Pat Lineback: >I am a novice at geneology. I recently made a copy of pg 1750 of the Registry of Surnames, but want to make sure I understand how to use it correctly. > See <http://www.eye.ch/swissgen/famnam-m.htm>. Kjell O Hattrem

Henry BALDINGER, born Dec. 10, 1818 probably in canton Aargau, Switzerland. Migrated to Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany where he married Katherine Trellig/Trilling about 1840. They had children: Henry (b. 2/19/1841), John, Conrad & Matthais (b. 3/23/1852) although family folklore says Mathias was born on the voyage to America. Henry was naturalized Dec. 1, 1854 in Crawford County, Ohio. Then they had Jacob (b. 12/28/1854), Katherina (b. 11/12/1856), Henry, Elizabeth, Margaret & Lawrence. I am looking for Swiss Baldinger who may be related & for any information as to a more precise date as to when the Baldingers left Switzerland for Hessen-Darmstadt. Thank you for any help you can offer. Dorene Baldinger-Morris

I am researching the BLICKENSDöRFER family which fled ZUG, CHE to Germany in 1716 to escape religious persecution. The family purchased The Kohlhof near Schifferstadt in the Pfalz. Four of five sons were forced to leave Germany because of religious persecution, Jacob (eldest) remained with his parents. Johannes and Ulrich landed in Philadelphia in 1749 while Christian and Jost landed in 1752. To see a summary of my data, please visit: <http://www.angelfire.com/md/forhissake/ancestry.html> I am especially interested in this family ancestry prior to 1690 when they lived in Switzerland, and will share information on all five sons. I live only two miles from the homestead of the yougest son (Yost BLICKENSTAFF) in Frederick County, Maryland. He was my gggg grandfather. Marvin Blickenstaff Wolfsville, MD

In looking through the St. Gallen Bibliotech library catalog, I came across this entry: 100 Jahre VZG Rufi und Umgebung / Willi Giger Can someone tell me what the "VZG" might mean? Thanks, Joanne Joanne A. Smith Mello [email protected]

I am searching for the ancestors of my GGGF Hans Jacob Hess born Sept 25 1791 in Wiesendangen, canton Zurich. He married Elisabetha Trachsler born Dec 2 1792 in Greifensee. Would anyone know of any of the ancestors or have access to the Swiss Family Book to help identify any of the ancestors? Dan Hess

In some places, I have found them mostly in Germany, there are Ortsippenbucher, town Genealogies. Wonderful resources, even telling when a son or daughter left for America, and the names and dates of generations of families. Since many of my Swiss left Switzerland after the 30 Year War, this is an aid I did not expect to find. I suppose they may also have these in Switzerland.

Sure, Kjell. Sippe (plural: Sippen) is analagous to the Scottish "clan." It refers to the extended family going back many generations. Pete. ==================== Subj: Re: [SWITZ] researching pre-1555 records Date: 9/23/2002 3:50:46 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: <A HREF="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</A> To: <A HREF="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</A> Sent from the Internet (Details) Thanks to Pete Mattli for his wonderful article! >ALWAYS MAKE SURE THE LOCAL LIBRARY IN THE HEIMATORT (HOMETOWN) HAS BEEN SEARCHED FOR AN >ALREADY COMPLETED GENEALOGY OF YOUR SIPPE (CLAN). > The term 'sippe' is new to me. Can you explain it? Kjell O Hattrem

Thanks to Pete Mattli for his wonderful article! >ALWAYS MAKE SURE THE LOCAL LIBRARY IN THE HEIMATORT (HOMETOWN) HAS BEEN SEARCHED FOR AN >ALREADY COMPLETED GENEALOGY OF YOUR SIPPE (CLAN). > The term 'sippe' is new to me. Can you explain it? Kjell O Hattrem

Dear Robert Rothenbuhler I'd like to add my 2 cents to everything that has been said about pre 1550 Swiss research. What has been said is very good info for your follow up. What I would like to add is that if you do not have a copy of "Handy Guide to Swiss Genealogical Records" by Jared H. Suess get it now. It is excellent and can be ordered from The Everton Publishers, Inc. P.O. Box 368 Logan, Utah 84321. It will cost you about $7.00. As an example of what you are looking for there are 2 tables: Table A shows at a glance the record sources available for a research problem in a particular century. Covers from 11th to 20th century. Table B provides more detailed information about the major records available. It will tell you the type of record, period covered, type of information given, and the availability of that record. Paul

