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American descendants encouraged to visit Guernsey

Residents of Guernsey County, Ohio, are being encouraged to reconnect with their Channel Island roots.

In 1806, a group of Guernsey folk crossed the Atlantic to begin a new life in the American Midwest.

They named their new home in Ohio, Guernsey County, in honour of the island they left behind.

Today, more than 200 years later, the link between the two Guernseys has largely been forgotten.

Visit Guernsey’s Lead Marketing Officer, Zoe Gosling, says they want to celebrate the shared history and use it to inspire American descendants to visit.

“If we can encourage a bit more transatlantic travel, then we would be delighted.

“America is a very difficult place for us, as a small jurisdiction, to advertise into, so this connection gives us a great starting point.”

There are nearly 4,000 miles between the island of Guernsey and the American Guernsey County.

Surnames such as Sarchet, Ferbrache and Bichard can be found in Guernsey County.

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