794 in Namur (France) a war child was baptized by the Feldprediger (army chaplain) Hegner: a daughter of Michel Haas and Ursula (nee Flütsch) of Schiers, whereby Capitänleutnant Hercules Conzett of Schiers is mentioned as the baby's godfather.

 

Some Conzetts were very successful in the foriegn military, rising to high officer ranks in French and Dutch services. Together with the Capitänleutnant Hercules already mentioned, his son Ulisses rose in 1795 to command the Dutch Army's Regiment Schmid. His son Johann, likewise a Dutch officer, established himself later in the Puschlav (Poschiavo area of Shiers) and began the Conzetti line.

 

Another line of Schiers' Conzetts found wealth in the letterpress printing business in Zurich, and were selected as members of the banking council and Kanton National Council. Hans Conzett of the Zurich line was President of the National Council from 1967 to 1968, the highest office that Switzerland has.

 

Conzett family members from Schiers also filled other offices. Eberhard Conzett was previously mentioned, whom Schiers-Seewis appointed 1432 as the governing Landammann of the high court, at a time before the establishment of the ten-court federation. Later, in the 17th and 18th century, Conzetts are found occasionally serving as governors and as jurors in the court. An Andris Conzett served as the municipal president in Schiers in 1881-1890.

 

In Grüsch in 1714 the Tischmacher (tablemaker or joiner) Andres Conzett was elected as the Seckmeister: the person who administered the municipality's cash and, as was customary years ago, held the money safely in a pig bladder or “Brunzblatära”. It was in this way that the now commonly used term Geldseckel (litterally: gold sack) was added to the (local) language term Portemonaie (purse or pocketbook) to commonly mean an object that holds or safeguards money. Andres' son Klas was Pfrundvogt (steward of the funds provided by the church to maintain the living of public office holders; indirect funding of public offices was common after the Reformation saw the end of the spoils system and direct payment was often confiscated). Christian Conzett of Grüsch was appointed Seckelmeister in 1724, and the same Christian in 1742 was appointed as the Gerichtsweibel (an usher of the courts, a position between the chief magistrate and a bailiff, responsible for services and errands for the court, but also had the right to approve independent administrative or judicial procedures). Another Christian Conzett lived around the turn of the 1800's, and for 31 years was a teacher in Grüsch and Schmitten. At this same time he also served 16 years as the organ player and choir master of the church at Grüsch.

 

The Conzett family in Grüsch is not easily reported because of new naturalizations of Schiers residents who moved to Grüsch, drifting of families around the region and the emigrations that took place. They had the age-old right of unrestricted mobility between Grüsch and Schiers, and they took advantage of the right often. That mobility is briefly described here.

 

Early restrictions agreed to between municipalities generally restrained admission of new citizens from other municipalities, and/or between municipalities. Age-old agreements between Grüsch and Schiers allowed their citizens a vested right bestowed directly and equally to all municipal citizens for access and use of the Alps in its entirety and its fringes, forest rights for wood and for hunting. Originally this liberality right was without any tax or restrictions. This changed at the start of the Reformation, when both municipalities required 20 guilders for church rights and, as Grüsch made an agreement with the Walser communities of Danusa and Cavadura for lease of mountain pastures which resulted in the enlargement of their lands, and excluded Schiers residents, Grüsch required an additional 20 guilders from Schiers citizens for Pendlarechte (the right to commute or transfer to Grüsch). These rights with the taxes mentioned for church and Pendlarechte, lasted more than 400 years, even as the currency changed in 1850 from local guilders to Swiss Francs. Those changes required payment by Grüsch residents coming to Schiers a fee of 34 Swiss Francs, instead of 20 guilders; and a Schiers resident coming to Grüsch 68 Swiss Francs, instead of 40 guilders for the removal and/or for the use of the privileges mentioned. In 1963 these fees were not quite stopped by mutual agreement, however they were diminished significantly. A resident moving today finds half the usual naturalization tax levied by the other municipality upon admission, with proof that that the person's ancestors genuinely resided in the other municipality prior to 1827.

