William Owen was passing through the Ohio Valley, when he stopped in Cincinnati and talked with a person of Swiss origin who had lived in the settlement in Switzerland County. The unflattering description was not unusual.
Diary of William Owen from November 10, 1824 to April 20, 1825 ed. by Joel W. Hiatt. Indianapolis, The Bobbs-Merrill company, 1906.
Tuesday, 9th Dec.
I likewise talked for some time with a Swiss, one of the first settlers of Vevay, Indiana. He came 20 years ago from Switzerland. He said the vine did not produce so much as was expected. They grow Cape and Madiera vines. All the production is consumed near them. About 60 Swiss families are there now. All do not grow the vine. We had on board several Ohio Navigators, which we found useful and amusing. Twice during the day we took in wood on the Indiana shore. We visited two families and found them only tolerably comfortable. They did not much like their residence. One woman said it was lonely and unhealthy. She seemed to prefer Ohio.
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