I love this list! Everyone is so helpful & friendly! A big Thank You once again to all who have replied to my query regarding the Billeter Records. Since my RUFER family is from Münchenbuchsee and Billeter's records are of Jegenstorf I will be saving him for a later day (perhaps in my retirement!). Thank you again, Regards, Anna

Dear Ann: To find what records are available through the LDS FHCs, start at: http://swiss.genealogy.net/ldsloc-m.htm Then click on GR (for Graubünden canton). Follow the links to Chur. **Swiss researchers** - If you don't know the canton, then use http://www.geocities.com/swissschmutz/chpostal.html to search 1st for the village and the canton is also listed. However, Ann, the Kron family name comes from (according to FNBS 89): Ettingen BL from before 1800 and in 1822 a family emigrated from Germany to Basel (BS) and received citizenship. The rest of the villages listed are in the 1900's. Are you sure they are from Chur? best wishes, Dave Schmutz -----Original Message----- From: Ann Oliver [mailto:user155177@mindspring.com] Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2000 2:22 PM To: dschmutz@es.com Subject: Re: [SWITZ] Arbon, TG - 2 church registers Can you tell me if the LDS has made copies of the information concerning CHUR? The information I need the family came from Chur. They were born and married and had 8 children. Andreas Kron born Aug. 1, 1802 - married Jan. 18,1824 Ursula Von Damur (wife) born Dec. 7, 1798 Children Andreas Kron born Feb5, 1824 Carl Ludwig Kron born Dec. 17,1826 Anna Catharina Kron born July, 25, 1828 Ursula Kron born Oct. 8, 1830 Anna Maria Kron born May 21, 1834 Benedict Kron born July 9, 1836 Gottlieb Kron born Nov. 4, 1838 Clara Kron born Sept. 21, 1842 They left Switzerland and arrived in America at New Orleans La. port in 1845. Any information you can help me with or just tell me how to find information I will greatly appreciate any help. Ann Oliver

Hi Internet Friends, I am still researching the Petitpren (Petipren/Petiprin) line from Canton, Jura, City of Vendlincourt. The family who came to Michigan were Ignatius Petitpren and Catherine Claire (Clere) with at least 6 children. Joseph, born in 1833, is my direct descendant. Both Ignatius and Catherine were born abt. 1805. Thank you. Lorraine FKanary@aol.com

Hello, I am researching the last surnames of PHILLIPP/PHILIPP/PHILLIP/PHILLIPPI/PHILLIPPE and PHILIPPI and I was told to email you for assistance or direction. The people that I am researching are the following: ________________________________________________________________ 1. HANS (HENSEL) PHILIPP was born Abt. 1599 in Canton Berne, Switzerland, and died Aft. 1620 in Canton Berne, Switzerland. He married DOROTHEA STOCK Abt. 1618 in Volksberg, Alsace, Bas-Rhin, France. She was born Abt. 1600 in Lucerne, Switzerland, and died Aft. 1620 in Canton Berne, Switzerland. Hans Hensel Philipp was a School Master. Child of HANS PHILIPP and ANNA (UNKNOWN) is: 2. PHILIP HENSEL (JOHAN PHILIP) PHILIPP was born Bet. 1619 - 1620 in Canton Berne, Switzerland, and died May 27, 1687 in Volksberg, Zabern, Alsace, France. He married ANNA MARIA HESSER January 16, 1644 in Volksberg, Alsace, Bas-Rhin, France, daughter of GEORG HESSER. She was born 1611 in Volksberg, Zabern, Alsace, France, and died April 22, 1690 in Volksberg, Zabern, Alsace, France. Philip Hensel Philipp was a Church Official in Volksberg, Alsace, Bas-Rhin, France. They had (7) children ________________________________________________________________ If you can help me in this research or direct me to someone who can assist me, I would certainly appreciate it! Thank you for your time! Dean Phillippi Jacksonville, Florida

Help, I have been away from genealogy for much too long and have recently returned to the search.....what is the ordinance we are talking about?