I grew up in Switzerland a long time ago and remember seeing outside a church (Arlesheim?) in glasfronted display cases the bones from the fallen in the battle of Dornach. Also in those days up in the Church in Mariastein there was a whole Gruft of bones from the Monks who died there on display. All this has disappeared now , I suppose we are a bit more sensitive nowadays as well we have moved on from those primitive customs. Verena

Hello, I am a novice at geneology. I recently made a copy of pg 1750 of the Registry of Surnames, but want to make sure I understand how to use it correctly. I am researching the name STAMPFLI. I know that my ggfather was born in 1847 but do not know which village or Canton he came from. This is the info that I would like to determine. It lists the following info: Stampfli BE Bern 1598 (Seedorf BE) 1861 * Bolligen a Durrenroth 1861 * Grendelwald 1898 * Kaufdorf 1861 * Kirchlindack a Lenk 1981 * Meikirch a ETC. And so on and so forth (it then goes on to list other Cantons). Can I to assume that any canton or community with a date AFTER his date of birth can be eliminated as his place of origin?? Thank you, Pat (Stampfli) Lineback

Dear Robert and Fran! I bet you'll get all kinds of wise counsel before long..... the > true brains of this List are often so busy with their real life [i.e. family, making a > living, etc.] that it takes them a while to find time for their hobby. > Now, if you have data clear back to 1550, at which time > very slowly records were starting to be kept in churches, you > are doing extremely well and above average. > > In the meantime I'll share a couple of ways I've widened my genealogy > results: > For Switzerland you can go to "Search" and enter any given town of interest to you... followed by ".CH" (CH meaning "Switzerland"). For example, take my hometown "Aarau.CH" , click and there is the most wonderful website on anything vital in Aarau; libraries, archives, schools, clubs, etc. > What resulted in great leads for me was clicking on "Vereine" (clubs or societies... > specific interest groups ). >For example I made contact with the "Historische Verein" (Historical Society) > of Aarau, which in turn brought me to the president of the local Yodeler Club ;-) who also happened to work at the Stadtskanzlei (Bureau of Records). Try any contact. > Of course its all in German/French or Italian ... depending on what > region you are contacting. > The nice thing about the Swiss is that many bother to study English, and > in case your German is not adequate they don't mind practicing it to > help you along. So shop around. If a small village is not represented, look under Kanton (i.e., " Aargau.CH" in my case) and find the closest community that has a website; their records may cover the ones of your small community. Its worth a try. > > The other one, of course, is trying to find historical literature, > chronicals, lexicons, etc. on the areas > you are interested in. That's where the particular local libraries and > archives would come in. > You'd be surprised how often you find some "same name mentions" in > those. And that might open new avenues. > As for finding proveable connections with same name relatives from > 1550 on backward, that is only possible if they were famous (or > infamous) for one reason or another; people who were renouned for > great accomplishments, etc and therefore left a verifyable, > indisputable written trail in documents of public transactions, etc. > Even at best that becomes very sketchy, unless they left behind a > written genealogy. > > http://www.eye.ch/swissgen is a bottomless source of great leads as > to checking out archives and sources in many areas. Whether you come up with new names and dates for your pedigree chart or not, it is enriching to you to learn the history of the areas your ancestors walked..... they were part of that history. Actually, they are that history. Hanneli > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Robert Rothenbuhler <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Hi, > > I only receive one response on the researching > > before 1555 question and it really did not tell me > > anything. > > robert

----- Original Message ----- From: Robert Rothenbuhler <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, September 20, 2002 8:08 PM Subject: Re: [SWITZ] Cemetery & Researching before 1555 > Hi, > I only receive one response on the researching > before 1555 question and it really did not tell me > anything. > > robert >

In a message dated 9/21/02 3:01:48 AM Central Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: > I heard from someone today that the bodies are only in the graves for 1 year > and then the bones are removed (New Orleans). Can anyone confirm this? > Claire > They have family crypts and add more family members as the bodies decompose. My good friend told me about this in describing the burial of her husband about fifteen years ago. I don't believe they engage in removing any thing from the grave. Judy Oklahoma

