The translation into German would be "Schweizer Garde" - which is the German name of the Pope's "bodyguards" in the Vatican : mainly representative nowadays, but well known soldiers in earlier centuries. Check http://www.datacomm.ch/awicky/gsp/index.html (sorry - in German only). I would consider this the most likely explanation, though I cannot exclude for sure that some other Swiss regiment (and there were lots of them) could also be meant. Best regards - Wolf > ---------- > Von: Julie Sass[SMTP:sassy1@mindspring.com] > Gesendet: Montag, 24. Januar 2000 13:11 > An: SWITZERLAND-L@rootsweb.com > Betreff: [SWITZ] Legio Helvetica > > This question came up on the B-W List...Anyone on the Swiss List have any > further information or comments on the Legio Helvetica? > > Thanks for any input. > > Julie > > In a message dated 01/23/2000 7:32:38 AM Pacific Standard Time, > g.rotter@t-online.de writes: > > << 1748, across a "former soldier" of the "Legio Helvetica". > Has anybody any idea what kind of soldiery this "Legio" was? >> > > Legio helvetica is Latin for "Swiss Regiment." That in itself doesn't > tell > you which Swiss regiment or for whom they were fighting at the time. The > Swiss contracted regiments to many European governments--for example, > there was a Swiss regiment stationed in Canada for the British as late as > the > War of 1812. You will need to find more identifying data. Virginia >