> Von: dschmutz@es.com[SMTP:dschmutz@es.com] > Gesendet: Dienstag, 18. Januar 2000 19:12 > An: SWITZERLAND-L@rootsweb.com > Betreff: [SWITZ] Billeter's data on Rufer from Jegenstorf, BE - some > questions ans wered > > Dear Anna: > > The Billeter information in SwissGen's SSD may be accessed by going to: > http://iseli.simplenet.com/ch-names/ > and requesting the data on Rufer. <snip> > According to the data for Rufer in SSD, Billeter only researched the Rufer > surname in the village of Jegenstorf, canton BE, all the way back to 1550. <snip> > So, by now, you are probably wondering why Billeter did research in > Jegenstorf, but it is not mentioned in FNBS 1940. Well, to tell you the > truth, Jegenstorf is not mentioned in FNBS 1989 edition either. > The parish of Jegenstorf consists of the villages of Jegenstorf, Ballmoos, Iffwil, Oberscheunen, Mattstetten (!), Muenchringen, Urtenen (!), Zauggenried and Zuzwil (!). I have marked with (!) the three villages where RUFER have held citizenship since before 1800 (FNBS 1989). So this is the likely explanation : Billeter has researched RUFER mentioned in the Jegenstorf church records, though they might not have been citizens of Jegenstorf (Dave mentioned as an additional possibility, that the Jegenstorf line had existed, but was extinct before about 1935, which would also be possible). Where from did I get the information about Jegenstorf ? Verzeichnis der Kirchenbuecher des Kantons Bern (Index of canton Bern church records) by Peter W. Imhof "Arbeitshilfen fuer Familienforscher in der Schweiz" #8 published by SGFF in 1997 ISBN 3-908222-04-4 This book is a MUST for anyone trying serious research in canton Bern - even if your German is limited : there is very little introductory text; most of it is tables, which will be more or less self-explanatory irrespective of your language. It may be ordered from the SGFF Document Sales Office http://swiss.genealogy.net/SGFF-lit.html for sfr 30 (some $ 20) plus postage - don't know whether there is a cheaper (postage !) source overseas. Most of the Bern church records have been filmed by LDS - the few not filmed are also listed in this book (with details re time frame covered and the like). Good luck with your further research - Wolf ---------------------- Wolf W. Seelentag, PhD, e-mail : wolf@swissmail.com Reherstr. 19, CH - 9016 St. Gallen, Switzerland Tel (home) : +41-71-2885121 Fax : +49-89-2443-91987 Tel (work) : +41-71-4942233

Were Mennonite marriages forbidden in Switzerland? A family genealogist (amateur) telle ms this is so. I have several family lines stemming from Switzerland, most of them Mennonite, all of them married there according to records I haven't checked yet. I am paying someone to search records now ...will there be any marriages? If they did not recognize Mennonite marriages, were the children of such unions considered illegitimate? Or did all the Mennonites have civil ceremonies? Any reading material you can recommend, I will find. Thanks, Jan Hall

