Canton Aargau, Switzerland Genealogy

Switzerland

Canton Aargau

Guide to Canton Aargau ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

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Canton Aargau

Getting Started

If you are new to Swiss research, you should watch this introductory course. Then study the articles on church records and civil registration, as almost all of your research will be in those two record groups.

• Introduction to Swiss Research
• Switzerland Civil Registration
• Switzerland Church Records

Switzerland Online Genealogy Records

Online
Research Help

History and Geography

The area of Aargau and the surrounding areas were controlled by the Helvetians, a member of the Celts, as far back as 200 BC, eventually being occupied by the Romans and then by the 6th century, the Franks. The Romans built a major settlement called Vindonissa, near the present location of Brugg.
Bern as the Unteraargau, expanded north in 1514 into the Jura and so came into possession of several strategically important mountain passes into the Austrian Fricktal.This land was added to the Unteraargau and was directly ruled from Bern.
At the time of Reformation, the majority of the Ämter converted to a new faith. In 1529, a wave of iconoclasm swept through the area and wiped away much of the old religion. After the defeat of Zürich in the second Battle of Kappel in 1531, the victorious five Catholic cantons marched their troops into the Freie Ämter and reconverted them to Catholicism.
During the Helvetic Republic 1798–1803, the county of Baden, the Freie Ämter and the area known as the Kelleramt were combined into the canton of Baden. After the French invasion, on 19 March 1798, the governments of Zürich and Bern agreed to the creation of the short lived canton of Baden in the Helvetic Republic.
With the Act of Mediation in 1803, the canton of Baden was dissolved and the contemporary canton of Aargau was formed in 1803.
French forces occupied the Aargau from 10 March to 18 April 1798; thereafter the Bernese portion became the canton of Aargau and the remainder formed the canton of Baden.

Aargau (Wikipedia)

Regions

The Aargau consists of four former regions (sub-districts in brackets):

• Freiamt (Muri, Bremgarten)
• Fricktal (Laufenburg, Rheinfelden), once part of Vorderösterreich
• Grafschaft Baden (Baden, Zurzach)
• Unteraargau (Aarau, Brugg, Kulm, Lenzburg, Zofingen), formerly part of Bern

The first three regions were predominantly Roman Catholic while the Unteraargau region was mostly Protestant. --Swiss Genealogy on the Internet

Municipalities and Parishes in Canton Aargau

The following is a list of the municipalities of Canton Aargau before 1970.

Aarau Aarburg Abtwil Ammerswil Aristau Arni Attelwil Auenstein Auw Baden Bad Zurzach Baldingen Beinwil (Freiamt) Beinwil am See Bellikon Benzenschwil Bergdietikon Berikon Besenbüren Bettwil Biberstein Birmenstorf Birr Birrenlauf Birrhard Birrwil Böbikon Boniswil Boswil Bottenwil Böttstein Bözen Bremgarten Brittnau Brugg Brunegg Buchs Bünzen Burg Büttikon Buttwil Dättwil Densbüren Dietwil Dintikon Dottikon Döttingen Dürrenäsch Effingen Eggenwil Egliswil Ehrendingen Eiken Elfingen Endingen Ennetbaden Erlinsbach Etzgen Fahrwangen Fischbach-Göslikon Fisibach Fislisbach Freienwil Frick Full-Reuenthal Gallenkirch Gansingen Gebenstorf Geltwil Gipf-Oberfrick Gontenschwil Gränichen Habsburg Hägglingen Hallwil Hausen Hellikon Hendschiken Hermetschwil-Staffeln Herznach Hilfikon Hirschthal Holderbank Holziken Hornussen Hottwil Hunzenschwil Islisberg Ittenthal Jonen Kaiseraugst Kaiserstuhl Kaisten Kallern Killwangen Kirchberg Kirchdorf Kirchleerau Klingnau Koblenz Kölliken Kulm Künten Küttigen Laufenburg Lauffohr Leerau Leibstadt Leimbach Lengnau Lenzburg Leuggern Leutwil Lieli Linn Lunkhofen Lupfig Magden Mägenwil Mandach Meienberg Meisterschwanden Mellikon Mellingen Menziken Merenschwand Mettau Möhlin Mönthal Moosleerau Möriken-Wildegg Muhen Mühlau Mühlethal Mülligen Mumpf Münchwilen Murgenthal Muri Neuenhof Niederlenz Niederrohrdorf Niederwil Oberbözberg Oberehrendingen Oberentfelden Oberflachs Oberhof Oberhofen Oberkulm Oberlunkhofen Obermumpf Oberrohrdorf Oberrüti Obersiggenthal Oberwil Oeschgen Oftringen Olsberg Othmarsingen Rein Reinach Reitnau Rekingen Remetschwil Remigen Rheinfelden Rietheim Riniken Rohr Rohrdorf Rothrist Rottenschwil Rudolfstetten-Friedlisberg Rued Rüfenach Rümikon Rupperswil Safenwil Sarmenstorf Schafisheim Scherz Schinznach Bad Schinznach Dorf Schlossrued Schmiedrued Schneisingen Schöftland Schupfart Schwaderloch Seengen Seon Siglistorf Sins Sisseln Spreitenbach Staffelbach Staufberg Staufen Stein Stetten Stilli Strengelbach Suhr Sulz Tägerig Tegerfelden Teufenthal Thalheim Turgi Ueken Uerkheim Uezwil Umiken Unterbözberg Unterehrendingen Unterendingen Unterentfelden Unterkulm Unterlunkhofen Untersiggenthal Veltheim Villigen Villmergen Villnachern Vordemwald Wallbach Waltenschwil Wegenstetten Wettingen Widen Wil Wiliberg Windisch Wislikofen Wittnau Wohlen Wohlenschwil Wölflinswil Würenlingen Würenlos Zeihen Zeiningen Zetzwil Zofingen Zufikon Zurzach Zuzgen

