WILD
Wild Family Crest (Wappenbuch Glarus)
Wild II is the commonly used crest
Wild Family Crest (Wappenbuch Samuel Wild)
Occurrence in Glarus
Glarus / Haslen / Linthal / Matt / Mitlödi / Schwanden
About the Wild Family
The Protestant council family Wild originates from the Toggenburg valley in St. Gallen, from where they immigrated mid-16th century to Glarus. The interest book of Wildhaus from 1534 shows that the farm house of Claus Wilhelm, the progenitor of the Wild family, was in the neighborhood of the family of Reformer Ulrich Zwingli. 1539 Claus Wilhelm married Anna Zwingli, the daughter of Ulrich Zwingli´s brother Claus Zwingli. 1545 Claus Wilhelm emigrated together with his family and his father-in-law, Claus Zwingli, from Wilhaus to Glarus and settled there in the hamlet Loew in Haslen. He acquired for a price of 340 gulden the Tagwenrecht (civil rights) of Haslen.
The oldest son Hans Wild, who was born around 1540 in Wildhaus, was a carpenter. He settled in Bilten and built among other things the house of teacher Peter Winteler in Filzbach. His name can be found in the lounge ceiling with the date "anno domini 1607". Hans died on 13 April 1618 in Bilten. His brother Heinrich (born to 1542) settled also in Bilten, where he died on October 7, 1610. Claus Wild born in the year 1544, settled in 1586 in Mitlödi, where his son Marx bought 1613 the Tagwenrecht. The 1547 born Peter Wild was a representative of Haslen and died there 1581. Anna Wild, the youngest daughter of Claus Wilhelm and Anna Zwingli was born 1553 in the hamlet Loew in Haslen. She married 1575 in Mollis Jacob Beglinger. Descendants of this line are still living. From the other siblings, the daughter Elsy who was born 1549 in Haslen and the second youngest son Jacob, who was born 1555 in Haslen, is little known. About Jacob it is only known that he had a son Melchior, who died on 27 January 1628.
The Wild Families from Schwanden
1586, most of the now grown seven sons of Claus Wilhelm Wild were still living in the hamlet Loew in Haslen. Bartholomäus (1550-1603) and his son Hilarius (1570-1611) naturalized in Schwanden. They founded there the large family line of Schwanden. Some of the descendants renewed the Tagwenrecht of Haslen, where however subsequently no Wilds were anymore found.
The Wild Families from Matt
The descendants of David Wild (born about 1557), the youngest son of Claus (Wilhelm) wild and Anna Zwingli, acquired at the beginning of the 17th century the Tagwenrecht of Matt. 1686, 1710 and 1837, some of the descendants emigrated back to Schwanden. This line is extinct in 1908 with the exception of a line who emigrated to America.
The Wild Families from Mitlödi
Marx Wild, born 1567 in Haslen, a son of Claus Wild, born 1544 in Haslen and grandson of the eponymous ancestor, bought the Tagwenrecht of Mitlödi in 1613 and founded the family line of Mitlödi.
The Wild Families from Linthal
Jacob Wild, born 1646, settled in Linthal and founded the local line there.
The Wild Families from Glarus
1740 captain and Schulvogt (school trustee) Kaspar Wild (1710-1783) bought the Tagwenrecht of Glarus. His line, which emigrated in the 19th century to Norway, extinct in 1898.
Interpretation of the Family Crest
Sources
Historisch-Biographisches Lexikon der Schweiz, Band 7, p 532
Tschudi-Schümperlin Ida / Winteler Jakob, Wappenbuch des Landes Glarus, p 91
Chronicle of the Wild Family
A more than 500 year old Family History
You might ask for the preparation of your own family chronicle
Biografie of Heinrich Wild (1877-1951) from Mitlödi
Heinrich Wild was born in Mitlödi on 15 November 1877 and died in Baden on 26 December 1951. He was a Swiss inventor, businessman and industrial designer and founder of Wild Heebrugg, a Swiss company that manufactured optical instruments.
Link to Fritz Staudacher's article Beginning of two great world careers
Link to Fritz Staudacher's Photo Book on Heinrich Wild and Albert Einstein