Dear Anna: The Billeter information in SwissGen's SSD may be accessed by going to: http://iseli.simplenet.com/ch-names/ and requesting the data on Rufer. By requesting the data, you also register your "interest" in the Rufer surname and will be listed as such on the far right side of the information webpage. OK, nevermind, I see that you have already registered (and 3x - guess you want to make certain the other researchers contact you ;-) ). I will take out all but one name and one e-mail address, which one do you prefer: rufer@xtra.co.nz or eufer@xtra.co.nz According to the data for Rufer in SSD, Billeter only researched the Rufer surname in the village of Jegenstorf, canton BE, all the way back to 1550. But the Rufer surname also held citizenship in the following villages (before 1800) according to the 1940 edition of Familiennamenbuch der Schweiz (Swiss Surnames) - (this data is found in SSD also): canton BE (Bern): Diessbach bei Büren, Lyss, Mattstetten, Münchenbuchsee, Urtenen, Zuzwil canton SO (Solothurn): Aetigkofen, Brügglen There was one more town in which the Rufers held citizenship during the 1800's: Allachwil in BL (Baselland) The other villages mentioned in the SSD info were for citizenship changes during the 1900's - probably of no use to you. So, by now, you are probably wondering why Billeter did research in Jegenstorf, but it is not mentioned in FNBS 1940. Well, to tell you the truth, Jegenstorf is not mentioned in FNBS 1989 edition either. So here are my guesses: 1) Jegenstorf is nearby some of the BE villages mentioned above - and the people actually were citizens of those villages, not Jegenstorf. 2) The Rufer line in Jegenstorf became extinct before the data was collected for FNBS 1940 or 1989. 3) ???? I have attached 2 gif files. Drag them into your webbrowser to view them, if you don't have a "photo-type" viewing program. The 1st one shows the location of Jegenstorf with respect to all of Switzerland. The 2nd is zoomed in so you can see the surrounding villages. Looks like Mattstetten, Münchenbuchsee, and Zuzwil are all nearby to each other. But back to your real question you need to answer. Where are YOUR Rufer ancestors from? You need more clues. Did the emigrating ancestor marry before or after leaving Switzerland? If before, what was the spouse's surname? Let's look for common villages between both surnames. best wishes, Dave Schmutz -----Original Message----- From: Joseph E. Wolfe [mailto:joeedwolfe@juno.com] Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2000 6:58 AM To: rufer@xtra.co.nz Cc: dschmutz@es.com Subject: Re: [SWITZ] Billeter Records Anna - if is mentioned that Rufer is in Billeter then it should be a complete record of the Rufer line in a particular town. He extracted the records from the Church Books of the region and expecially with the females must be used with a certain amount of caution. BUT HE IS A GOOD GUIDELINE to a family. I use him all the time. So take the trip. It will be well worth your time. First of course check to see if the Rufer (s) listed in Billeter are on your line by checking with Switzerland Roots web to find the Billeter page. I do not have that number at the moment but am sending this message also to the Moderator Dave Schmutz and he will add it for you Hope this hellps...Joe Wolfe On Tue, 18 Jan 2000 21:21:23 +1300 "Anna Rufer" <rufer@xtra.co.nz> writes: Can someone please enlighten a newbie! If my surname is mentioned in the Billeter records (RUFER is) does that mean MY family will be there, or just selected ones with that surname? What sort of information might I expect to find? Someone has kindly told me which film number to order at the FHS, but with 2 little boys under 2, a 2 hour return trip to the nearest one is a logistical nightmare! I want to be sure it is worth the effort first! Thanks again - Anna - from Putaruru New Zealand ps. Apologies for sending my last query to the wrong list. I am blaming baby-induced sleep-deprivation!

Good morning to you all from Indianapolis. I am looking for info on an ancestor, Dr Hans Blank, born in 1715, probably Canton Bern. He was a medical Dr, and "belonged to the reformed church in the catholic part of Canton Bern". Is there any kind of medical society or something similar, that might have records on his medical education &/or services? At some point, he converted to the Amish faith, unless the Amish people were already included as part of the Reformed category. He and his family came to the USA on the ship "Queen of Denmark", on Oct. 4, 1751. Any info of any kind would be appreciated. Please email me direct unless the info might benefit all readers. Thank you, Dennis Buerge

