Australian descendants of Swiss emigrants untangle their origins

A man photographing a group of 3 women and 1 man standing in front of stone houses — The Vosti snapping a family picture in the narrow lanes of the "Cioss" neighbourhood in Gerra Verzasca (Ticino, Switzerland) Swissinfo

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Listening: Australian descendants of Swiss emigrants untangle their origins

This summer an Australian family visited southern Switzerland, where their ancestors lived before emigrating Down Under to escape the economic crisis of the 19^th century. Meeting distant relatives to compare genealogical research allowed them to fill the gaps in their family tree.

This content was published on August 31, 2025 - 10:30

4 minutes

I am an experienced video journalist passionate about making complex topics accessible and engaging through compelling multimedia storytelling. Focused on social and environmental issues, I produce various video formats on a wide range of topics, specialising in impactful explainer videos with motion graphics and stop-motion animation. During my studies in cinema, English literature and journalism, I’ve gained experience in radio, television, and print across Switzerland. After working with the Locarno Film Festival’s image & sound team, I joined SWI swissinfo.ch in 2018 to produce local and international reportages.

Deutsch

Familie Vosti aus Down Under sucht ihre Wurzeln in der Schweiz
Français

De l’Australie au Val Verzasca, des descendants d’émigrés suisses retracent leurs origines
Italiano

Dall’Australia alla ricerca delle radici svizzere
Português

Da Austrália ao Vale Verzasca: descendentes de emigrantes suíços procuram suas origens
中文

从澳大利亚到瑞士山谷：瑞士移民后裔寻根记

Juliette Buchanan is closing the circle. Along with her daughter and her cousin, she makes her way along the narrow lanes of the “Cioss” neighbourhood in Gerra Verzasca, a tiny village in the Verzasca Valley in southern Switzerland. This is presumably where her great-great-grandfather Antonio Vosti once lived, before emigrating to Australia in 1859.

Remo Vosti, Juliette’s eighth cousin (they share a common ancestor from eight generations ago) is guiding the group, pointing out references to their family as they walk between the rustici – Ticino’s typical stone houses – where the Vosti resided. The name is inscribed on an old wood oven and on an ex-voto on the side of a house.

dipinto religioso — The Vosti brothers, sons of Domenico, commissioned this ex-voto in 1878, as a sign of gratitude and devotion. Swissinfo

Front wall of a wood oven with an inscription above it's opening — The name “B. Vosti” still visible on the wood oven. Swissinfo

The Vosti then start climbing up the sunny hill towards a small group of stone houses of which only one still stands, serving as a stable for sheep, its roof intact. Around it, piles of rocks trace the perimeter of the others who didn’t stand the test of time. This is where their earliest documented ancestor Agustus once lived.

Travelling for the first time from Australia to Gerra Verzasca, Juliette hopes to find answers about her incomplete family tree.

Hunting for clues through public records

Juliette’s grandmother Madge – Antonio’s granddaughter – didn’t know she was Swiss: she was an illegitimate offspring who grew up a foster child, and never managed to get hold of her birth certificate. “She knew herself as Voste with an ‘e’ on the end, but when she got married in 1926 and requested her birth certificate, nothing came up,” explains Juliette.

Having caught the bug of genealogical research in her twenties, as she put it, Juliette decided to look for her grandmother in the birth indexes, going through the publicly accessible microfilm records of the Mormon Church. “One of the ladies that was helping me suggested to search for ‘Vost’ without the end letter. And finally Madge’s name came up, with her last name misspelt as Vostor.”

Two black and white family portraits — Antonio Vosti (on the left) married Lucinda Keating in 1863. In this family picture taken circa 1881 in Castlemaine they pose with their six children. On the left image: Antonio and his wife, with twins Antonio and Giuseppe. On the right image: Mary, John, Catherine and Mathilda. Courtesy of Juliette Buchanan

Black and white group picture — Members of the Vosti family, circa 1915. The oldest sitting in the centre is John Vosti, Antonio’s son. Courtesy of Juliette Buchanan

Antonio’s daughter Catherine Vallance (née Vosti), Juliette’s great grandmother. Courtesy of Juliette Buchanan

After researching public records in Australia, Juliette went onto Ancestry, one of the many websites where people can compile their family tree, to look for more clues. Finally, to confirm her bloodline she decided to do a DNA test. “All these Vosti came up as links to me through the DNA as cousins, second cousins, which confirmed all my research.”

But the tree still had lots of missing names and dates, so when Juliette planned her trip to Switzerland, she got in touch with the Ticino genealogical society, hoping they could provide some answers. They did better than that: they put her in touch with her distant relatives, who welcomed their Australian cousins with open arms.

Emigrating from Ticino in the 1800s

As historian Giorgio Cheda explained in a previous interview with Swissinfo, during the economic crisis of the mid-19^th century, many people left the poor valleys of Ticino, southern Switzerland, heading to Australia and California. Between 1853 and 1855 alone, some 2,000 Ticinesi set sail for Australia, mainly young men from the Verzasca and Maggia valleys, as well as from the Locarno area.

At the time, Ticino was the only canton that didn’t have any law to regulate the activities of emigration agencies, which advertised a promised land at a very expensive price. Emigrants had to take out loans and mortgages to travel to Australia, which had to be paid back by relatives in case they died before arriving.

Many of those who made it never returned to their homeland, building a family and a life oversea. But they never forgot where they came from, as a dedicated tombstone on Gerra Verzasca’s cemetery entrance testifies.

White grave on a wall — The Vosti brothers Antonio and Giovanni, who emigrated to Australia, paid to have this grave installed at the entrance of the cemetery in Gerra Verzasca, to honour their parents Antonio and Caterina. Courtesy of Remo Vosti

Black grave inscribed in yellow font — Juliette’s great-great-grandfather is buried in Guilford, Australia. Courtesy of Juliette Buchanan

Edited by Samuel Jaberg/ts/ac

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Australian descendants of Swiss emigrants untangle their origins

This summer an Australian family visited southern Switzerland, where their ancestors lived before emigrating Down Under to escape the economic crisis of the 19th century. Meeting distant relatives to compare genealogical research allowed them to fill the gaps in their family tree.

Hunting for clues through public records

Emigrating from Ticino in the 1800s

This summer an Australian family visited southern Switzerland, where their ancestors lived before emigrating Down Under to escape the economic crisis of the 19^th century. Meeting distant relatives to compare genealogical research allowed them to fill the gaps in their family tree.