 

After this small excursion into the legal doctrines of citizen rights, discussion now turns to the Conzetts of Grüsch; of the predecessors and descendants of the different immigrants‚ all originating in Schiers, and reporting all which is known and worth mentioning.

 

The first provable Conzett family in Grüsch lived on an isolated peasant farm near the mountain pasture of Patluong. It was the family of Hans Gazett and wife Barbara (nee Tönz), which can be documented as residents in Grüsch by the year of their marriage, 1697; the result of the liberality rights mentioned earlier. This Hans was born in 1667, the son of a Hans of the same Gazett name (born in 1631) and his wife Barfla (nee Flütsch) of Pusserein. Since all later Conzett lines naturalized in Grüsch can be traced back to the said Hans born in 1631, this Hans Gazett (1631 - 1691) and wife Barfla (nee Flütsch) (1639 - 1719) can be called the first parents in the Conzett family tree, the roots of which originate in Grüsch and Schiers.

 

These first parents had seven children, of which four were sons. These sons married and became the trunk of the Conzett tree. The following report, just as the family tree trunk, is divided into four sections: Hans (born 1667), Simon (born 1670), Fid (David) (born 1673) and Adam (born 1680).

 

 

Trunk Hans 1667

 

As previously mentioned, Hans came from Pusserein and in 1697 settled at Patluong. In 1703 an entry in the Grüsch church book indicates his wife Barbara died in the delivery of their third child, with the child suffering the same fate. Hans then entered into a second marriage with Margreth Lachner of Grüsch. Adding to the two boys from the first marriage, Andris and Hans, two more children were born. Hans was born in 1702, married Barbara Roffler of Cavadura and took over the Patluong homestead‚ while his stepbrothers Christian (born 1704), and Johann Ulrich (born 1713) lived elsewhere. Christian established a home in Grüsch and was selected as the Seckelmeister of the community at an early age. He later served as an usher in the 1740's, while his younger brother Johann Ulrich came to the old homeland Schiers, married and resided in the hamlet of Lunden on the south side of the town in a new dwelling, which we will hear about later.

 

Hans (1702-1764) made his home at Patluong with his wife Barbara (nee Roffler), to whom over a period of 20 years were born and baptized 5 children. Most assuredly more were born, however the baptism book of Grüsch was very incompletely filled out during that time, and nothing further is found on this. From their sons, only the youngest named Simon (1757-1827) had a family and added to this branch of the Conzett tree. He married Barbara Frick of Valzeina and acquired a house on Munz (today Haus Burger). Simon (and later also his son and a grandchild) worked as rope makers, making hemp rope and plaited leather cords. Simon's wife Barbara bore seven children, of which only three survived: son Jakob (born 1779) and daughters Anna Barbara (born 1783) and Burga (born 1786). The two sisters married two brothers named Christian and Hans Konrad William. Anna Barbara and Christian were destined to become the origin of all William families from Grüsch, as would Burga with Hans's Konrad likewise became the origin of all St. Antönien William families.

 

So it was then the exclusive task of Jakob (1779-1821) to expand the trunk of the Conzetts in Grüsch. Jakobs' only married son Simon (1807-1884) was likewise destined to perform the same task. Simon and his wife Barbara (nee Ladner of St. Antönien) did justice to this task, bearing sons Peter (1840-1893) and Jakob (1846-1894). Peter remained single and Jakob found a career as a confisier (candy maker), emigrated to France and married Octavia (nee Mangeant). Announcements of children born to them were never heard and it was believed that the branch of Conzetts originating with Hans (1667) of Grüsch had become extinct. Then, one day in September 1994, a married couple named Jacqueline (nee Conzett) and Jean Louault on tour from France appeared at the Grüsch Civil Registrar's office. It was easy to determine that this Jacqueline (born 1935) was a great-granddaughter of the emigrant Jakob Conzett. Even more, her husband brought along a family tree detailing the descendants of Jakob (1846-1894) in France. It is found that the number of descendants of the former confisier Jakob Conzett from Grüsch grew quite large in France right into the modern day, it is the oldest foreign branch of the Grüsch Conzett family tree and in no way has it expired, nor is it endangered.