Dear Anna, don't worry - you are not alone : most (if not all) people in Switzerland, interested in genealogy, are upset about it ! So you are in good company - which unfortunately doesn't help you much :-(. > ---------- > Von: Anna Rufer[SMTP:rufer@xtra.co.nz] > Gesendet: Dienstag, 18. Januar 2000 09:56 > An: SWITZERLAND-L@rootsweb.com > Betreff: Fw: [SWITZ] New Swiss Civil Registration Ordinance > > Sorry for bringing this up again, but I have been stewing over it for the > past week. > Am I the only one upset about the access changes to these very important > records, or perhaps being a newbie since December I missed previous > discussion on the subject? > > ----Original Message----- > From: Seelentag Wolfhart Dr. KSSG_RO <wolf.seelentag@kssg.ch> > To: SWITZERLAND-L@rootsweb.com <SWITZERLAND-L@rootsweb.com> > Date: Wednesday, 12 January 2000 09:42 > Subject: [SWITZ] New Swiss Civil Registration Ordinance > > >To get information on deceased people you have to get a permission from > the > >cantonal Civil Registry Office > >Now - to get this permission, you have to prove that you are a direct > >descendant ! -((. Prove means - have a chain of > >documents from your birth certificate to your parents' marriage > certificate > >to .... the person you want information about. If you get the permission > - > >there is a fee (sfr 50 for St.Gallen - this might be different in other > >cantons). With this permission you are now allowed to approach the local > >Civil Registration Office and ask for a Familienschein - see > >http://swiss.genealogy.net/intro-e.htm > >for which the fee will usually be in the sfr 25 ... 50 range (depending > on > >the number of entries, i.e. mainly the number of children). > > SO - you must PAY for certificates of proof, > May depend : I have done research for two people (NO - I'm not accepting any more jobs ;-)) recently in two different cantons - plain photocopies of requestors' documents were accepted; this doesn't necessarily mean that all authorities (detailed regulations are issued by the cantons !) will accept plain copies without certification. > in order to PAY to receive > permission, in order to PAY for the information required! > THAT IS BEUROCRACY AT ITS MOST ABSURD!!! > Now, don't get me wrong, I don't mind (in fact I expect to have to) paying > in the course of my research, but this is paying THREE times for ONE lot > of > data. > What was the reason behind this? > I can only imagine it was 1) revenue gathering > Yes and no : administration wants to get paid for work they are doing (could be considered reasonable) - the basic question is, why this unnecessary workload is created in the first place ! > or 2) to prevent people from > having reasonable access to their own family records - which in my mind is > inherantly wrong. > I wouldn't quite word it that way : the aim is to prevent access to information which should not be handed out freely - this ordinance is meant to cover cases like legacy-hunting as well ! The problem is that genealogy is just not covered as a special case - well, it's mentioned, but no real consequences are drawn from this :-((. Genealogy is not as widely popular here as it seem to be in English speaking countries - people making the law just couldn't be bothered (my personal impression). > Are there Genealogical Societies in Switzerland, and if so did they fight > to > prevent this from going ahead? If no one has made a fuss about it - they > should have! > There is a Swiss Genealogical Society : they have tried to influence this - not as much as I would have liked (due to internal quarrels at the time of the "Vernehmlassung"), but they have; and my impression is, even a "healthy" society couldn't have done much better. BTW : SGFF is well again - have a look at http://sgff.genealogy.net/ or http://www.eye.ch/swissgen/SGFF/ > In addition: > >Nobody will get any information on living people : you are supposed to > >contact these people themselfes > > What about information about yourself? In New Zealand the privacy laws > give > you the permission, in fact the RIGHT to access, view, and if necessary to > correct any information held about yourself. > Your own data should be no problem - but not your parents' : reasoning are cases like illegitimate children; the father might be mentioned in the register, but the mother doesn't want the child to know about him. Don't start a discussion here about such a mother - but that's what Swiss privacy law requires. I have to add, that Swiss privacy law does NOT require everything set down in the civil registration ordinance (despite the fact, that the ordinance is often defended as a consequence of the privacy law) - the ordinance introduces further and tighter limits than required by privacy law :-( ! > When I send updates about our family to the local Swiss embassy here in > New > Zealand I assume it gets into the Rufer Family Register in Münchenbuchsee > correctly. > So you are still a Swiss citizen - in which case this should happen. If you are a Swiss citizen (which I'm not) - inform your embassy about your concerns and express your dismay about this regulation ! You alone won't change much - but lots of complaints might result in changes at the end. > Surely I have the right to view our page and/or receive a copy of > the information to confirm it is there, and correct. > > What do others think? > Regards, Anna - from Putaruru, New Zealand > Best regards - Wolf

