Gregor Gustav Adolf Tobler

Gregor Gustav Adolf Tobler (1834–1875) was a Swiss merchant, artist, and naturalist. He immigrated to the Philippines (Spanish East Indies) and lived in Majayjay, Laguna, for over a decade. He adopted the Hispanic name Don Gustavo Tobler, married a local mestiza woman, published a humorous travel book, and owned a flourishing vast coffee plantation from 1862 until his death in 1875.

Family

Gregor Gustav Adolf Tobler was born on May 15, 1834, in Wolfhalden, Switzerland, to his parents Gustav Adolf Tobler (1802–1876) and Anna Barbara Kursteiner (1814–1869). He was the eldest brother of Emil Tobler. He came from a prominent family of educators and merchants from Appenzell Ausserrhoden (Appenzell Outer Rhodes), Switzerland. His grandfather Johann Georg Gustav Tobler (1769–1843) was a Swiss pedagogue, educational reformist, school founder, and prolific writer. His father, Gustav Adolf Tobler, was also an educator, writer, and artist. Gustav Adolf Sr became the Canton School Director in Trogen for 15 years from 1842 to 1857. a business engaged in trading fabrics and other Swiss Appenzeller manufactured products, entered the Philippines through an agent company under Eugster, Labhart & Co. The business operated in Iloilo and later moved to Manila. With an increase in the number of Swiss merchants in the Philippines, the Swiss Honorary Consulate was established in 1862. The said company was an American firm based in Manila actively trading in China. Years later, Don Gustavo and his German associate set up a joint-venture business named Henkel, Tobler Co., a trading company with dealings in Hong Kong, Japan, and China. His merchant partner, Mr. H. Henken, managed their business operations in Manila, while Tobler handled business in Majayjay.

During his first arrival in Majayjay, the young immigrant was under the watch of Padre Maximo Rico. He stayed in the convent of Saint Gregory, the Great Parish Church of Majayjay, until he could live self-reliantly. The young immigrant met Señorita Victoria Lanuza, who was then residing in Pueblo de Magdalena, Laguna. In 1863, he married Señorita Victoria in Santa Cruz, Manila. Albay, and came from a well-known family in the Spanish community. The Lanuza's are allied families of the Ortigas and Olbes during the Old Spanish Manila. Their marriage begat two children named Carmen Lanuza (1864–1888) and Emil Lanuza (1870–1880). For unknown reasons, Doña Victoria Lanuza did not carry her husband's last name and maintained her Spanish surname.

Legacy

Through the privilege given by the Spanish authorities, a piece of land on Mount Banahaw was granted for him to cultivate. His land property was located within Barrio Malinao, connecting Olla river to Barrio of Bukal and bounded on all sides by public roads with a combined total land size of 11 hectares. The foothill of Mt. Banahaw was a typical ground forest destined to become a magnificent coffee plantation. Don Gustavo raised the very first coffee tree in the shade of existing trees. Don Gustavo Tobler left Manila intending to travel to China. It was not apparent whether his travel was business-related; he got ill while in transit or seeking medical treatment. He contracted a liver disease A typical coffee plantation would have a lifespan of about thirty years. Any untouched trees that survived in his plantation were possibly destroyed by the coffee rust and insect infestation that plagued the country between 1889 and 1891.

In 1874, before his death, he published his book Aventuras de Filipinas – Album Humoristico en 30 Hojas. The book is a comical depiction of the experiences and adventures of foreign travelers on the Philippine Island. It was published in St. Gallen, Switzerland, and lithographed by Johann Martin Seitz. Its book cover is considered among the most brilliant in Philippine literature by Filipina historian Dr. May Jurilla

A specimen of his insect collection is preserved at the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Frankfurt, Germany. His other works and illustrations were collected under the album "Vistas de Ylollo y Negros."