Origin of name: Probably derived from the geographical name Mettlen found at 8 locations in Switzerland:
1. A village, south of Weinfelden in the Kanton, Thuragu.
2. A small hamlet near Ebnat, Togggenburg, Kanton St. Gallen; 4 km. from the border of Hemberg municipality.
3. A small hamlet near Urnasch, Kanton Appenzell Ausser-Rhoden (as opposed to Catholic Inner-Rhoden).
4. A suburb north of Appenzel; and a small hamlet north of Stein, Appenzell-Ausser-Rhoden.
5. A small hamlet near the town of Schwyz, on the bus route to Muotathal.
6. A village in the Kanton Luzern, north of Ebikon.
7. In the Kanton Bern, a village in the municipality of Wattenwil, west of Thun.
8. The earliest record for the name dates from 1409- a Johannes Mettler of Fischingen, who in 1435 was Abbot of the Benedictine Monastery in Fischingen- located 6km. from Kirchberg in Lower Toggenburg.
In Switzerland, a state or province is called Kanton.
Hemberg, a mountain village at 950m elevation- the main Toggenburg Clan; which in 1950 had 800 families. Earliest record 1437, at Wattwil. Georg Mettler, born 1548, who lived near Hemberg, is considered to be the main progenitor, from whom most Toggenburg Mettlers are descended; although some moved to other villages in the region before municipal citizenships were established in Switzerland around 1700. The largest numbers of families are citizens of Hemberg; others of Ebnat, Kappel, Wattwil, Wildhaus, Krinau, St. Peterzel, Mogelsberg, all in the Toggenberg district; and the City of St. Gallen; as well as Dorflingen, Kanton Schaffhausen. There is a large group of perhaps a dozen families in Argentina; they are Catholic.
Urnasch, Kanton Appenzell Asser-Rhoden. Their name is probably derived from the nearby hamlet Mettlen. The earliest records date from 1522. Some descendants are now citizens of Herisau, the chief town of Appenzell A.Rh. The municipality of Urnash borders on that of Hemberg; but there is no known relationship between the two groups, although it is a possibility. (Albert Mettler, the author's, mother grew up in Urnasch)
Oberhelfenschwil, Toggenberg; a small Catholic group, which includes two ( or more) doctors in Rorschach and St. Gallen. It may be related to the Schwyz Clan (group 5)- There was also a Protestant branch ( descended from the Hemberg Clan) in Oberhelfenschwil; but its male lineage died out.
Stafa, on Lake Zurich, since the15th Century. Includes Dr. Fred A. Mettler, Ph.D. , M.D., Sc.D., who was a Professor of Anatomy at Columbia University; and his son Fred A. Mettler Jr. also an M.D.- In the Kanton Zurich, there are also Mettler families who are citizens of Niederglatt and Ossingen.
Schwyz and Arth, Kanton Schwyz, Catholic Clan. A recent decendant was a veterinarian in Copeake Falls, N.Y.
Kanton Bern, Their name may have been derived from the village of Mettlen in that region.
Kassel, a German colony established in 1810, on the Dnjestr River near Bendery and Tiraspol, which is now in the Republic of Moldova, 100 km NW of Odessa, Ukraine. In 1826, a Heinrich Jacob Mettler from Wurttemberg, Germany, moved there. From Kassel, Heinrich Jacob, Friedrich and several other Mettler families emigrated to Menna, South Dakota, in 1871-74. Most of their descendants moved to California, mainly to Lodi, where there are about 25 families, mostly vintners; to Bakersfield, 12 families; and Shafter, 16 families; mainly potato growers- There is a hamlet Mettler south of Bakersfield; a Mettler Rd in Bakersfield and Lodi; and a Mettler St. in Los Angeles (parallel to Avalon Blvd.)
In Germany, various small branches, in Stuttgart, Baden-Baden, Mannheim and Hamburg; some of which may be descended from one of the main Clans of Switzerland.
Holland- New York. Jan Adamsen (De) Metsellaer (1626-96) emigrated from holland to Rensellaerwick in 1641, settled in nearby Albany, N.Y. ; sons Egbert, Martyn and Abraham Metsellaer 1662 - whose sons were Lodewyck, Abraham (1701) Johannes Metsellaer 1694-1761 - in New Jersey; name changed to Messeler- had 3 sons: Abraham, Peter and Cornelius Messeler 1726-1806- who in turn had two sons: Abraham Mettler M.D. and Cornelius... (died 1805), whose sons were James and Rev. Dr. Abraham Mettler. ( The name Metselaar still occurs in the U.S.) Peter who lived in Sommerset Co. New Jersey, and died in 1764, had three sons; John, Simon, and Peter Mettler.