Sorry for bringing this up again, but I have been stewing over it for the past week. Am I the only one upset about the access changes to these very important records, or perhaps being a newbie since December I missed previous discussion on the subject? ----Original Message----- From: Seelentag Wolfhart Dr. KSSG_RO <wolf.seelentag@kssg.ch> To: SWITZERLAND-L@rootsweb.com <SWITZERLAND-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Wednesday, 12 January 2000 09:42 Subject: [SWITZ] New Swiss Civil Registration Ordinance (was : Request of records from Benken, St. Gallen) >To get information on deceased people you have to get a permission from the >cantonal Civil Registry Office >Now - to get this permission, you have to prove that you are a direct >descendant ! -((. Prove means - have a chain of >documents from your birth certificate to your parents' marriage certificate >to .... the person you want information about. If you get the permission - >there is a fee (sfr 50 for St.Gallen - this might be different in other >cantons). With this permission you are now allowed to approach the local >Civil Registration Office and ask for a Familienschein - see >http://swiss.genealogy.net/intro-e.htm >for which the fee will usually be in the sfr 25 ... 50 range (depending on >the number of entries, i.e. mainly the number of children). SO - you must PAY for certificates of proof, in order to PAY to receive permission, in order to PAY for the information required! THAT IS BEUROCRACY AT ITS MOST ABSURD!!! Now, don't get me wrong, I don't mind (in fact I expect to have to) paying in the course of my research, but this is paying THREE times for ONE lot of data. What was the reason behind this? I can only imagine it was 1) revenue gathering or 2) to prevent people from having reasonable access to their own family records - which in my mind is inherantly wrong. Are there Genealogical Societies in Switzerland, and if so did they fight to prevent this from going ahead? If no one has made a fuss about it - they should have! In addition: >Nobody will get any information on living people : you are supposed to >contact these people themselfes What about information about yourself? In New Zealand the privacy laws give you the permission, in fact the RIGHT to access, view, and if necessary to correct any information held about yourself. When I send updates about our family to the local Swiss embassy here in New Zealand I assume it gets into the Rufer Family Register in Münchenbuchsee correctly. Surely I have the right to view our page and/or receive a copy of the information to confirm it is there, and correct. What do others think? Regards, Anna - from Putaruru, New Zealand . ______________________________

Can someone please enlighten a newbie! If my surname is mentioned in the Billeter records (RUFER is) does that mean MY family will be there, or just selected ones with that surname? What sort of information might I expect to find? Someone has kindly told me which film number to order at the FHS, but with 2 little boys under 2, a 2 hour return trip to the nearest one is a logistical nightmare! I want to be sure it is worth the effort first! Thanks again - Anna - from Putaruru New Zealand ps. Apologies for sending my last query to the wrong list. I am blaming baby-induced sleep-deprivation!

Hi List, How would I go about trying to find where my ancestors are buried in Hallau, Schaffhausen? I haven't seen any type of listing for cemeteries in the different Kantons that I have checked out. Thanks, David __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com

Have been on here for a while but have finally gotten enough nerve to ask a question. Have 4 lines back to Switzerland 1. John Adam Imboden/Imbody born 1708/09 supposedly Bern. 2. Jacob Leffler born 1715 Switzerland 3. Ernest Frederick Dumbauld, born 1716 Berne, Switzerland. 4. This one is the one I have the most info on. Josef Xavier Laube, b 1-7-1843 Baldingen, Aargau, Switzerland. Brother John Gabriel Laube, b 4-25-1840. These two brother came to US in 1860 and settled in Akron, Ohio. Josef was my g grandfather. And I do have other family info back further to 1603. I understand that there was a genealogist by the name of Laube in Switzerland but he died several months ago. Does any one know of any books, papers etc of his that would be searchable. I understand that he was from the same canton Aargau. Thanks if any one know any thing about these 4 lines. Patti Brown patti@infinet.com

Hello; Still looking for any information on Ulrich Eggeman Canton, Bern about 1860's. He married Anna Whitmore and they had three children. John, Robert (my ggrandfather) and a sister ( name unknown). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi to all! I have my Muther line back to the late 1500's. They lived in Erstfeld, Uri and Wassen, Uri. My question is, how do I find out if there is a written history on this family. The only thing I have is the fact that my grandfather, Joachim Muther, drove the stagecoach over the St Gottard Pass. Any help would be appreciated.