 

Hans Conzett (born 1667) of Patluong, as previously mentioned, had sons Christian (born 1704) and Johann Ulrich (born 1713) born during his second marriage. Christian's branch expired with the death of his only son Gadient (Gaudenz). Johann Ulrich established himself in Schiers and thereby forfeited Grüsch citizen rights and, with it, standing as the oldest Conzett tree in Grüsch originating from Hans (born 1667). Before the introduction of the Napoleonic Constitution, when no more descendants were registered in the citizen register, the traditional citizen rights bestowed by municipalities were lost if the emigrant’s absence carried “over year and day”. Participation in local elections, community support or official maintenance was denied unless the absence was excused by foreign military service or as the result of official duties.  

 

Although Johann Ulrich (1713-1791) and, by his action, all of his descendants, came to lose citizen's rights of Grüsch, the more substantial and prominent members from his branch of the Conzett family tree are briefly reported here. Johann Ulrich married in 1748 an older Maria Adank (1711) of Lunden, and settled with her there. Their children and grandchildren of all following generations, even into today, prefered to live in Lunden and the surrounding area. Johann Ulrich, or Hannuäli as he was later baptized, known by and identified in official records as, and his sons were often appointed to local official positions, as well as sworn into the court and selected as governor. Hannuäli (1713-1791) had obviously not broken off all relations with Grüsch, because both of his grandchildren: Hans (born 1790) and Hannuäli (born 1793), found their spouses in Uberlandquart (Boden) and married befitting their social standing two sisters: Elsbeth and Anna Michel, daughters of the Gschwornä (court official) Silvester Michel and Ursula (nee Schamaun). The first name Silvester was passed down in Conzett families for some generations, sometimes seen written as Festus, Vester or Fäst. Johann Ulrich is also a common first name used by his descendants, even to the present day. Today, descendants of Hannuäli (born 1713) are found to live in the Lunden area, and distributed into nearly all villages in the Prättigau‚ as well as at Heinzenberg and at some places in the lowlands.

 

 

Trunk Simon 1670

 

Simon, called Schamaun Conzett (1670-1717), was the second oldest married son of the patriarch Hans. He married the locally born Trina (nee Trisner) around 1701 and they lived in Pusserein. No guardian angel watched over their family. From their six children, 5 died as children. Only daughter Anna (born 1703) lived to adulthood. She married Hans Lippuner of Grabs. At the mature age of 30‚ Schamaun, perhaps from frustration, joined the mercenary service and earned the rank of Sergeant. Fate was to overtake him, for on 16 February 1718 the church book in Schiers announced that Sergeant Simon Conzett of Pusserein was killed on 26 December 1717 while serving in the Dutch military.

 

 

Trunk Fid (David) 1673

 

The name David is found written in church books for many Conzett generations, this David was born 17 January 1673 in Pusserein. His date of death is missing in the books for unknown reasons. Fid married Trina (Conzett) in1695, who likewise grew up in Pusserein. How closely related the two Conzett spouses were is unknown. The couple had three children, one boy and two girls. Their only son Hans died at 29 years and was single. This branch would have expired had daughters Barfla (born1705) and Stina (born 1713) not taken Conzettt cousins from Pusserein as their husbands. Barfla married cousin Hans Conzett (1705-1782), and Stina married cousin Jöri Conzett (1696-1767). Even with great-great-grandchildren born to both families, these two daughter branches of the Conzett tree nevertheless still expired.

 

 

Trunk Adam 1680

 

Adam Conzett was born 11 January 1680, the youngest son of our first parents Hans and Barfla Conzett (Flütsch) of Pusserein. He was one of the few of that time that, going against the customs at the time, sought and married a bride outside the local communities. In 1705 he married Ursula Bardill‚ daughter of Anton Bardill of Jenaz. Five sons were born to the pair: Hans (born 1705), Christia (born 1707), Töni (born 1709), Simon (born 1711) and Kasper (born 1716). It is understandable that not all could remain on the native soil of Pusserein. Thus Christia and Töni took earnest money and went to war as mercenaries to Holland. Later, Kasper also followed into the mercenary service. As fate would have it, son Christa bled to death 3 March 1729 on foreign soil, and in Holland on 4 April 1732 Töni suffered the same fate. There are no messages regarding Kasper.

