Emigration and Immigration

Although Theodore was born in Switzerland, he obviously had little desire to remain there permanently. He became a Merchant by trade and his work took him many places. According to family sources, Theodore attended the University of Paris in Sorbonne sometime around 1861. Although we have no clear idea of how long his stay in Sorbonne was, we do know that after a time he traveled to Brazil. Theodore spent 16 years in Brazil. Little is known about his life there. However, he probably spent his time working as a Merchant in the silk industry which is the occupation he followed when he arrived in the United States. Theodore arrived in the U.S. on September 12th, 1877. He traveled aboard the ship "Adelaide" which was making its usual run from Rio de Janeiro to Baltimore, Maryland. Listing his occupation as Merchant on the ship's passenger list, Theodore also declared his intention to become an inhabitant of New York, a place where he briefly stayed before finally making his home in New Jersey.