The project began in Louisville, 2006, when Susann Bosshard-­Kälin had her first encounter with Vicky and other descendants of Einsiedeln immi­grants.

“We Bisigs are hard workers.” One can’t doubt the words, those of sturdy Mike Bisig in his mid-sixties. His strong hands speak volumes, they are used to tackle things.

The brown overseas trunk carrying the label joseph ochslin le havre new=york is a proud family heirloom.

In Louisville the name Ehrler stands for milk & ice cream. Until the 1970s, they were Louisville’s largest independent dairy.

Jason Fuchs likes history and traditions. In college, he spent much time in the library to better understand the history of his own family.

“My mother Caroline Schoenbaechler used to say to me: do it right, or just let it be! Always do a good job; then they will pay you well!”

The Treasurer of the Gruetli Helvetia Society in Louisville welcomes us in the cozy house which he has taken over from his grandparents.

Testing our luck, we searched AirBnB for lodging for our first exploratory stay in Louisville and found a neat little house in The Highlands.

Greetings on the farmstead at Tucker Station Road are filled with emotion. Because for the chat with the host – David Kaelin – a further guest has joined us.

Gilbert Kaelin is a farmer, he raises cattle and grows crops. His grandfather, also a farmer, emigrated in 1880 from Willerzell to Louisville.

I meet Irma Raque for milk and doughnuts at her nice home at Lamont Road.

Therapist and Ursuline Sister Kathleen Kaelin welcomes me in her private practice office.

The lively Mary Anne Kaelin has an interesting family history that is interwoven in many ways with Einsiedeln.

He is the only one of our interview partners who speaks not only High German but also fluent Swiss German.

The retired chemist Milton Kaelin keeps the archive of the Louisville Gruetli Helvetia Society.

Six women in their best years. American, but with roots in Einsiedeln, Switzerland.

For the very first time she is outside of the US. And her first trip leads her - on a racing bike - right across Switzerland and straightaway to Einsiedeln.

Ed collects Swiss cowbells and is a member of the Gruetli Helvetia Society and Swiss Charity Society. He writes his name with an “n” at the end. He wanted to emphasize that fact!

For 45 years Carla Sue Schoen­baechler Allgeier Broecker has been a columnist and jour­nalist at the Louisville periodical VOICE-TRIBUNE.

In the rest of America there aren’t as many Schoenbachlers (Schoenbaechlers) as here in Louisville.

“I am an American through and through, but to this day have also always felt still being Swiss and from Einsiedeln.”

Father and son have set out from Louisville on their ten-day trip over the Atlantic to Europe to search for their familial roots in the monastery village.

Marcy is the granddaughter of Emil Ochsner who was once a well-known dairyman of Louisville. She loves yodeling.

There are quite a lot of them, and they truly stick together - the members of the “Einsiedeln” Zehnder in Louisville.

Joyce has traveled half the world and thus faces the question of her own rootedness.

On the afternoon of Sunday, July 29, 2018, around 200 descendants of former émigrés met for August 1 celebrations in Louisville.

Ellen Kaelin Venhoff and her sister Polly Kaelin Mackay were overwhelmed to finally have their family tree explained to them by Annemarie Fässler.

Kathy Kaelin Oechsle (Oechslin) Lee-Jarvis recalls her first trip to Switzerland in 2016. She has been in regular contact with her relatives in Switzerland ever since.

Mary Ann Kaelin has visited Switzerland regularly with her family, as her husband, when he was still alive, still had a close relationship with Willerzell, his place of birth.

Don Oechsle is a qualified cheesemaker. He has never been to Switzerland, but knows that the cheese that is sold and eaten in the US has little in common with the cheese made by his ancestors from Einsiedeln.

Brigid Kaelin is already well known as a musician in Louisville the region. Her style is a blend of folk, rock and country, and also includes yodeling.

Anita and Matthias Oechslin from Bennau received a visit from Vicky and Bob from USA in July 2016. Susann Bosshard-Kälin from EAE was also part of this "ambush" (or rather, unannounced visit).

Ehrlers Icecream reopened just a few weeks ago in downtown Louisville. Up until about 20 years ago, the milkshakes and ice creams from Ehrlers were famous throughout the city.

Tom Zehnder and his wife Barbara are visited by their grandchild Jack Hughes, cousin Joan Zehnder and great-niece Lorena Zehnder.

Joan Zehnder felt “at home” right away when she visited Switzerland for the first time 20 years ago.

The reopening of KAELIN'S was made possible thanks also to the efforts of Chris Fenton – with his Irish roots – who identified the potential of the site.

Leo Schelbert lives near Chicago. For three decades, he was Professor of History at the University of Illinois and publisher of the SAHS Review from the Swiss American Historical Society.

At the St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana, the EAE visitors moves on swiftly to a visit to the Benedictine abbey.