 

Remaining in Pusserein from the family of Adam are sons Hans (born 1705) and Simon (born 1711), each establishing familes. The number of descendants of Simon is clearly smaller than those of Hans. Simon (1711-1785) had five children with his wife Polonia (nee Winkler) also from Pusserein. However, three of their five children died in infancy and the two remaining sons Adam (born 1739) and Christian (born 1752), married at Klosters and Davos. Adam married Margreth (nee Tuffli) in 1769 at Klosters. Since Simon was their only son and he produced no male offspring, this branch expired. In 1752 Christian married Anna (nee Mueller) at Davos. The books in Schiers do not report any further generations from this marriage.

 

Hans (1705-1782) was now singly chosen, together with his sons and grandchildren of all further generations, to continue Adam's branch of the Conzett tree into the present. Hans married three times, with children born into each of the three marriages. His first marriage was in 1737 to his cousin Barfla Conzett, daughter of David (born 1673). On the 1st day of January 1743 Barfla died, leaving husband Hans with nine month old son Fid. The little son Fid (born 1742) grew to manhood, and even produced a family. Of his descendants we have already heard, the branch expiring after a couple generations.

 

Widower Hans (born 1705), no longer young, married a second time in 1753 to Tschina William from Maria, daughter of the schoolmaster Andris William. But luck also lasted only a short time to this marriage; Tschina died on 25 September 1754 from complications of childbirth‚ seven days after the birth of their son Andris. Little Andris grew to manhood despite his difficult beginnings and as a result provided for the continuation of the Conzett tree. The twice-widowed Hans, at the age of 51, married for a third time to Barbla (nee Fient) of Luzein. Also in Hans's third marriage were three sons born, Adam (born 1757), Christian (born 1759) and Klas (born) 1761. While nothing is found on the whereabouts or even the death notification of Christian in the books in Schiers, Adam is found to marry in 1784 to Magdalena (nee Fient) of Luzein and they then resided there. Their children are not reported in Schiers, however daughter Elsbeth was to become the great-grandmother of the Luzein historian Christian Kästli.

 

Klas (1761-1817), the youngest son of the third marriage, grew up in Pusserein. He apparently had no homestead after his marriage to Margreth (nee Conzett) as many changes of residence were made. The first of their nine children was born in Maria, the second and third in Thusis, then the next in Pusserein and in Schiers, and the last two children came into the world in Fajauna. Of these, only three sons outlived their parents and all three moved their residence outside the home community: Hans (born 1789) to Conters im Pratigau‚ Christian to St. Peter and Adam to Jenaz.

 

The orphan boy Andris (1754-1828) from the previously mentioned second marriage of father Hans, appears with his grandparents Andris William and Tschina (nee Truog) at Maria, and remained on a Maria homestead even after his marriage to Luzia (nee Sprecher) of Castiel. To the married couple six children were born, two of which were dismissed as small children into the ranks of the angels. The four remaining were sons named Martin (born 1785), Hans (born 1787), David (born 1790) and Zacharias (born 1795). While nothing further can be reported on the oldest son Martin, who married Stina Gruber of Klosters on 11 January 1812, it is safe to say that Hans (1787-1843) through marriage with Märja Janett of Grüsch and afterwards settling in Grüsch, established in 1811 (the year after the marriage ceremony) citizen rights in Grüsch due to the liberality laws. He and his numerous Conzett descendants are by consequence dual citizens of Grüsch/Schiers. Although eight children were born to Hans and Märja, five girls and three boys, is was son Andres (1816-1883) who ultimately married and furthered this dual-citizen Conzett branch. Andres initially emigrated in 1840 to Naples, Italy, but returned to the federations and began a family with Elsbeth Hefti from the Glarner valley. They married in the high-altitude Walser villiage of Mutten in the Albulatal valley, where they also had their first home. Andres Conzett worked on the other side of the Rhine valley and mountain passes there. Some of their nine children were baptized in Medels, and the youngest in Splügen. Two of their sons, Johannes and Friedrich, emigrated unmarried to France. What fate brought them in the foreign land is not known. As for the rest of their children, four daughters and two sons married. Their other children included sons Jakobs (born 1852) and Andreas (born 1859), each who would continue the name Conzett, but also two daughters Margreth (born 1855) and Katharina (born 1871) who, by a previous marriage, bore a son named Andras Conzett. Finally we turn to the history of Andreas (1859-1946), a branch of the Conzett tree which did not last long. Andreas married Ida (nee Herzig) and resided in Bollingen. Since their only son did not have male descendants, this branch expired in 1961.