New Jersey. Another family from Holland, William and Johann Georg Mettler 1696- 1745 emigrated to New York in 1732 (or '34); in 1736 settled in Rockaway Valley, Hunterdon, now Morris County New Jersey- his 9 children included Johann Philip 1724-83 ( see Niagara below); and William 1743-1840- who in turn had five sons: Jonathan 1774-1867; Philip 1776-1855; Matthias 1778-1845; William 1778-1848; and John 1780-1849. Most of the American Mettler families- possibly more than a Hundred- belong to this branch. The original immigrants appear to have been born in Germany, Oral tradition has it that their ancestors came from Switzerland. Unfortunately, records in those days were scarce and sometimes unreadable, because many people were illiterate; some couldn't even write their names; and the spelling of some individuals changed in different records.
Niagara, Ontario. Three sons of Johann Philip Mettler (1724-83) moved to Pelham Township, Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada, in 1787; they were Philip 1761; John George 1763; and Peter (who appears to have been born around 1755). Their name initially spelled Midler ; then Midlar ; but an 1833 marriage was recorded as Catherine Mettler. They eventually all ended up with the spelling Metler; although the members of the New Jersey Clan who stayed in U.S. retained the spelling Mettler. There is a Metler Road near Fonthill, which runs through the hamlet of North Pelam where most of the Metlers used to live. There are probably two dozen families now, whereof 16 in the Niagara Peninsula, and several in Toronto and Kitchener, Ontario.
A great-grand-son of Philip (1761), William Henry Metler (1870-1954) moved back to the U.S., first to Missouri, then Idaho, and finally Klamath Falls, Oregon, where most of his decendants stayed; they are also found in Spokane; Provo, Utah; and Fredericksburg, Virginia- some of whom once questioned the irregular spelling of their name.
Massachusetts. A small branch appears to be descended from from the original immigrant William Mettler- whose descendants were: John Mettler 1752- son William Augustus Mettler 1783-1834- Augustus Mettler 1829- Stewart Augustus Mettler 1858-1926, in Chester, N.J.- two sons: William Augustus Mettler 1880, in Bloomfield, N.J. (no children) and Harry Leslie Mettler 1886, at Wollaston, Mass.- Ralph H. Mettler 1916, at Roxbury, Mass., who had two sons: Henry Emil 1940, and Paul 1948.
In 1950, Metropolitan Los Angeles had more than 30 Mettler telephone listings. Outside of California, the greatest concentration of Mettler families in the U.S. is found in fort Wayne, Indiana (22); New York City (20); Washington D.C. (17); Toledo, Ohio (15): New Haven, Conn. (14); Minneapolis-St. Paul (12); and Columbus, Ohio (11).- In Toledo, there is a Mettler St., in the Polish district.
The surname Mettlen occurs in Omaha; and the spelling Metlar in San Francisco and Seattle.
Compiled by Albert J. Mettler, P.O. Box 35, Fonthill, Ontario, L0S 1E0, Canada.
I am still a citizen of Hemberg; and my father Albert Mettler was born there [ on the family farm, at 1130 m. elevation]; he emigrated to New Zealand, where I was born. My uncle Johannes was the last Mettler in the village of Hemberg, where he had a farm (which became the location of the new school). My father died when I was only 8; after which my Mother and I moved to Switzerland, eventually settling in the village of Mogelsberg (also in the Toggenburg Region). At the age of 10-13, I spent several holidays in Hemberg, where I stated with an aunt, whose husband, Heinrich Fischbacher, was caretaker of the church; getting there (a 10km. walk) and back on foot.
March 1995
My wife and I met Albert in Canada October, 1999, he has a computer but no internet access. He gave us this document and appeared to have done substantial research on the family. He will be quick to tell you that accurate records are hard to come by due to illiteracy in the early years. Albert has spent a month in Switzerland each year for the past 32 years researching Mettlers and the electric trains which he is convinced will make travel in the U.S. and Canada much more efficient. Albert is fluent in several languages and a pleasure to talk to. He welcomes any inquiries.
Our line of Metler's is connected through Peter Metler (1755) of the Niagara, Ontario, Metlers. His son Daniel fought for the English during the war of 1812. His son Daniel Walker moved to St. Thomas, near London, Ontario. His son William Walker was a train engineer for New York Central RR in Ontario. His son Royal Andrew; (my grand father) was aVice President at Packard Motors of Boston Mass. My dad Dr. John William Metler was a minister for the First Congregational Church and a professor at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. His sister lives in San Francisco and has 4 kids.
Paul Metler