Historians trace Elon Musk’s Swiss roots to Emmental
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has roots in a small, picturesque farming region in central Switzerland. Using genealogy websites and local archives, historians have been able to connect Musk with the Haldimann name, which is still present in the Emmental region today.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SonntagsZeitung/jdp
Português
pt
Historiadores rastreiam raízes suíças de Elon Musk
There are few images as quintessentially Swiss as the green pastures, farmhouses and distinctive holey cheese in the Emmental region in Canton Bern. According to researchExternal link by the SonntagsZeitung, the ancestors of the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, come from this area.
Maye Musk, Elon Musk’s mother, was born Maye Haldeman on April 19, 1948 in Canada. In her autobiography she says that her father’s family emigrated from Switzerland to Philadelphia as early as 1727. Maye Musk and others who have written about Musk’s family have never been able to identify exactly which village in Switzerland the family comes from.
More
More
Turning around the Emmental cheese industry
This content was published on
The branch voted to reintroduce quotas this summer after overproduction forced down prices, threatening the survival of the remaining traditional Emmental cheesemaking plants in Switzerland. The branch umbrella organisation, Emmentaler Switzerland, believes the quota system will only work if it is imposed across the whole industry, and this can only be done with the government’s…
Using genealogy websites, the SonntagsZeitung was able to trace the family history back to 1544. At that time Bartholomeus Haldimann was born in the town of Signau in Emmental. This is eleven generations before Elon Musk’s great grandfather John Elon Musk was born. Bartholomeus’ son Andreas Haldimann was born in 1572 and his grandson Peter Haldimann on August 19, 1593. Local archives, based on church records, validate this.
Based on the journalist’s research, the Haldimann family emigrated to the US in 1719. There they renamed themselves Haldeman and settled in Pennsylvania.
“It is clear that Elon Musk has roots in Signau and Eggiwil because the Haldimanns have lived in this area since time immemorial. Another origin is impossible, because outside of the Emmental region this surname never appeared at that time,” said local historian Hans Minder.
Switzerland commits CHF50 million to combat rural poverty worldwide
This content was published on
The Federal Council approved a contribution of CHF49.5 million ($54.1 million) for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Arrests made in raid against Turkish criminal organisation
This content was published on
A cross-border raid against a Turkish criminal organisation was conducted, including property searches in cantons Aargau and Zurich.
Up to 4,000 Swiss army soldiers to protect Ukraine peace conference
This content was published on
The Federal Council has authorised deployment of army personnel for the Ukraine peace conference on the Bürgenstock in June.
This content was published on
The business association, Swissmem, reports that there are increasing signs that the bottom of the downturn will be reached this year.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Gruyère cheese group loses trademark case in US
This content was published on
A court in the US has ruled that cheese does not have to come from the Gruyère region of Switzerland to be sold under this name.
How America’s genealogy obsession touches Switzerland
This content was published on
DNA testing, ancestry databases? A group of Californians has taken a more traditional approach to rediscover their common Swiss-Italian heritage.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.