Chronicle of the Wädenswil reading society, Volume 1
Description
Beginning in 1797, the Wädenswil reading society, which was
founded in 1790, kept a handwritten annal that chronicled all local
events of any given year. A member of the society would be
designated as chronicler, who had the task of describing, by the
end of the year, all events in Wädenswil that, from his point of
view, were of importance. Detailed obituaries of individual
personages are contained in the chronicle. For most years, it also
includes descriptions of the weather, statistics regarding the
population and an overview of food prices. In addition to local
events, it also touches on cantonal and federal issues (among them
the Bocken War, the Ustertag, the Sonderbund War). The chronicle
was handwritten until 1886; the handwritten part consists of two
volumes in folio-format. Later volumes consist of pasted newspaper
clippings (1890 until 1945) and of typed pages, bound by year
(1948-1974). The two volumes for the period from 1797 to 1886 are
considered one of the most important sources for the history of
Wädenswil in the 19th century.