Dear Ruckstuhl researchers: I have entered more data into SwissGen's SSD for the surname Ruckstuhl for the time period before 1900. This would include data on all cantons (in which data was available). I have also entered the 1996 phonebook data. Please visit: http://iseli.simplenet.com/ch-names/ to obtain the data. If you need to know more about SSD, then visit: http://swiss.genealogy.net/surnam-m.htm best wishes, Dave Schmutz -----Original Message----- From: Joseph E. Wolfe [mailto:joeedwolfe@juno.com] Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2000 8:29 PM To: rusty94@netzero.net Cc: dschmutz@es.com Subject: Re: [SWITZ] RUCKSTUHL Melissa: The name RUCKSTUHL IS in Canton Zurich but the earlies mention of the name there is in 1905 . However there are many towns in CAnton Thurgau that show the name from before 1800 and here is a list of those: Aadorf (a) from before 1800 Affeltrangen (a) Bischofzell - 1918 - from Munchewilen TG) Buch bei Marwil (a) Braunau (a) Busswil TG 1912 (from Braunau TG) Halden (a) Lanzennenuforn (a) Lommis (b) Braunau TG (they would have been there beafter 1800 and before 1850) Mettlen 1935 (Braunau TG) Sirnach (a) Tagerschen (from 1850 from Braunau TG) Munchwilen TG (a) Tobel (a) Weingarten (a) Zezikon (a) Canton Luzerne - Zell (a) Canton St GAllen - Kirchberg SG (a) Niederhelfenschwil (a) Zurich Canton - Rickenbach (a) Winterthur (a) Since you have the actual birth date it should not be too difficult to find him. Check with your local family history center. Joe Wolfe On Sun, 16 Jan 2000 18:49:07 -0500 "rusty94" <rusty94@netzero.net> writes: > HELLO, > > I AM LOOKING FOR ANY INFO ON SOLOMON RUCKSTUHL. HE WAS BORN 03/23/1679 IN SWITZERLAND. I AM LOOKING FOR HIS PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, ETC. AND WHAT AREA IN SWITZERLAND THEY WERE FROM. I THINK IT IS ZURICH. > > I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY HELP. > > MELISSA TAYLOR

Dear Dick: The following is listed for the village of Arbon, TG through the LDS FHL Catalog website. Start at: http://swiss.genealogy.net/ldsloc-m.htm Then click on TG (for Thurgau canton). Follow the links to Arbon. Kirchenbuch, 1636-1875 Katholische Kirche Arbon (Thurgau) Kirchenbuch, 1598-1950 Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche Arbon (Thurgau) Arbon am Bodensee - Mostly pictorial essay on the city of Arbon in Switzerland. Arbon am Anfang unseres Jahrhunderts - A history of Arbon from the begining of our century (with surname register). best wishes, Dave Schmutz -----Original Message----- From: RRREISER@aol.com [mailto:RRREISER@aol.com] Sent: Monday, January 17, 2000 2:50 PM To: dschmutz@es.com Subject: Genealogy. Hi .My name is Dick Reiser.I live in the US in the state of Iowa. I have been trying to find out some information on my grandmother and her husband.She was from Arbon.I see the canton Thurgau is not on line yet for a contact person for some help. Sue Wolf gave me your address and said you may be abe to help me or know of some one else i could contact.I do have what i think is good information for a start as far as some names. Should you care to respond i can be reached at this e-mail address below. Thanks. Dick Reiser RRReiser@aol.com

Remember, Swiss researchers: Always check SwissGen first: http://swiss.genealogy.net If what you are looking for is not there, let us know........so we can add more. http://www.eye.ch/swissgen/kant/grallg-e.htm Look under "OTHER USEFUL ADDRESSES: " County Archives and Libraries : Staatsarchiv Reichsgasse 37 CH - 7001 Chur Switzerland Kantonsbibliothek Karlihofplatz CH - 7001 Chur Switzerland best wishes, Dave Schmutz SwissGen volunteer -----Original Message----- From: ROY C. SCHILD [mailto:rschild@visuallink.com] Sent: Monday, January 17, 2000 2:36 PM To: SWITZERLAND-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [SWITZ] Staatsarchiv Des Kantons, Graubunden Could someone please provide the postal address for the State Archives for Canton Graubunden. Thank you, Roy

Could someone please provide the postal address for the State Archives for Canton Graubunden. Thank you, Roy