Hi Robert, You asked about researching pre-1555 records. Pre-1555 generally excludes church records. When you write to a Staatsarchiv and are given the names of one or two "researchers" with whom you can "make arrangements", very often this means only records within the Staatsarchiv facility itself get searched, especially in winter. Yet almost all pre-1555 records consist of: land records marriage contracts wills inventories mortgages etc. And these are generally filed at the local or district courthouse rather than inside the Staatsarchiv. Not every "researcher" is willing to exit the Staatsarchiv and search courthouse records. Yet this is exactly where there is the best chance of finding pre-1555 records. Sometimes indexed, sometimes not. ALWAYS MAKE SURE THE LOCAL LIBRARY IN THE HEIMATORT (HOMETOWN) HAS BEEN SEARCHED FOR AN ALREADY COMPLETED GENEALOGY OF YOUR SIPPE (CLAN). If it can be arranged within your personal time and expense resources, it is always best to conduct these early searches yourself, on site, with a bi-lingual archivist supplied by the Staatsarchiv or Zivilstandsamt (civil registrar) accompanying you. Usually such an arrangement can be made for a three-day search at a rate of $175 per day, plus 21¢ a mile if transportation is furnished (and you pay all traffic fines). Again, for records earlier than 1600 it is often productive to specifically insure that the search has included (not skipped) all land and notarial-type records. If the search is not personally observed, and thereby assured, records located external to the main archival record bank will often be skipped. This is especially true if they are located in the local or district courthouse, and possibly not yet indexed. I. LAND RECORDS, WILLS, NOTARIAL RECORDS. WILLS (Testamente) The location of wills is a good illustration of the problems in a federated state. Because of the autonomous situation of the cantons, each has developed its own systems and ideas over the years. The earliest wills date back to the twelfth century and they can be found in state or city archives, or in local or district courthouses. Until 1912 the probating (proving) of wills was entirely the responsibility of the cantons. But in that year the law was changed and the responsibility devolved on the federal government. In the case of death, the will has to be submitted to a judge or other federal authority who deals with matters of succession for proof of probate, regardless of whether the will has been retained in private hands, or lodged in the office of a notary. Searching for wills, therefore, involves making contact with both courts and notaries. However, persistence pays off, and I know of several instances where wills have been eventually found as far back as 1400. NOTARIAL RECORDS (Notariatsregister) These date from the fourteenth century and include: 1) land records (Katasterbücher) which list the inheritors of land for several generations, together with details of their addresses, ages and occupations. 2) marriage contracts (Eheverträge) which were always drawn up whenever property was involved and which give the full names of the couple, their ages, the names of their parents, places of birth, and current residence. 3) inventories (Bestandsaufnahmen) which list all property and possessions left by a deceased, together with the name and age, the address, occupation and the same for surviving family members. 4) mortgages (Hypotheken) which list not only mortgages but also loans against property, contract for real estate sales, and the full names and addresses of the parties involved. The more recent of the above records are in the local courthouse (Kantonal- und Amtsgericht). Older records are in the canton and state archives. Many of them have been indexed." Unquote II. Land records: They are kept districtwise (a district is a couple of communities together), on the so called Notariat- und Grundbuchamt, an official government office. Old documents always show the Assekuranz-Nummer (the number of the fire insurance), and therefore the Katasterbücher der Brandassekuranz (books of the official fire insurance) are most usefull for family research. These books are kept in the Staatsarchiv (State archives). Every Kanton has one Staatsarchiv. Nowdays every property has an Assekuranz-Nummer and a Kataster-Nummer. The Kataster is a division (classification) of the land, the Assekuranz belongs to the building. So if someone buys a house, he always has the above mentionned 2 numbers (one for the building and one for the land it stands on). The government registers all transfers of property, with grantee and grantor. That has always been that way. Nowadays ( I think since 1996) transfers are are to be published monthly in the Amtsblatt, the official newspaper of the government of each Kanton. Every person can buy it. Before that year it was not easy to find out about transfers of property; it was more or less secret! I think now there is one standard for the whole confederation ( I will find out). For family research it is not advisable to contact the Notariat-and Grundbuchamt (very expensive to get a Grundbuchauszug =extract from the land register).It's better to contact the the State Archives. Some people who do family research also use the Steuerregister (register of income taxes), the Haushaltungsrodel (not in use anymore, an old register of the households) and the Bevölkerungsverzeichnis (a register of the inhabitans). All these books are also kept at the State Archives, as well as the old church records (where, before 1876, birth, death, marriage, babtism was written down, before the State took over these duties). Street addresses: Most Swiss cities and towns have City Directories, with a map of the city and the streets indicated on it. Besides the streets are listed alphabetically. These Directories may be ordered in cities at the Verkehrsverein (tourist information), in small communities at the Gemeindeverwaltung (office of the community council). Old street directories are also available in the libraries. Pete Mattli [email protected] [3-ggg's] ========================================= Subj: Re: [SWITZ] Cemetery & Researching before 1555 Date: 9/20/2002 10:08:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: <A HREF="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</A> To: <A HREF="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</A> Sent from the Internet (Details) Hi, I only received one response on the researching before 1555 question and it really did not tell me anything. robert