 

The above-mentioned Margreth (1855) baptized her son in the name of his grandfather, Andreas. This son Andreas Conzett (1883-1963) married twice: first to Margreth Clavadet of Küblis and then to Anna Gantenbein of Plons bei Oberschan. To the first marriage was born son Leonhard (1909-1985), who later married Anna Bantli of Jenins, and continued this Conzett branch through their son and his grandchildren into the present.

 

The second wife of Andreas (born 1883), Anna (nee Gantenbein)‚ bore seven children. The youngest, Katharina, died with her mother on the last day of 1926 during childbirth, leaving six orphans aged 2 to 10 years. The fact that the tragedy was severe and large means it probably does not have to be described further. As was the custom at that time, the orphans of the family were broken up and the children distributed to relatives and foster parents. The oldest of the six children, Andreas (born 1916), came to Grüsch and grew up with a cousin in the house of the so-called “Pfäfferdrücka”, an age-old house that was torn down in 1943 and where in its place a post office was built. Andreas (born 1916) married Anna (nee Sturzenegger) in 1944, a native of Reute in the canton of Appenzell. Today, after 56 years of marriage, they still live in their own home on the square in Grüsch. Also in Grüsch lives their son Schorsch (born 1948), who built a family home in Arälja in 1979. The remaining four brothers and sisters of Andres (born 1916) married and had families of their own. They and their descendants live rather widely distributed in Switzerland, maintaining, as far as is know, few relations with their home communities of Grüsch and Schiers.

 

Also, the above-mentioned Katharina Conzett (called Gazetta Käterli) had a son by the name Andreas (1894-1965), who always lived in Grüsch. Married to Lisabeth (nee William) of Grüsch, they lived in the Pfäfferdrücka house until 1943 and then resided in Pasch. From their son Sepp (born 1936) came grandchildren Andreas (born 1967) and Marcel (born 1971). They, too, can preserve and continue this Conzett branch.

 

We now return to the oldest son of Andreas Conzett of Splügen, Jakob (1852-1910). He was named for his maternal grandfather, Jakob Hefti. Jakob Conzett married Ursula (nee Ruedi) in 1877 in Splügen. After barely two-years of marriage, Ursula died in Sufers, leaving a widower and a son Andreas (born 1878). Andreas emigrated in 1905 to America and has since been missing. Jakob (born 1852) married a second time to Fida (nee Schumacher) of Nufenen, and they continued to live in Sufers. When the marriage register entry was made for this marriage, it indicated Jakob's occupation as a wagoner in Sufers. Later, in the 1890's, he is seen to reside in Grüsch. Jacob and Fida were richly blessed with children, having six daughters and five sons. Two died as infants, but nine grew to adults and seven were to marry. From this sprang an extremely large number of descendants having a common ancestor in Jakob (born 1852).

 

Only Jakob (1885-1956) and Barbara (called Bascha) (1895-1986) remained in Grüsch from the extended family. Barbara married the wagoner Köbli Roffler‚ son in an equally large family of Leonhard and Maria Roffler Janett. Later, the youngest son Johannes (1897-1958) returned from living abroad, deciding that life in Grüsch is not always happy. Margreth (called Grittli)(born 1887) lived in Jenins, never departing far from home. She married Christian Wiher of Jenins, not spared from strokes of fate, but known as industrious housekeepers in Jenins and as the courageous “Chrona Grittli” in local history. Jakob (1885-1956), called Köbi, found secure employment with the RhB as a flagman in Grüsch. With his wife Elsbeth (nee Kammerer), they had a large family of seven children to feed. Their five daughters married and moved far away, while son Hans (born 1930) continued adding to the Conzett tree in Grüsch. With his sons Hansjürg, Markus and Andrea, survival of the Conzett clan is assured.

