Gerold Ludwig Meyer von Knonau

Gerold Meyer von Knonau (2 March 1804 - 1 November 1858) was a Swiss geographer and historian whose most enduring contribution to scholarship may well have been his pioneering work between 1837 and 1858 as cantonal archivist for Zürich and the surrounding region.

He is often confused, wrongly, with his eponymous son, who was also a Swiss historian: Gerold Meyer von Knonau, the son, was a prolific contributor to the widely respected Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (multi-volume biographical dictionary).

Life Gerold Meyer von Knonau was born and grew up, like his father before him, in Zürich. The Meyer von Knonau family had been part of (or close to) the Zürich oligarchy since at least as far back as 1363. Regula Lavater-Meyer (1773–1834), Gerold's mother, came from a long line of notable Zürich philosophers and physicians. Her father, Johann Jakob Lavater (1750–1807), was a hospital worker and a city judge. His time in Berlin brought him into contact with German scholars and also enabled him to progress his interest in Geography. One of those whom he met in Berlin in connection with his Geography studies was Carl Ritter. The two men became lifelong friends. From Berlin he moved west, probably during 1826, to France, where he met the francophile philosopher Philipp Albert Stapfer, with whom he subsequently corresponded. Following a lengthy stay, he returned home to Zürich in 1827.

Between 1827 and 1837 he worked in an administrative capacity for the city administration. His work in local government left him with time and energy for various forms of charitable work and to sustain a parallel career as a researcher. He produced a couple of popular-scholarly books during this period, reflecting his interests in Swiss history and geography, and with at least half an eye on the schools market. Within the Swiss intellectual élite he became increasingly well networked as a side-effect of his research work, notably with the polymath statistician-politician Stefano Franscini, with whom he would later collaborate on at least one statistical project.

Gerold Meyer von Knonau married the pharmacist's daughter, Emmerentiana Cleopha Meyer (1817–71) in 1837. Emmerentiana is described as a highly intelligent and well-educated woman who was able to support her husband's work both during his life and after his relatively early death. The marriage was followed in 1843 by the birth of the couple's son, another scholarly historian called Gerold Meyer von Knonau. He also, in 1839, created the first listing of archival records, and in 1850 the first printed set of plans for the Cantonal Archive. These were quickly rendered obsolete by the pace of acquisitions, however. He also teamed up with the book dealer-publisher "Huber & Co" of St. Gallen to mastermind a plan for a "Comprehensive Description of Switzerland" and "In-depth Statistics", envisioned both as a reference source for students of Swiss Geography and as a travel guide. The intention was to provide "the most truthful guide to our homeland possible, both in terms of its present state and in terms of its former conditions". Also worth a mention is his 1833 volume "Heldinnen des Schweizerlands" ("Heroines of the Swiss lands"), a compilation of biographical essays by Meyer von Knonau which, unusually, incorporated a number of lithographic plate based illustrations, and which became popular among the reading classes of the time. In 1847 he published "Die Böcke, ein Beitrag zur zürcherischen Familien- und Sittengeschichte" (loosely, "Young bucks, a contribution to Zürich's family and moral history"), intended for. and evidently of interest to, a narrower readership. There was also a book on the Res gestae according to the imperial records residing in Zürich from the centuries before 1400. For numismatists he marked the 1852 Swiss Coinage reforms with a "Verzeichniß der Schweizerischen Münzen von den ältesten Zeiten bis auf die Gegenwart", a directory of Swiss coinage "from the earliest times to the present day". He expanded the Historical Atlas of Switzerland and oversaw contributions for the "Geschichtsfreund des historischen Vereins der fünf Orte" (loosely, "Friends of the Historical Association of the [five ancient Swiss] places". Towards the end of his life he accepted an offer from the federal (Swiss) government to publish the multi-volume archival collection "Sammlung der älteren eidgenössischen Abschiede", himself compiling the fifth volume, completed in 1856.

Historical-Geographical statistical portraits of Switzerland [by canton] The "Historisch-geographisch-statistisches Gemälde der Schweiz" series, which Meyer von Knonau created and for many years managed, can be seen as his most important publishing venture. The volumes were described as a combination of "Housebook" and "Handbook" - reference works for the home. He himself authored the volumes on the Canton of Zürich which appeared in 1834 and the Canton of Schwyz.

Output (selection) Abriß der Erdbeschreibung und Staatskunde der Schweiz. Zürich, 1824. Heldinnen des Schweizerlands. Zürich, 1833. Hist.-geogr.-statist. Gemälde der Schweiz, Bände Kanton Zürich und Kanton Schwyz. Zürich, 1834/35. Züge aus dem Leben der Anna Reinhard, Gattin des schweizerischen Reformators Ulrich Zwingli. Erlangen, 1835. Erdkunde der schweiz. Eidgenossenschaft. Zürich, 1838/1839. Archiv, Bd. I–IV der Allgemeinen geschichtforschenden Gesellschaft der Schweiz. Zürich, 1840–1845. Die Böcke, ein Beitrag zur zürcherischen Familien- und Sittengeschichte. Zürich, 1847. Bibliothek der Schweizergeschichte, Edition von Gottl. Eman. v. Haller Verzeichniß der Schweizerischen Münzen von den ältesten Zeiten bis auf die Gegenwart Edition der Älteren eidg. Abschiede, Band 8 bzw. Jahre 1778–1798. Zürich, 1852. Zürcher. Volkssagen. Zürich, 1853. Die Chronik im weissen Buche zu Sarnen. Zürich, 1857.