Gottlieb and Marianne Hirschi
Gottlieb Theophile Hirschi was born January 16, 1837, to Ulrich Hirschi and Anna Amacher in Villiers, Neuchatel, Switzerland. He was the seventh child of 10 children born to Ulrich and Anna, 5 boys and five boys. Their birthdates were Ulrich, 13 February 1825; Katharina, 16 April 1826; Samuel, 28 September 1828; Anna, 26 March 1830; Johannes, (John), 4 October 1832; Henriette Margaretha, 1 March 1835; Gottlieb, 16 January 1837; Christian, 20 Januaryn1839; Judith, 20 August 1841; and Rosina, 5 July 1843.Two of the girls died in infancy, Katarina and Henriette Margaretha. An unmarried son, Samuel died when he was twenty three.
Father Ulrich was a shoe maker and school teacher so the family moved to different locations where ever he could find teaching jobs. They lived in Schangnau, Bern; Hirschhorn, Bern; Dromdresson, Neuchatel; Geneva, Geneva; and finally Muenster, Bern.
Gottlieb was christened at Drombesson, Neuchatel, Switzerland. He first came in contact with the Mormon missionaries in 1858. Responding to their message he was baptized in the La Suze River on 22 September, 1858 by a local elder named George Bonelli and was confirmed the same day by the same Bonelli when he was twenty one years of age. He belonged to the Saint-Imier branch of the church which was in the canton (state) of Bern, Switzerland.
Gottlieb was living in Schangnau, Bern, Switzerland and left from there to immigrate to America and join in the building up of Zion.