Hi, I only receive one response on the researching before 1555 question and it really did not tell me anything. robert ----- Original Message ----- From: "Fran Obrien" <[email protected]> To: "Robert Rothenbuhler" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, September 20, 2002 8:36 PM Subject: Re: [SWITZ] Cemetery & Researching before 1555 > Hi Robert, I followed the thread on the list regarding the cemeteries and > burial procedures, But didn't see anything in my inbox about the resrarch > prior to 1555. Were the responses all direct to you? Would you mind > sharing the advice, suggestions etc with me? I am hopeful to learn > something that will help me with my Swiss family which I mentioned to you > in my email of 9/18. > THanks, Fran > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Robert Rothenbuhler" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, September 20, 2002 7:05 PM > Subject: [SWITZ] Cemetery & Researching before 1555 > > > > Hi List, > > I want to thank this list for the great response > > on my two questions regarding cemetery and researching > > family before 1555. All responses were very interesting and > > answered what I was looking for. > > > > thanks again, > > > > robert rothenbuhler > > [email protected] > > > > > > > > ==== SWITZERLAND Mailing List ==== > > Going on vacation? Gone longer than 4 days? Go to > > http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/intl/CHE/SWITZERLAND.html > > to unsubscribe > > > > >

Dear Earnie, I was surprised several years ago when I visited western Wisconsin to see taht the "Mother or All Rivers" flooded the way it did. I do remember that near Fountain City, WI, there were many tombs of Swiss origin ( Ticino, Valais, but mostly Swiss-German) who were buried in hills overlooking the Misssissippi. Now, I understand that the remaining Families did not particularly wish to see their loved ones float down to New Orleans and into the sea......... Jacques de Guise Estudio de Investigaciones Genealógicas Center for Genealogical Research Cabinet d'Etudes Généalogiques Madrid, Lausanne [email protected] ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, September 20, 2002 7:04 PM Subject: [SWITZ] Burial New Orleans Style > This discussion wouldn't be complete for me without telling how New Orleans, > La. USA does it. > Because of the Mississippi River and other waterways dumping in at New > Orleans, La., the place is one of the most saturated in the world. Because of > it, burials are in stone vaults, bodies stacked on top of one another, I > guess, because the weight is needed to hold a normal pine box under the > ground. > > Ernie Heltsley > > > ==== SWITZERLAND Mailing List ==== > Going on vacation? Gone longer than 4 days? Go to > http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/intl/CHE/SWITZERLAND.html > to unsubscribe >

Marlena Amalfitano: > When I was in Switzerland, this spring, I asked about this and was > told the family has the use of the grave for 50 years for a particular > person, then they are cremated and the family decides what to do with > the cremains. Did you invent the word 'cremains'? I have never seen it before, and I think it's a nice amalgam of 'cremate' and 'remains'. Kjell O. Hattrem

Hi List, I want to thank this list for the great response on my two questions regarding cemetery and researching family before 1555. All responses were very interesting and answered what I was looking for. thanks again, robert rothenbuhler [email protected]

Being a (displaced) New Orleans native, I inquired into this a bit further during a cemetery visit a few years back. I had visited a small above-ground tomb in a New Orleans Cemetery with 13 names on it. I asked the caretaker if it weren't a bit crowded in there, seeing how it was only a little larger than an ordinary casket. The caretaker informed me that above-ground burial is very much like a slow crematory: the heat and other natural forces cause degradation of the remains until very little is left - he assured me there is plenty of room in the tomb, despite 13 people having been entombed there. Jim [email protected] wrote: > Subject: > > [SWITZ] Burial New Orleans Style > From: > > [email protected] > Date: > > Fri, 20 Sep 2002 13:04:16 EDT > To: > > [email protected] > > > This discussion wouldn't be complete for me without telling how New Orleans, > La. USA does it. > Because of the Mississippi River and other waterways dumping in at New > Orleans, La., the place is one of the most saturated in the world. Because of > it, burials are in stone vaults, bodies stacked on top of one another, I > guess, because the weight is needed to hold a normal pine box under the > ground.