Compiled Genealogies

• Aargau, Personal Pages on Family Surnames

Census Records

Census Records Online

These records have a restriction for use only at a FamilySearch Center near you.

• 1837 Aargau Bevölkerungstabellen, 1837, images, no index.
• 1850 Aargau Bevölkerungstabellen, 1850, images, no index

1850 Census

This census was enumerated in March 1850. The census includes house number, given name, surname, sex, year of birth, citizenship and residence status (within either Graubünden, other Swiss cantons, or foreign countries), religion, marital status, and occupation.

The 1850 census was divided into separate forms:

• Form A includes all residents of the municipality.
• Form B includes all citizens living outside of Switzerland, including year of departure and foreign place of residence.

Emigration Records

• 1803-1840 Bevölkerungs und Auswanderungsakten, 1803-1840: Correspondence pertaining to the emigration of citizens of Kt. Aargau, Switzerland. Each set of documents is preceded by an alphabetical index, arranged by surname or subject, supplying a summary of each document. Includes some passenger lists. Includes population census statistics.

These records have a restriction for use only at a FamilySearch Center near you.

Civil Registration

Civil registration began in Canton Aargau in 1876. To understand the records available, read the Wiki article, Switzerland Civil Registration.

Civil Records (1746-1876)

• 1746-1846 Zivilurkunden, 1746-1846: These records include notations on naturalization, emigration, citizenship, public assistance, disaster relief, court appeals, estate and orphan assistance. They are available in 40 microfilms, many of which are digitized and available online, Again, they have a restriction for use only at a FamilySearch Center near you.

Church Records

For most of Aargau, records are not available online. Original church records are located in the local parish office. Many church records before 1875 were microfilmed by and are only available onsite at the Aargau archive. The archive has prepared an inventory of their holdings. Due to limited space, be sure to make an appointment before viewing the records at the archive.

FamilySearch has the following parishes available online:

• Gontenschwil, both Reformed and Catholic parishes.
• Laufenburg, 1596-1980
• Würenlos, 1620-1875, includes Kempfhof, Oetlikon.
• Zofingen, 1571-1867, includes Oftringen, Mühlethal, Vordemwald, Strengelbach, and Rümlisberg.
  

There are no indexes of church records.

For information on the coverage and content of church records, read Switzerland Church Records.

Writing for Church Records

• Most research in Canton Aargau will have to be conducted by correspondence.
• Find the address for your ancestors' parish in one of these lists. Look for the term "Kontakt" for mailing and e-mail addresses.:
  • Addresses for Reformed parishes
  • Addresses for Catholic parishes
• You will be able to write your request in German with the help of the German Letter Writing Guide.
• For major towns or cities: Swiss Genealogy on the Internet makes this claim (accessed April, 2018): "You need to know that the parish records have been transferred to the Zivilstandsamt of each major town or city. Writing to these civil clerk's offices will be of no use, however. They may claim (falsely) that they are by law not authorized to release the information and that they are unable to read the old script in which the church records are written. Whatever the case, the reality is that one's only options are either to hire a researcher or to visit the Zivilstandsamt oneself. If you want to attempt the latter, be aware that you first need to acquire a permit from the Interior Department of the government of the canton of Aargau. To apply, state your case by writing (in German) to
  

Departement des Innern des Kantons Aargau

CH-5001 Aarau

SWITZERLAND

If your request is approved, the department will communicate the amount of the fee needed to acquire the permit, usually approximately 50 Swiss Francs."

• Addresses for Civil Registration (ZivilStandesamt) Offices (.pdf)

Reading the Records

• German Genealogical Word List
• Swiss Dialect Genealogical Word List
• German Paleography Seminar - Lessons on German Handwriting
• Old German Script
  • Part 1
  • Part 2
  • Part 3 (German Church and Civil Records)

Search Strategy

This search strategy will help you determine what to write for. Limit tour requests to just one of these steps at a time. Once you have established that the parish is cooperative and perhaps more willing to do more extensive research (for a fee), you might be able to ask them for more at a time.

• Search for the relative or ancestor you selected.
• When you find his birth record, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
• Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
• You can estimate the ages of the parents and determine a birth year to search for their birth records.
• Search the death registers for all known family members.
• Repeat this process for both the father and the mother, starting with their birth records, then their siblings' births, then their parents' marriages, and so on.
• If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.