 

George (1890-1954), another son of the wagoner Jakob, created a family with Anna (nee Brunold) of Peist. They lived for a long time in Küblis, later in Chur and in the lowlands and finally settled in Wetzikon. Eight of their ten children married and established families. Many Conzett grandchildren and great-grandchildren were the result.

 

We turn again back to the hamlet of Maria at Schiers in order to accompany a last branch of the Conzett family tree into the present. It concerns David (born 1790), son of the Andris and Luzia (nee Sprecher). David (1790-1826), or Fid as he was known to the many Conzett families of Schiers, walked Anna (nee Willi de Otto) of Schiers in 1813 to the wedding altar. Fid was granted only a short existence. He died on 19 October 1826 at age 36, the consequences of a fall from a maple tree, as was recorded in the death register. He left his widow with six children aged 1 to 12 years old. They grew up in the care of their mother at Maria-Montagna, all having known their father except Zacharias (born 1825). The oldest, Andreas (born 1814), worked as a coachman in Engadin and Puschlav. His brother Kasper (1821-1890) was also a coachman on mountain pass roads in Engadin for a short time. Otto and Kasper were married and had descendants, but their male branches expired long ago.

 

Back at the homestead in Maria remained the youngest son of the unfortunate father Fid, Zacharias (1825-1894). He married the Maria native Katharina Meyer and had three children: Fid (born 1858), Hans Michel (born 1860) and Stina (born 1863). As Hans Michel died as an infant, it became the exclusive task of Fid (1858-1935) to further the Conzett tree from Maria. Zachisch-Fid, as he was called to separate him from other Fids, married at the advanced age of 45 years old. Nevertheless, he witnessed 17 years with his young wife Elsbeth (nee Tischhauser) and the birth of six children: four daughters and two sons Andres (born 1903) and Martin (born 1907). Martin (1907-1995) learned the then-emerging field of auto mechanics and, with the permission of Graubünden‚ operated an auto garage for a long time in Chur. With the family tree he had somewhat less success, marrying twice and having descendants, but it seems this branch of the Conzett tree, with two unmarried sons Martin (born 1942) and Andreas (1945-1997) will expire.

 

Andris (1903-1966), who was called Zachisch Fida Andris took over and maintained the homestead in Maria-Montagna. Together with wife Ursula (nee Grass), he also took on the task of expanding the Conzett tree from Maria into the present through sons Josias and David. Maria remained home to the latter son David (born 1943). He is no longer an active farmer, having learned garage mechanics and operating a repair and auto accessory garage in Schiers. The older of the sons of Andris (born 1903), the above-mentioned Joos (Josias) Conzett (born 1938), shifted his sphere of activity from farmer by marrying Elsa (nee Niggli) of Grüsch. After Joos acquired the homestead in Holawäg in 1975, he earned the family citizen rights of Grüsch. Continuing in the line of the ancient special designation, it is Zachisch-Fida-Andrisa-Joos which becomes a new line of Grüsch Conzett's founded with the dual citizen rights of Grüsch and Schiers.

 

Today in Schiers and in its hamlets, the Conzett families are no longer represented as numerously as in former times, and in the original homeland of Pusserein there are no more Conzetts to be found.

 

One must excuse the writer, if he lacks better knowledge of some notable joyful or sorrowful event, or does not include a Conzett family member from a generation, as the writer is limited largely to genealogical data.

 

About the origin of the surname Conzett there is no clear explanation. It is possible that it was derived from a first name. In any case, keeping the two well-known name researchers Schorta and Planta in mind, it is probable that the first name Konrad developed into Conzett and like surnames, e.g.: Kuoni, Kunz, Kuonz, Conrad and Kurattli. In fact, one also finds Kuonzett as a way of writing Conzett in the old writings and church books, for instance.

 

Grüsch, 8. March 2000 /Luzi Nett