Biel, Switzerland in October

I don't imagine you'll have any trouble finding lodging, unless there's some kind of festival simultaneous to your visit.

I cannot help specifically with the area around Biel, but I can tell you that it is a lot of fun and very rewarding to track down your roots in Switzerland. We spent a day doing that for my husband's grandfather, who emigrated from the Emmental region. We had an address of the old family home in Steffisburg, and also information that the great-grandfather was a cousin to Micheli Schüpbach, the so-called "Wunderdoktor" who treated Goerthe and other famous people. He had a clinic in Langnau which was later converted into a hotel and restaurant. So we headed to Langnau by train and had lunch at the hotel, then returned to Thun and hired a cab to take us to the address in the suburb of Steffisburg. It was hard to find but the cab driver was interested in our quest and shut off the meter. Turns out the home was donated to the community when the family all left, and was now a community center. They were having an art exhibit that day and we got a personal tour. The more information about your family you can gather beforehand, the more you will find when you get there. Do you know the Swiss Roots website?
http://www.theswisscenter.org/swissroots/genealogy/ It also helps if you can speak some German or, in your case, French. Both Le Locle and Bévilard are easily accessible by train from Biel ( Malleray-Bévilard from the drop-down menu on the Swiss rail site, SBB.ch You can see a map of the Swiss train system by googling "Swiss synoptic map>' Use Tripadvisor to locate hotels in Biel, or the community website at http://www.biel-bienne.ch/de/pub/biel_aktuell.cfm

The community website also has lots of suggestions for what to see and do in the area they call "Land of Three Lakes" (Drei-Seen-Land).

Thanks for the information. Tom, are you saying we should be able to find lodging as we go? Could we take the train from Zurich to Bevilard-Malleray and find a room for the night and then the train to Le Locle and find something there? Or do we need to use Biel as a home base? Lola, thanks for all the websites. My families are Charpilloz and Brunner and my understanding is that both of those are very common names! In fact, I found an avenue in Bevilard/Malleray named Charpilloz and I know there are a couple big businesses in the area owned by Charpilloz. I'm not sure I will have time to work through all the relationships! I have contacted a relative in western Canada who is going to be in Switzerland in October and we are hoping to meet there. Any other ideas?

They are indeed common names. Charpilloz is a Swiss French name and Brunner a Swiss German name. Biel/Bienne is a bi-lingual town at the border between French and German speaking Switzerland. The Burgundians first invaded the area, then during the 6th century the German speaking Alemanni moved in. That created the linguistic border that still splits Biel/Bienne today.

Thanks, Mark. Sounds like you have knowledge of this area. Any suggestions for my search?

Irma, I am Swiss and when I did some research for myself 10 years ago, the most comprehensive source of information by far was the Mormon archives. At the time you could order the microfilms via the Family History Centers that are attached to most churches. I just looked and the one closest to you is at:
1645 Northwest Baker Creek Road/McMinnville Those centers are staffed by volunteers that are very knowledgeable and can help you locate the microfilms/records for Biel.

Mark, I am familiar with that location. I actually used it about 10 years ago when I started my searches. Then I dropped it. Now that I am retired and heading Switzerland, I've started re-visiting my previous searches. Thank you for the reminder! I will go back and see if they have additional info. Are you familiar with the area? Do you have ideas about lodging or transportation? Does using Biel as a home basis make sense? Thanks for the help!

I like Biel very much and that would make a good base. In addition to doing your research, you can go visit Murten, Neuchatel, and Bern of course. I would certainly go to Gruyere, Montreux and visit the Chillon Castle. Both Biel and Le Locle have a thriving watchmaking industry. Biel, of course is on the Jura side and not in the Alps so don't expect rugged alpine scenery but you will get that during the RS tour. Le Locle is interesting but not in a traditional touristic sense. The town burned down multiple times and was rebuilt on a grid system. The entire city was made into an efficient watchmaking apparatus. Apparently Karl Marx studied the division of labor and urban planning in that area. So it is not quaint but interesting nevertheless. In regards to transportation, I would personally rent a car for a couple of days (especially if your investigation takes you to remote farmhouses). Driving is really easy in Switzerland. But Biel is well deserved by rail and you can plan all your day trips in advance with sbb.ch.
I am afraid that what I know about lodging in the area is not up to date and I usually use Tripadvisor.

Thank you. My grandfather's family were watchmakers. I think I'm in the right area!

Interesting. There are plenty of watch museums to visit in the area. Rolex just built a state of the art automated factory in Biel. It was an essentially dead industry in the late 1970s but managed to flourish once again by going upmarket.
Watchmaking in the Jura and the chemical industry in Basel were started by industrious Huguenot immigrants. Traditionally farmers would farm during the summer and make watch parts during the winter that they would sell to companies down in the valleys.

Mark, I love all the historical details! Thank you very much. While in Switzerland, are there places such as churches, town halls, etc that I should visit to try to trace my ancestors? If I don't speak French or German, is it worth even trying to research while there or should I just soak up the culture and scenery?

From my limited experience, the Swiss local archives have been made available for a very long time and what is available has been archived by the LDS church. In general the Parish Registers are your best bet because the Swiss civil records were not very well kept (Switzerland being in a constant state of civil war until 1848). I think you can do all the work beforehand, write down all the addresses and simply then enjoy your visit. If you choose to consult the archives locally, that may be frustrating and especially time consuming. I would certainly visit the cemeteries in Le Locle and Bevilard to find your ancestors (I also noticed that the previous mayor of that village was a Charpilloz). If you have not been before, you should go to Murten (~30 miles from Biel and featured in the RS book) and maybe Avenches (~30 miles from Biel the Roman capital of Helvetia/Switzerland). I would really try to stop in Bern on your way to Biel. Even just walking through the old town for a couple of hours is very worthwhile. Neuchatel which includes Le Locle is quite interesting. It had a special status until 1860 and was ruled by the king of Prussia while being a Swiss Canton at the same time. If you are interested in history, I highly recommend to go to the Swiss National Museum in Zurich (Landesmuseum) before taking the train to Biel. It is right next to the main train station and is not very expensive.
It will make your subsequent visit to Le Locle and Bevilard much more meaningful.

Thanks again, Mark. I think it is going to be a busy couple of days!